OAKHURST – Reserve your spot now for a tour of the Railroad Fire area, and experience the unique and beautiful wildflowers that blanket the landscape after a wildfire. Sierra National Forest Botanist Joanna Clines will lead a hike to see the mountain lady’s slipper orchids bloom near Nelder Grove on Saturday, June 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The ...

Wildflowers and snow, all in the same hike! Who would have guessed? We had heard that a few early wildflowers were blooming above Redinger Lake so we headed on up to check them out and got a good workout in as a bonus. Where: Sierra National Forest Distance: 10.03 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 1,404′ to 3,521′ Date: February 21, ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

The Conness Lakes are glacial lakes, fed by the largest glacier in the Sierra Nevada north of Tioga Pass. Their colors change with the sun and clouds from a greenish turquoise to grey to blue and when those clouds reflect in the waters of the high lakes and tarns, it is very special! Where: Harvey Monroe Hall Research Natural Area, ...

Where’s Granite Creek? Clover Meadow? Way up past Mammoth Pool Reservoir and almost to the wilderness boundary separating Sierra National Forest from the east side of the Sierra’s Mammoth Mountain. Granite Creek Campground Clover Meadow Campground Accessible from either Beasore Road or Mammoth Pool Road. Beasore Road turns into dirt above Grizzly Road and it takes a bend East. Beasore ...

LEE VINING — We are sad to hear about yet another historic venue falling victim to the very heavy snows over the Sierra this past winter. The operators of the Saddlebag Lake Resort on the east side of Tioga Pass arrived at the site on July 2 to discover 10 to 12 feet of snow at the General Store. They ...

Dramatic high peaks, streaked with colors of red, white and brown and still capped with snow frame Lundy Canyon. Mill Creek was high and really moving, lined with aspens that lulled me to sleep as the wind moved through them. It was a perfect place for Sally and I to kick back and relax . . and maybe catch a ...

YOSEMITE — When Marcus Mazzaferri set off from Campo, California at the southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) on April 1, his plan was to hike the all the way to the other end at Manning Park in British Columbia, Canada. The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail is a long-distance hike closely aligned with the highest portion of the ...