Yosemite Falls
Yosemite National Park, CA
After catching the tail end of the ski season at Aspen, and after some awesome golf and equally satisfying hikes with some friendly locals in Northern California, I am mindful that I was coming into Yosemite National Park in April - quite a bit earlier than what most people consider as the best time for hiking in these gorgeous mountains.
The night before I was due to drive into Yosemite, there was a massive snow dump. The set of chains I picked up in Mariposa became very handy quickly as they were turning cars around that did not carry chains. But putting the chains on in sub zero temperatures without gloves at the side of the road was a very interesting experience to say the least. At one point I was starting to accept the possible fate of spending the night in the frozen car..
Snow continued to fall overnight so that the next morning, I had to shovel the car out of snow that reached window height. Another great experience!. Hint - first remove snow from the licence plate before you put in the hard work as all cars look the same when buried in snow! I did not see the snow dump as bad news, but rather quite timely. The scenery the next day with blue skies and snow covered landscape and trees was magical.
This was my second time visiting Yosemite, the first time being in Summer. The hike at Yosemite Falls was a bit more tricky with ice falling off trees, but it made for a different but equally very memorable experience.
Trip Tips
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Yosemite National Park, being located in the Sierra Nevadas, has rather unpredictable weather that may not be typical of a given season. It could snow even in late spring of early summer and roads may be closed, or at least require chains to be installed on wheels. Hence, do check conditions regularly and be prepared for different driving conditions.
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The advantages of going in early Spring as I did this time were that there were no crowds, no long queues on the road into the park, easy parking and it was before prior bookings were required.
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Furthermore, you get to enjoy amazing scenery where potentially the peaks are still in white caps, and in my case, the drive into the Park was a beautiful winter landscape.
Hiking Tips
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It is still possible to have an enjoyable hike up Yosemite Falls in April - just be prepared for potentially icy trails, chunks of ice falling off trees and mind your steps!
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If there is snow on the ground, make the most of it, you could snow shoe the 3 kilometres (2 miles) from the Southern Entrance to Giant Sequoias at Mariposa Grove and take some rare photos there.
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If you are wanting to scale up Half Dome, you definitely want to go only in Summer and be prepared for crowds.
Fresh off a week of ski runs at Aspen Snowmass, I was very fortunate to be welcome by Jill and her local hiking buddies for a couple of hikes in California, the first one being here in the beautiful Carmel Highlands.
Garland Ranch Regional Park is a stunningly beautiful and diverse natural preserve in Carmel Valley. It is the first parkland acquisition by the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District (MPRPD) back in 1975. It encompasses 3,464 acres and a vast variety of landscapes. Willow lined banks along the Carmel River. Cottonwood and sycamore stands spread across old floodplains and open oak savannas. Steeply ascending trails that crest the Santa Lucia Mountains. Deep redwood and maple canyons. And a towering secluded waterfall!
I was most particularly happy to see the abundant California Poppies blooming everywhere I looked.
The last bit of climb to Piñon Peak was heart-pumping climbs but well-worth the effort for the sense of accomplishment and spectacular 360 views. We also saw an eagle soaring high in the sky.
Length: 10 miles (16 kilometres) and elevation gain:of 2900 ft (900 metres).
Purisima Creek Redwoods
Half Moon Bay, CA
Thanks again to Jill and her wonderful group of locals for welcoming this 'alien' from Downunder to join yet another lovely hike, this time at the Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.
I was happily captivated by breathtaking views, diverse ecosystems and a perfect balance of challenge and reward. A major highlight was seeing many California Banana Slugs for the first time!
A former logging site from the 19th century, the preserve land was purchased by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space Preserve in 1984. The logging roads, connected with newly built footpaths, now serve as excellent hiking trails to explore the slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the towering redwoods that call it home.
We had gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean and Half Moon Bay walking in hushed beauty and green shade of the redwoods, on high ridges and deep canyons.
Distance covered was 10 miles (16 kilometres) and elevation gain of 2,000ft (615 metres).
Rodeo Beach - Hill 88
Golden Gate Nat Rec Area, CA
Having previously been in San Francisco a number of times, I had no desire to be in the city. There was really nothing in the city for me. Spending a few days North of the Golden gate Bridge staying in Sausalito was more my cup of tea.
Some years ago, I had visited the Muir Woods National Monument which these days I hear it's become very busy. I decided to explore the trails in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, just North of the bridge.
As it turned out, there was so much to feed the senses.
The 9 kilometre loop covering Rodeo Beach, Rodeo Lagoon and the old military installations at Hill 88 had so much to offer - magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean, gorgeous mountain trails and interesting old military batteries and canons to be discovered. Once again. lots of beautiful Californian Poppies to look at along the way.
There is easy parking near the beach and a few gradients adding up to over 300 metres of elevation gain, but nothing too strenuous.
Lands End Trail
Golden Gate Nat Rec Area, CA
On my last day in California after checking out of my accommodation in Sausalito and before catching a late afternoon flight out of SFO, the Lands End Trail just South of the Golden Gate Bridge was a perfect fit for a walk not too far from the airport, on a beautiful day.
Starting at Eagles Nest Lands End I took the lovely coastal track to Sutro Baths - an easy 6-kilometre out and back walk, with a few small hills.
The views out into the Ocean and back to the bridge were gorgeous. As I progressed in my walk, it was amazing to witness the famed Marine Layer gradually rolling in to slowly engulf the bridge.
Its a fairly busy track due to it's easy accessibility from the city but everyone was friendly and out to enjoy the day.