Tired of snow, snowshoes, and heavy jackets? Do you want to see green grass and maybe even some gorgeous wildflowers? If so, hop into your car for an hour and a half drive to the Grass Valley/Nevada City area for a couple of short hikes through beautiful foothill country at South Yuba River State
“Good walkers can go anywhere in these hospitable mountains …” John Muir
The Mount Judah Loop is a moderate 5.5 mile semi-loop with an elevation gain of approximately 1,200′. While hiking this loop, you will gain some beautiful views to the north and south of Mt. Judah, including Castle Peak, Donner Pass, Donner Lake and
“The lakes are lapping their granite shores and wearing them away …”
John Muir
The Round Lake Loop is located about an hours drive north of Tahoe in the
vicinity of Graeagle and Sierra City. Drive north from Truckee on Hwy 89 and after passing Sierraville and Sattley, take Hwy 49 towards Sierra City and Downieville.
“Doubly happy … is the man to whom lofty mountain tops are within reach …” John Muir
One of the more prominent landmarks in the Carson Pass area is Elephant’s Back, a large, volcanic mountain of stratified cobble breccia conglomerate that reaches a height of 9,580′. There no trails up to the
“How lavish is nature … ever changing, ever beautiful.” – John Muir
The moderate trail to Showers Lake is a 10.2 mile (out-and-back) hike through some of the best Sierra scenery in the Carson Pass area located south of Lake Tahoe. To reach the trailhead for this hike, you will drive south on Hwy 89
Tahoe Tramping
Dardanelles Lake
“We are in the mountains and they are in us …”
If you are looking for a moderate, relatively short hike with a variety of habitats and a good swimming lake as your destination, then Dardanelles Lake would be a good choice. This trail is about eight miles out-and-back, and gains a little
“There is a love of wild nature in everybody.” – John Muir
One of my favorite west shore trails starts at Meeks Bay and gradually climbs up toLake Genevieve and Crag Lake. This is about a 10 mile out-and-back hike into the western part of Desolation Wilderness. You will encounter plenty of wild nature
Hunter Creek Falls
In our first hiking post on the Brown’s Creek trail, we mentioned another early season, dry trail on the east side of the Carson Range, Hunter Creek Falls. From Tahoe, you take Hwy 80 to Reno, get off on W. 4th Street near Mogul, turn right on Mayberry Rd., right on Plateau
Although there is still a lot of snow on the trails in the local Tahoe area, if you are getting anxious to start hiking, you can start putting in miles on dry dirt by going over to the eastern side of the Carson Range.
Last week, I took a 4.9 mile semi-loop on the Brown’s
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