Hey Bay Area folks! I have a steep ravine cabin reservation this weekend Friday-Sunday (5/3-5/5 2 nights).

I can no longer use this, but missed the cancellation window without forfeiting some costs. The reservations are pretty hard to come by.

Anyone interested in taking it over? $207.99 total

For those not familiar, there’s no electricity and you have to bring sleeping bag/pad along with other camping supplies. But it’s gorgeous

It's not the trail or wilderness' fault, but my god what a nightmare last weekend's hike was. I blame myself for not fully realizing how much six miles out, six miles back would be when it comes to the toll on my body, nor did I fully appreciate what the elevation change graph on AllTrails was trying to tell me.

And running out of water 2+ miles from the end? Definitely on me. I drank 40 ounces of fluid in a minute after I got back to the car, stomach ache be damned.

I didn't even ponder the possibility that Murrieta Falls might not look super great this time of year; the trickle it had was certainly not worth the twelve miles.

The only thing I could not have anticipated was the run in with the rattlesnake. That fucking thing gave me no warning at all; just waited until I was right next to the bush it was hiding (sleeping?) in before popping up with a loud as fuck rattle. I have never even seen a rattlesnake up close before, and if that had gotten me I was about three miles from my car and probably a mile away from cell service.

I'm just venting here. I'm disappointed in myself and how that day went. I was thinking about maybe trying out the whole trail eventually, backpacking from Del Valle to Mission Peak, but I feel like I have ruined it for myself. It has even made me hesitant to go out this weekend.

Has anyone else ever experienced such a day anywhere else?

Hello, I will be visiting the state park in a couple of days and was wondering what hikes in the park you would recommend.

I read that you can drive you car to the campground to park? Is that accurate and what is the fee to park to hike. I tried to look the fee up but found differing answers.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Has anyone made it out the Canyon Creek trail in the Trinity Alps this month? I’m looking for info on snow level and trail conditions. Thanks!

My partner is out of town this weekend so I’m thinking of driving from Oakland to Stanislaus/ el dorado forest. Any good hikes that are doable in a day plus driving there and back?

hi I'm looking to go backpacking with my bf in the next week or two. Preferably one to two nights, we don't mind driving a couple hours but would like to stay in nv. we are also into bikepacking if there are any good trips like that nearby. I just moved to the area so not too familiar with what's available this early in the season

As discussed in my April 23rd post, I'll be hosting a group hike on Sunday, May 5th for experienced backpackers who want to make more backpacking friends!

In addition to my addiction to granite, I'm also addicted to old-growth redwoods. Like, really addicted. So, we'll hike the relatively unexceptional Peters Creek Loop to the superlative Peters Creek Grove:

https://redwoodhikes.com/Portola/PetersCreek.html

11.5 miles, 1,820' of climbing, easy peasy lemon squeezy. I'll be at the Vistor Center by 9:30 or so and we'll leave promptly at 10. There's no cell service, so please be on time.

I want this hike to be safe and fun for everyone, so here are my ground rules:

• Please don't RSVP unless you're confident you can complete the entire hike at a normal walking pace with few breaks.

• This hike will be entirely self-supported. That means you're responsible for your own food, water, gear, transportation, park fees, etc.

• It's important that everyone feels safe and welcomed, so I need everyone to be on their best behavior - don't hit on people, don't preach, let other people talk, etc. If you're making the group feel unsafe or uncomfortable, I'll ask you to leave.

• No complaining. Sure, a little customary trail whining is good, but you should relish both Type II Fun and other people's free event planning.

• Everyone needs to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Please don't RSVP if you're unvaccinated or not feeling well.

• Everyone needs to follow all Park rules, including not smoking anything anywhere at any time. Big Basin burned to the ground, so let's not do that here.

• This event is performed entirely at your own risk. I assume no responsibility or liability for any damages or injuries you may incur. By attending, you agree to assume full liability and to hold me harmless for the same.

