Hikes in Tilden Regional Park (South)

Vollmer Peak Trail, Tilden Regional Park, September 2021 Note: This is part three of a three-post effort to chronicle short day hikes in the East Bay’s Tilden Regional Park. The focus of this post is on the central part of the park, namely the sections located roughly between the Tilden Nature Area to the north …

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Hikes in Tilden Regional Park (Central)

Wildcat Gorge Trail, Tilden Regional Park, April 2020 Note: This is part two of a three-post effort to chronicle short day hikes in the East Bay’s Tilden Regional Park. The focus of this post is on the central part of the park, namely the sections located roughly between the Tilden Nature Area to the north …

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Hikes in Tilden Regional Park (North/Tilden Nature Area)

Wildcat Peak, Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Regional Park, May 2021 Note: This is part one of a three-post effort to chronicle short day hikes in the East Bay’s Tilden Regional Park. The focus of this post is on the northern reaches of the park, mainly the section known as Tilden Nature Area. Charles Lee Tilden …

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Top 10 Hikes in 2023

High Trail, Ansel Adams Wilderness, Inyo National Forest, August 2023 This year, Live and Let Hike celebrated its 10-year anniversary of bringing you thorough trail descriptions and extensive photo collections of day hikes and backpacking routes across the United States and beyond. The web design may not be world class—and no one would mistake my …

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Sandstone Peak – Mishe Mokwa Trail Loop & Tri Peaks (Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, CA)

Sandstone Peak, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, September 2023 Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area comprises a patchwork of individual parks and open spaces—pockmarked by encroaching development—in the rocky and rugged highlands above Malibu, Los Angeles, and the San Fernando Valley in southern California. Even with the vacation homes and mansions lining the mountain …

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May Lake (Yosemite National Park, CA)

May Lake, Yosemite National Park, August 2023 Requiring only a 1.2-mile hike to reach, May Lake is one of the most-accessible subalpine lakes along Tioga Road in California’s Yosemite National Park. This makes the lake, set in a basin below imposing Mount Hoffmann (10,850’), one of the most popular day hikes in the area (although …

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Thousand Island Lake Loop via High Trail & Shadow Creek Trail (Ansel Adams Wilderness, CA)

Thousand Island Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness, Inyo National Forest, August 2023 Rising prominently above California’s Mammoth Lakes area, the Ritter Range boasts a clutch of spectacular peaks and majestic alpine lakes best reached on a multi-day backpacking adventure. The largest of the lakes is Thousand Island Lake, set in a basin below iconic Banner Peak …

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Methuselah Trail (Inyo National Forest, CA)

Methuselah Trail, Inyo National Forest, August 2023 With wily limbs, wild shapes, and colorful bark, the bristlecone pines of California’s White Mountains are notable not only for their curious disposition but also their incredible longevity: with some living bristlecones thought to be as much as 5,000 years old, these are, simply put, the oldest living …

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Big Pine Lakes (John Muir Wilderness, CA)

Big Pine Lakes, John Muir Wilderness, Inyo National Forest, August 2023 The simple names—First Lake, Second Lake, etc.—belie the picturesque setting of Big Pine Lakes, nestled in a majestic valley across the High Sierra Crest from Kings Canyon National Park. Once a relatively well-kept local secret, the Internet and social media have turned the lakes …

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