The 4 Mile Trail led me from the Yosemite Valley floor where the old Leidig Hotel stood in 1870 up to Glacier Point and Sentinel Dome, full of wonderful views of Yosemite Falls and the snowy high country. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 12.8 Miles Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous Elevation Range: 3,979′ – 8,107′ Date: November 29, 2017 Maps: El ...

If I could sneak one more day of hiking in before Tioga Road closed, where would it be? A hike to North Dome with a side trip to Indian Arch sounded like the perfect plan. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 9.76 Miles Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous Elevation Range: 7,397′ – 8,366′ Date: November 14, 2017 Maps: Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Topographic ...

Tuolumne Grove was one of the big stops that early travelers to Yosemite made. Imagine leaving Hodgdon’s Stage Station in the 1870s, then heading up through these huge trees. What a sight that must have been! And what a bumpy, dusty, dirty trip it was to get there as we learn from the words of those that made that trip ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Togetherness is one of the simple ideals behind the Thanksgiving holiday and its ensuing weekend. Rather than eat, shop, and repeat, local lovers of the outdoors have a suggestion for the entire friends-and-family entourage: try a little Green Friday. As compared with the (when-did-it-become?) traditional Black Friday — a nearly-sacred day for those who love to shop ...

Three Giant Sequoia Groves are located in Yosemite National Park and we also have Nelder Grove nearby. They say that Merced Grove is the least visited and since I had never been to this one, I had to go check it out. It was a very nice hike down the historic Old Coulterville Road to check out the 20 or ...

My dog Sally and I hiked up Convict Canyon on a crisp morning after a dusting of snow, along side colorful mountains that steeply rose up from the trail, and through fall color toward Mildred Lake. The snow wasn’t an issue but the ice ended up being one, but those views along the way were well worth it! Where: Inyo ...

I had been chasing fall colors at higher elevations on the eastern side of the Sierra, but I was curious what those fall colors were doing in Yosemite Valley, so I took a little drive to see how they were shaping up. I arrived before the sun came up and it was pretty smoky but there was still a lot ...

Yellow aspens were leading the charge at the Fall color parade on the east side of the Sierra, not as magnificent of a display in the past, but still beautiful and well worth the drive. We did a bunch of driving with stops at Tioga Pass area, Virginia Lakes, Lundy, and June Lake Loop. Just in case you might like ...

I heard some reports that fall was starting to create colorful splashes on those mountains on the east side of the Sierra and had to go check it out for myself. Fall was happening on the east side . . . but so was winter! Where: Inyo National Forest, John Muir Wilderness Distance: 2.77 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 7,582’ ...

Sally and I took a short but steep hike up to Gardisky Lake and were rewarded with amazing views of the surrounding high country, white puffy clouds reflecting in the lake and a surprise. Where: Inyo National Forest Distance: 5.09 Miles Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult Elevational Range: 9,732′ to 10,524′ Date: September 14, 2017 Topographic Quad Maps: Falls Ridge, June ...