Phew! Heavy rain cancels, but it should be nice.

Hope to see you there!

Hey there,

My girlfriend and I are planning a trip down to the redwoods from up in Oregon. Is there any recommendations for a campground towards the end of may? The furthest south we would probably go is avenue of the giants.

Will it be too hot? When does the nice season generally end?

My partner and I are looking to do a small backpacking trip this weekend up to desolation wilderness. We are looking to start at the Glen Alpine trail head and hike to Clyde lake. Does anyone know how much snow to expect and if we will need snow shoes? It’s our first time doing a multi day backpacking trip.

Looking for a relatively mild backpacking route recommendation. I’m not a beginner, but I am pretty out of shape and looking for a 15-25 mile loop that has somewhat tame elevation gain (3,000 feet or less) for a 1 or 2 night trip. It would be ideal if dogs were allowed on the trail. TIA!

Planning an overnight solo bikepacking trip (gravel bike) to Henry Coe state park. Will do a single night and stay to the west of the park (Manzanita pt Rd, China Hole Trail, Mahoney Meadows, and Coit Rd).

Any recommendations for camp sites? I have never been to the park so any recommendations are appreciated!

Also, do any of you know if cell reception works OK there?

I have permit for 3 people on 6/1-6/3 entry through mattole and exit through black sands that I no longer want to go since one of our friends actually gave her permit to us in a different date that works better for our schedule. That being said, please let me know if you’d like it. Or I don’t mind to exchange for a permit for 2+ people for 5/11 - 5/13

Happy hiking!

Flying out to SanFran in a few weeks. Hoping to get some feedback on our trip.

Day 1: Land SanFran mid-day. Drive down to Carmel. Spend afternoon exploring Carmel. Sleep in Carmel.

Day 2: Exploring Monterey. Spend night in Carmel

Day 3: Drive down to Big Sur stopping at the Vistas. Any short day hike recommendations for this area? Spend night in Carmel.

Day 4: Drive back to SanFran. Spend day either doing SF and/or Muir Woods. Spend night in SF area.

Day 5: Backpacking Point Reyes. Spend night at Coast Campground.

Day 6: Backpacking Point Reyes. Spend night at Wildcat Campground.

Day 7: Finish hiking Point Reyes loop. Head for Sonoma. Spend afternoon exploring this area. Night in Sonoma.

Day 8: Hitting up wineries. Sleep in Sonoma.

Day 9: Open at the moment. Any hikes or recommendations? Spend night near airport since early flight in morning.

Day 10: Fly out of SF.

Any thoughts / feedback would be much appreciated!

Hello, I was reading on the NPS site that it rains heavily up until April. I’m thinking about going to the Redwoods during Memorial Day weekend, which is around 5/27. Is it still quite rainy then? I am trying not to camp in the rain. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I am planning to go camping / backpacking in Redwood national park, what the best campgrounds close the “ tall trees”, where are some must see areas ? Thank you in advance

Yeah, it's last minute. But I'm not super picky either. My husband and I are going on a multi-day backpacking trip this summer, and we want to do some smaller overnight trips before to practice and figure out any issues with our gear. So we thought... why not this weekend? The three problems I have so far: 1) popular places are booked up months in advance. 2) Many recommendations are unavailable due to damage, 3) I just don't know what's available/good.

To be clear, I don't need a formal campground, I am ready and willing to set up anywhere. Just many places only allow camping in actual campgrounds, and those campgrounds are usually unavailable.

So Point Reyes is out, it books up months in advance. I remember enjoying walking through Armstrong Redwood State Park in Sonoma County when I was young, but they don't allow camping. The nearby Austin SNR does allow camping, but it was destroyed in a 2020 fire and hasn't reopened. That follows a trend -- every time someone gives me a recommendation, I check it out and see "oh, this place was destroyed in a fire, or a winter storm, or something like that."

So what IS available for overnight backpacking camping, on short notice? I'm around in Berkeley, but I'm fine with traveling an hour or a little more. Any recommendations?

