We hiked with cows, sometimes sharing the same trail. We also had a traffic jam on the trail but we were more than happy to wait for our turn while we checked out the early spring blooms and gorgeous reflections along the San Joaquin River. Where: Bureau of Land Management, San Joaquin River Gorge Special Management Area, Millerton Lake State Recreation ...

We headed up a trail that was lined with every color of wildflower that you could imagine. The glassy lake reflected the rocky Eastman Lake shore and we saw some critters. But those rattlesnakes were out and we have the proof! Distance: 8.1 Miles Difficulty: Easy to Moderate, depending on how far you go Elevation Range: 586′ to 709′ Date: ...

I had heard of pupfish but had never seen one, so I was looking forward to learning more, especially after I found out it was breeding season for them and this was the best time to see them. About 13.5 miles north of Furnace Creek, we headed south on a graded gravel road off of Hwy 190 to the Salt ...

Do you know that feeling when you see your first spring wildflowers of the year in our foothills? It’s that time of the year and it was a real thrill for me, especially when I saw those beautiful California Poppies waving in the breeze. This is one of those hikes that you can only do with the Sierra Foothill Conservancy ...

Last year we had visited Death Valley at this same time and were wowed by the “Superbloom.” We discovered zero wildflowers this year but there are always incredibly beautiful areas to explore in Death Valley and one of those are the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. They are a beautiful place to visit in the morning when we could see the ...

I guess we could have checked to see if the road was open but that would have just been too easy. When we came across the washout, it just meant bonus miles to get us up to the roaring 500 foot cascading waterfall that is called Stevenson Fall. Where: Sierra National Forest Distance: 16.23 Miles (About 6 miles rt to ...

My adventure this week was full of beautiful green foothills with small streams and lovely waterfalls. A historic railroad bed, gold mining, and the Sierra Newt all played a prominent role! Where: Sierra Foothill Conservancy, McKenzie Preserve Distance: 8.36 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 629′ – 1,501′ Date: February 5, 2017 Maps: Academy, Millerton East Topographic Quads Dog Hike? No, ...

We loaded up the dogs and headed up a gated dirt road just out of Bass Lake to get some exercise between storms. Icy puddles, frosty leaves and some snow were highlights of this hike, along with the silly antics of those dogs. Where: Sierra National Forest Distance: 7.36 Miles Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Elevation Range: 3,640′ – 5,194′ Date: ...

The most snow that we had seen in a long time had dumped in Yosemite National Park and I couldn’t wait to get over there to some high point where I could look out at those white covered high mountains. We snowshoed our way over to Dewey Point to check it out. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 7.24 Miles Difficulty: ...

If you don’t like heights or walking on a narrow metal grid on top of a flume as it crosses over deep draws, this hike probably is not for you. Where: Sierra National Forest, Brown’s Ditch is owned and operated by PG&E Distance: 4.89 Miles Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Elevation Range: 3,439′ – 3,780′ Date: December 29, 2016 Maps: Ahwahnee ...