Our plan was to take a blooming Dogwood adventure in Yosemite Valley. First stop were the Half Dome Village dogwoods, then the Mirror Lake Loop dogwoods and the finale was the pink dogwood near the employee housing but we also had a few surprises along the way with a trail issue and some romantic critters. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: ...

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 ...

Tioga Pass hadn’t opened up from its winter’s sleep yet, but I really wanted to get over to the east side of the Sierra. Sally was up for the adventure and we drove along those brightly colored, snowcapped mountains to Convict Lake for a few days. Where: Inyo National Forest, John Muir Wilderness Distance: 2.77 Miles Difficulty: Easy Elevation Range: ...

The Merced River had reached flood stage, gently spilling its banks into areas within Yosemite Valley. Waterfalls were reacting from our recent heat with a display that we hadn’t seen in years. And, on top of that, the dogwoods were blooming. How could I resist a trip to Yosemite Valley to check it all out? Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: ...

We were on the hunt for those beautiful big white blooms of the dogwoods. We headed to Yosemite Valley to see what we could find. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 7.25 Miles Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Elevation Range: 3,983 to 4,285′ Date: April 26, 2016 Maps: El Capitan and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Topographic Quads As we drove in, we were watching ...

Fresh snow was calling and the best place I knew of to view snow covered peaks was in the Tioga Pass area. I wasn’t too sure about how much snow was up there, but our plan was to head up to Gardisky Lake then hike up to Tioga Peak to see the view. We had the snow and we had those views! ...

NIPINNAWASEE – For two years now, with ninety stories and counting, outdoor enthusiast Candace Gregory has been deftly guiding SNO readers through the Sierra and beyond, writing about her escapades as she hikes, fishes and meanders with trusty canine companion, Sally. The author likes to think of her work as “an exploration in progress.”