Did a nice overnight to the area, got to enjoy this beautiful campsite with minimal mosquitos. The downed trees and water on trail was a bigger problem but easily manageable. No need for traction devices as the snow was almost all gone and did not resemble usfs snow map. Mosquitos were also an issue on trail but not at camp luckily. No fish sighted.

Hello -

I'm looking at a trip near Lake Spaulding, California (Tahoe NF around 6000 ft.) in mid May. Any insights into recent conditions near there? Snow line, mosquitos, trail conditions?

Thanks in advance.

I'm curious to hear y'all's opinions on at the minimum, how long it'd take to hike Whitney including driving time, assuming a day permit.

My thoughts is if you were doing it over a weekend, you'd need to leave work early on Friday (assuming a normal 9-5), and drive down. Then you'd have to spend Saturday acclimating, then Sunday doing the hike. It probably wouldn't be safe to drive all the way back that same night, since you'll be exhausted, so you'd need to allot part of Monday to travel as well.

EDIT: Unfortunately, I fucked up and wasn't logged into Recreation.gov this morning. I was able to get a permit, but its a day permit. So time to start training I guess - let me know if anyone has tips. Current plan is to run a bunch and do at least 15 miles of hiking every Saturday.

I know national parks have free entry this week and America the Beautiful passes work for the California’s Redwood State Parks…so does National Park Week free entry also apply?

Wondering how deep Coyote Creek is right now at the China Hole crossing; I'm thinking of doing the Narrows soon. Anyone been there more recently than March 24 (most recent posted depth on the Coe page)?

Sooo I'm looking for resources (even an excel sheet, I got GIS, lets roll) that spell out where the giant sequoias are.

I've been to nearly all the easily accessible groves, and Im looking for some lesser known, even off-trail big bois.

I know some fellow squishy tree lover compiled a fantastic collection of lists spelling out all the hikes and campsites amongst the redwoods - is there anything like that for the great big ancient cheetos?

I’d love more Sierra backpacking friends, and I know I’m not alone! Well I am, but still.

I tried this last fall but died of COVID, so I'm trying it again now. My plan is to start hosting group hikes every two weeks or so and just see how it goes. These hikes are wide open to anyone who wants to make more outdoorsy friends - I don’t expect everyone to click with me, and vice versa. I live in Berkeley, so I’ll plan around the Bay, but please feel free to schedule elsewhere if that works for you!

For what it’s worth, I’m a 46 year old guy with strong RBF. I’m fairly soft-spoken, fond of dry humor, and read a lot of books. My politics skew left, but not irritatingly so. I’m sober, somewhat Buddhist, and enjoy birdwatching, plant identification, astronomy, and other excuses to stop and smell the granite. I can and do backpack alone, but I just find it a lot more fun in groups.

Trips-wise, I’m aiming for 3-5 day outings to lesser-known areas of the high country south of Yosemite once the snow melts, ideally with an off-trail component. I like a moderate pace and no more than 15 miles or so per day. I’m a big fan of UL, LNT, and safety - I won’t do anything beyond Class 2, cross sketchy creeks or snowfields, Ben Franklin around with lightning, start campfires, etc.

Logistics-wise, I’m currently open to both weekend and mid-week trips, though the latter may change later in the summer. I’m cool with carpooling once we get to know each other. I’m open to east or west side trailheads, but I need paved or decent dirt roads for my crappy Prius. I'm also open to both planned and last-minute trips.

People-wise, I’m looking for chill, reliable, safety-conscious folks who fall in the same rough range in terms of desired duration, distance, difficulty, etc. Kindness, self-awareness, and the ability to laugh shit off is pretty nice too. Being vaccinated is a must.

If you’re interested, please sound off in the comments about your ideal trips, logistics, people, etc., as well as whether you’d be interested in Bay Area hikes. If we get enough folks, I’ll probably plan a hike for April 28th May 5th.

Thanks!