We heard a rumor that some very pretty flowers were showing off on the Wawona Meadow Loop Trail, so you know where we headed. It was a short hike in cooler country and that rumor was true! Many beautiful wildflowers along the way and this one is also a good dog hike. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 4.21 miles Difficulty: ...

This is one of those hikes that is not open to the public and you can only go on the property with the Sierra Foothills Conservancy. Since they don’t offer hikes here very often, I jumped at the chance to see some new country to me, learn more about native grasses, wildflowers and the drought tolerant blue oak. The Catheys ...

A great workout with beautiful flowers and a ton of history! This hike was right up my alley on a cooler day between raindrops. Where: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Merced River Recreation Management Area Distance: About 9 miles roundtrip to the gate but you can go shorter or longer Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous Elevation Range: 1,138′ – 2,835′ Date: ...

I needed a break from snow, ice and cold so I headed down the hill to warm up with a hike along Hensley Lake. A rolling hilly hike while walking through history, white puffy clouds and the first wildflowers of spring welcomed me. Where: Hensley Lake, Army Corps of Engineers Distance: 6.95 Miles Difficulty: Easy to Moderate, depending on how ...

Wildflowers are putting on a show in the Hite Cove area right now. Redbuds were in their prime and the poppies were looking mighty pretty, along with all other kinds and colors of flowers. And those Sierra Newts were out and about. Where: Sierra National Forest Distance: 9.24 Miles Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Elevation Range: 1,400′ – 1,694′ Date: April ...

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, ...

Red, pink, white, orange, purple, tall and short flowers are all putting on a tremendous show right now in the meadows off of Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park. If you want to see an explosion of wildflower colors, get there now! Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 13.46 Miles Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Elevation Range: 6,959′ – 7,622′ Date: ...