Cape Falcon Trail, Oswald West State Park, July 2024 Even if devoting three days to the effort—as yours truly did in July 2024—travelling the entire Oregon Coast south to north is a risky endeavor: for much of the time, my travel partner and I were caught in a mix of mist, rain, and fog that …
Continue reading Cape Falcon Trail (Oswald West State Park, OR)
Humbug Mountain Trail, Humbug Mountain State Park, July 2024 This marks the first of a long series of posts from a cross-country haul in July-August from northern California to Washington, DC. Alas, after five years in California, it was time to return to the east coast. After heading north from the Bay Area, day two …
Continue reading Humbug Mountain Trail (Humbug Mountain State Park, OR)
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 …
Wheeler Beach from Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, May 2022 Even as the northern half of the 53-mile Lost Coast Trail has become one of the hottest destinations for California backpacking, the stunning southern half—in Sinkyone Wilderness State Park—is much less visited. This is in part due to the difficulty of access and …
Wheeler Beach, Lost Coast Trail, May 2022 Traversing one of the few stretches of the California coast without a paved road, the Lost Coast Trail has become an enormously popular backpacking destination known for its striking cliffs, black sand beaches, redwood groves, and frequent wildlife sightings (seals, Roosevelt elk, black bears, ospreys, and many others). …
Continue reading Lost Coast Trail – Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp (Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, CA)
Panorama Trail, Andrew Molera State Park, March 2022 Traversing a scrubby escarpment above the Pacific Ocean, the Ridge – Panorama – Bluffs Trail is a pleasant 8-mile jaunt in the Big Sur area and one of the best hikes in Andrew Molera State Park. Don’t be fooled by the gads of visitors at the parking …
Continue reading Ridge – Panorama – Bluffs Trail Loop (Andrew Molera State Park, CA)
Point Lobos Loop, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, March 2022 On area maps, at least in comparison to the much larger Monterey Peninsula to the north, Point Lobos appears as little more than a minor jut – a triangular peninsula between Carmel Bay and the rest of the central California coast to the south. But …
Continue reading Point Lobos Loop (Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA)
Mendocino Headlands Trail, Mendocino Headlands State Park, November 2021 In contrast with the friendlier beach terrain of central and southern California, the Pacific Coast north of the Bay Area has a more raw, rugged character—the cliffs are taller, the waves stronger, and the weather often considerably more menacing. But if you catch the coastal bluffs …
Continue reading Mendocino Headlands Trail (Mendocino Headlands State Park, CA)
Scorpion Canyon Loop Trail, Channel Islands National Park, September 2021 Scorpion Canyon is a usually dry drainage that cuts through the northeastern section of Santa Cruz Island, the largest island in California’s Channel Islands National Park. This moderate-to-strenuous hike follows the lower reaches of the canyon before rising steeply to a landscape of high chapparal …
Continue reading Scorpion Canyon Loop Trail (Channel Islands National Park, CA)
Potato Harbor, Channel Islands National Park, September 2021 The largest island in California and most visited destination in Channel Islands National Park, Santa Cruz Island spans more than 61,000 acres in the Pacific Ocean. Sporting only a modest visitor center, campground, and kayak company—with no restaurants, stores, or other concessions—exploring Santa Cruz Island is a …
Continue reading Cavern Point – Potato Harbor Loop (Channel Islands National Park, CA)
Live and Let Hike 