Category Archives: California

Upper Yosemite Falls Trail (Yosemite National Park, CA)

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

At 2,425 feet, Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in North America* and an iconic destination in California’s Yosemite National Park. The entire height from base to crest can be tackled via the very strenuous Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, one … Continue reading →

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Lower Yosemite Fall Trail (Yosemite National Park, CA)

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

At 2,425 feet, Yosemite Falls is widely heralded as the tallest waterfall in North America* and an iconic destination in California’s Yosemite National Park. During its high-water season in spring, the roar of the two-tiered falls can be heard across … Continue reading →

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Carlon Falls Trail (Yosemite National Park, CA)

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

Starting just outside Yosemite National Park, the Carlon Falls Trail is off the usual tourist track but features a lovely, 30-foot waterfall along the South Fork of the Tuolumne River. Mostly level as it hugs the north banks of the … Continue reading →

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Merced Grove Trail (Yosemite National Park, CA)

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

While Mariposa Grove is the most spectacular of the bunch, Yosemite National Park also sports two other small groves of giant sequoias, the world’s largest trees. Tuolumne Grove near Crane Flat receives a steady stream of visitors, but the lesser-visited … Continue reading →

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Tuolumne Grove Trail (Yosemite National Park, CA)

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

Giant sequoias, close cousins of coast redwoods, are the largest trees (by total volume) on earth and grow naturally only in 75 groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California. Three such groves can be found in … Continue reading →

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Foresta Falls (Yosemite National Park, CA)

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

It is a testament to the spectacular bounty of waterfalls in California’s Yosemite National Park that terrific Foresta Falls is routinely neglected by visitors in favor of even taller and higher-volume waterfalls nearby. In perhaps any other park, the 60-foot … Continue reading →

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Mount Diablo via Macedo Ranch (Mount Diablo State Park, CA)

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

Rising more than 3,000 feet above the valley floor, Mount Diablo (3,849’) is perhaps the most iconic peak in the East Bay, a behemoth for which the broader Diablo Range—which extends around 200 miles south into central California—is named. Most … Continue reading →

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Fern Creek – Dipsea – Sun Trail Loop (Muir Woods National Monument, CA)

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

Sure the towering California redwoods are lovely, but Muir Woods National Monument on the Marin Peninsula has become almost comically crowded, mobbed by throngs of locals and visitors to the San Francisco Bay Area alike. Visitors must now have advance … Continue reading →

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Hetch Hetchy to Wapama Falls and Rancheria Falls (Yosemite National Park, CA)

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

In early spring, even as much of the Sierra Nevada remains blanketed in snow, the Hetch Hetchy area of Yosemite National Park is often snow-free, making it an attractive spot for early-season hiking and backpacking. One of the more popular … Continue reading →

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Kelly Lake, Coit Lake, and Pacheco Falls Loop (Henry W. Coe State Park, CA)

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Andrew Wojtanik

Central California’s Henry W. Coe State Park is a popular destination for Bay Area backpackers seeking to condition during the winter/spring season for trips to the Sierra Nevada later in the year. In fact, the terrain at Henry Coe is … Continue reading →

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