#exploringcalifornia

Redwoods have been my favorite type of tree for many years, so staying at a cabin surrounded by redwoods is a big deal for me. At the end of November we spent four days at a cabin in Sonoma County on the North Coast and these beautiful trees were the view from my room.

Winter hikes in the East Bay are becoming a yearly tradition for me. We recently hiked a new part of Mount Diablo State Park on the Pine Creek Trail near Alamo. We’ve been having lots of rain so much of Northern California has bright green grass and the trails have a lot of mud. And we went on a day, like most days in the bay area, where there was a heavy fog cover into the late morning that beautifully framed the oak trees along the trail.  

Autumn in gold country is full of gorgeous gold color in the trees. The end of the season was coming so I headed out in Placer County to Auburn State Recreation Area for a long afternoon hike on the Robbie Point Firebreak Trail. This trail goes along the North Fork of the American River which I have only recently started exploring more. And while it looks fairly similar to the South Fork, the elevation is higher so we got to see more pine trees along the trail.  

In other news, today is the six year anniversary of the start of this blog. So thank you to all the followers both new and old for exploring California with me. 

I think I may have found my new favorite trail. It’s not too long, only five miles round trip, but it’s filled with so much variety. There’s forests, meadows, granite boulders, creeks, ponds, and more. The first time we hiked it we even got to experience an afternoon thunderstorm and a beautiful light rain. I’ve found this trail to be such a wonderful step out of the busy world and into the world of chipmunks, leaves, and rocks. It’s so simple and beautiful. A perfect step away from the stress and loudness of our world. I know that we’ll have lots of photos from this trail over the next few years, and I’m excited to explore it throughout the seasons. 

I’ve lived so close to the Great Valley & the Delta all my life and I so rarely actually venture to explore the nature in this area. We took a quick trip to the Blue Heron Trail located in the Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge so we could explore some of the local plants. And while the heat of summer may not have been the most beautiful time of year to visit, we still loved seeing and learning about the many different native plants and animals that live in this special area. There was so much to see when you change your eye level and look above and below. 

Located 25 miles back on Ice House Road in the Sierra Nevadas is Loon Lake. Its a larger high alpine lake than most that I’ve been hiking too but it is one of the prettiest. A few weeks ago we did a 12 mile hike around the lake which was the longest hike we had done so far this summer. The lake has the most gorgeous blue water and pine trees and granite all around. Since it is just a few miles outside of Desolation Wilderness, the landscapes look very similar. It was so peaceful and quite out among the trees. We found so many perfect tea drinking spots to take in the beauty of the lake and rest in the shade throughout the hike. 

A quiet afternoon hike at the edge of the El Dorado National Forest in the sierra nevadas means being around lots of tall trees. And the Fleming Meadows trail right outside of Sly Park is the perfect moderate hike to enjoy the trees. And while there is never a final destination to stop and look at the view, I still fell in love with this trail. The best part would also come when you stopped and looked up and saw the tops of the trees overhead.