It is a little early for flowers but it won’t be long before poppies and other wildflowers will be putting on a show here. I wasn’t hiking for flowers on this day though. I was hiking to get a good workout in. I loaded up my pack for a conditioning hike. Where: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Merced River Recreation ...

I got a lot done last week but a blog wasn’t one of those things that I accomplished. Since I wasn’t able to get out on a hike, I wanted to share a rerun of a good snowshoe hike that starts adjacent to the Tenaya Lodge. Although this blog may be from 2017, this adventure just may be perfect after ...

AHWAHNEE — District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler thinks 2020 is going to be “another up year” for eastern Madera County. “The last two or three years have been really good ones for us,” Wheeler said this week from his ranch in Ahwahnee. “Our budget’s been up. Our economy is up. Unemployment is low. We’re among the top ten counties in ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — From progress on major new public and commercial projects to prosecution of high-profile criminal cases, 2019 was an eventful year in eastern Madera County. As 2020 dawns, here’s a look back at some of this year’s key stories. North Fork’s new roundabout: After several years of heated debate, Madera County’s first public roundabout was approved by the ...

Beautiful snow was waiting for our adventure, snowshoeing along Tamarack Ridge above Shaver Lake. Where: Tamarack SNO-PARK, Sierra National Forest Distance: 5.11 miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevational Range: 7,460′ to 7,911′ Date: December 11, 2019 Maps: High Sierra Ranger District Winter Recreation Guide, Dinky Creek Topographic Quad Dog Hike? Maybe We were heading out on our first snowshoe adventure of the season ...

COARSEGOLD – A recent home invasion in Yosemite Lakes Park remains unsolved, leaving some YLP residents on edge, especially after a similar incident took place in the same general area less than a week earlier. On Nov. 6, the Madera County Sheriffs Office received a call regarding a potential burglary taking place at a residence on the 41000 block of ...

OAKHURST — A popular local pet groomer has been forced to close up shop. Liz Hunter, who for nearly five years has operated “Liz is Grooming” inside the former Oakhurst Feed & Pet Supply, came in to her shop last Monday (Nov. 4) to find that her electricity was out. “At first, I thought it was another PG&E power shut ...

BASS LAKE — The Grub Gulch chapter of E. Clampus Vitus — better known as the “Clampers” — will dedicate their newest monument at Bass Lake next weekend. The monument, which commemorates the history of Bass Lake, Willow Creek and the recreational and commercial development history of the popular resort, is located at the Yosemite RV Park. According to Dan ...

Three weeks ago we attempted this hike up through wobbly rocks and boulder-strewn glacial remains, but a member of our party started showing symptoms of altitude sickness so we aborted our plan. It was time for us to finish what we had started. We visited all 5 of the Dana Lakes then headed up to Dana Plateau to exit but ...

I had missed out hiking in the Bridalveil Creek area when the wildflowers were going full blast but a couple of friends told me that I was not too late and they were sure right. Fireweed was getting ready to take over the wildflower show and it is always cool to spot a bear! Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 7.41 ...