Every winter, the shoreline at Año Nuevo State Natural Reserve becomes jammed with amorous elephant seals. They’re all gone by spring but in the summer a few of the males return to shed their hide, which comes off in large…
Day hikes I’ve done
First Sierra hike of the summer: Lake Winnemucca via the Pacific Crest Trail
by tom • July 6, 2009 • 9 Comments
Shimmering waters of Lake Winnemucca “I can breathe up here.” So said my allergy-prone wife, Melissa, whom I had talked into an “easy” jaunt down to Lake Winnemucca from Carson Pass. It was an odd thing to hear 9,000 feet…
Latest hike: Phleger Estate
by tom • June 22, 2009 • 1 Comment
You have to earn the privilege of enjoying a Phleger Estate hike. Just getting to the best part of it — a sublime grove of redwoods along the Raymundo and Mount Redondo trails — requires a two-mile out-and-back, either from…
Latest hike: Timms Creek Trail at Big Basin Redwoods State Park
by tom • June 9, 2009 • 1 Comment
Timms Creek Trail connects the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail and the Sunset Trail at Big Basin Redwoods State Park. It’s a quiet, secluded, rarely used trail that offers a great escape route if you feel you’re not up for the whole 12…
Skyline-to-the-Sea trail blockage update
by tom • June 8, 2009 • 7 Comments
UPDATE: This blockage has been cleared. (The following is out of date; it’s remaining posted for historical reasons). Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail is blocked about a half-mile west of the headquarters of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Fortunately there’s a simple detour:…
Latest hike: Henry W. Coe State Park from Dowdy Ranch Visitors Center
by tom • May 25, 2009 • 4 Comments
I had crazy-great weather — sunny and clear with cool breezes — for Sunday’s hike at Henry Coe State Park’s Dowdy Ranch Visitors Center. The trails near Dowdy Ranch, which opened two years ago, are classic Coe: straight up and…
Crazy Hat Days at Henry Cowell State Park
by tom • May 19, 2009 • 0 Comments
Mountain Parks Foundation organizes this shindig on Father’s Day at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Here’s the scoop: A fun-filled weekend is in store as we celebrate Father’s Day Weekend. Events include classic cars, arts and crafts booths, food booths,…
Cataract Creek and the Mount Tamalpais Watershed
by tom • May 13, 2009 • 3 Comments
Cataract Trail starts out scenic enough, tracking the shore of the Alpine Lake Reservoir, then starts stair-stepping alongside the Cataract Creek. I was the first hiker on the trail Wednesday morning so I felt no qualms about shouting “man, what…
New trail map at San Jose’s Alum Rock Park
by tom • May 8, 2009 • 0 Comments
Alum Rock Park, on San Jose’s southeastern edge, is about as fine a hiking park as you’ll find within the city limits of a town with a million people living in it. Most city parks have little need for trail…