With trees as tall as skyscrapers and an understory of primeval ferns, a hike in Hendy Woods State Park just outside of Boonville, California will leave you with a sore neck from staring up for so long. On the soggy day that we visited, we had the entire park to ourselves. We elected to do a loop hike in the Big Hendy area - a great choice as it turned out. From the minute we…
I’ve spent many happy times hiking, skiing and scrambling in the Canadian Rockies. I’ve gone hut hopping in the Swiss Alps, and been enchanted by the beauty of the mountains there. But I was blown away when I saw the soaring granite cliffs and tumbling waterfalls of Yosemite National Park for the first time. This is a place, in all its magnificence and grandeur, that’s unique in all the world. Located in northern California’s Sierra…
On a recent drive up the California coast, I discovered Santa Barbara — an upscale paradise with its red-tile rooftops, thriving local food and wine scene, compact downtown and bounty of outdoor activities. Located about two hours north of Los Angeles, where the Santa Ynez Mountains meet the Pacific Ocean, Santa Barbara describes itself as the “American Riviera.” A 1925 earthquake leveled much of the city and buildings were re-built in the Spanish-Revival style, resulting…
Anybody I have bumped into since visiting Mendocino exclaims "I love that place." That's how I feel about Mendocino too. For a small village with a population of just 849, Mendocino and the surrounding area offers an incredibly diverse range of activities in a spectacular setting. And getting there is part of the fun. Getting to Mendocino Chances are you'll be driving north from San Francisco. You could take Highway 101 a good part of…
If you're looking for a beautiful coastal hike that delivers superlative views along with big time drama complete with crumbling cliffs and pounding seas then head for the Stornetta Lands, just north of Point Arena and south of Mendocino. Hailed by the New York Times as the #1 spot to visit in 2014, they are part of the California Coastal National Monument System - and the first onshore unit. You only need a few hours to…
I'm being interrogated in US Customs with the typical questions directed my way - where are you going and what will you be doing? I say to the gentleman that John and I are off to Mendocino. He asks if it's in South America. No, I reply, north of San Francisco and three to four hours up the coast depending on traffic I say. Mendocino and the nearby towns and state parks are truly lovely.…
Joshua Tree National Park is a hiker's paradise, especially in early March when the temperatures are moderate and the desert flowers are beginning to bloom. While visiting Palm Springs last weekend, my daughter and I made a day trip to the park. We only had a few hours for a hike so we chose Ryan's Mountain for the fantastic 360 degree views from the summit. The hike is steep in places but not difficult. Over 1.5…
The pretty town of historic Mariposa, California with a population of just 18,000 sits at the junction of Highways 49 and 140, not more than a 40 minute drive away from the west entrance of Yosemite National Park - though you need to add a few hours to the drive if you hit a big snow storm like I did. Although Mariposa is well situated to visit both Mariposa Grove and the Yosemite Valley, it deserves some…
The Ahwahnee Hotel first appeared on my radar in 1995. I was on a month long trek with a group around Manaslu Mountain in Nepal. A few of the group from California were often discussing their Thanksgiving plans which including a stay at the Ahwahnee - a far cry from our month in a tent. They had concerns though about a pending government shutdown and whether their plans would be thwarted - sound all too…
My expectations were low as I headed off to Escondido Falls in Malibu. After all I was in southern California - a place at least in my mind associated with lots of people and very little in the way of wilderness. Fortunately I was wrong. It seems that some of the canyons accessible from the Pacific Coast Highway offer some pretty decent hiking. I took a few hours and hiked to Escondido Falls in beautiful…
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