Moon Northern California Hiking

How to Use This Book

ABOUT THE TRAIL PROFILES

Each hike in this book is listed in a consistent, easy-to-read format to help you choose the ideal hike. From a general overview of the setting to detailed driving directions, the profile will provide all the information you need. Here is a sample profile:

ABOUT THE ICONS

The icons in this book are designed to provide at-a-glance information on the difficulty and quality of each hike.

ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY RATINGS

Trails rated 1 are very easy and suitable for hikers of all abilities, including young children.

Trails rated 2 are easy-to-moderate and suitable for most hikers, including families with active children 6 and older.

Trails rated 3 are moderately challenging and suitable for reasonably fit adults and older children who are very active.

Trails rated 4 are very challenging and suitable for physically fit hikers who are seeking a workout.

Trails rated 5 are extremely challenging and suitable only for experienced hikers who are in top physical condition.

MAP SYMBOLS

ABOUT THE MAPS

This book is divided into chapters based on major regions in the state; an overview map of these regions precedes the table of contents. Each chapter begins with a map of the region, which is further broken down into detail maps. Trailheads are noted on the detail maps by number.

INTRODUCTION

Author’s Note

Note on this Updated Edition

Author’s Note

Best Hikes

B Beach and Coastal Walks

B Bird-Watching

B Butt-Kickers

B Fall Colors

B Hikes with a View

B Kids

B Meadow Hikes

B Redwoods

B Self-Guided Nature Walks

B Short Backpack Trips

B Summit Hikes

B Swimming Holes

B Waterfalls

B Wheelchair-Accessible Trails

B Wildflowers

B Wildlife

Hiking Tips

HIKING ESSENTIALS

HIKING GEAR

SAFETY IN THE OUTDOORS

HIKING ETHICS

AVOIDING THE CROWDS

Author’s Note

If the great outdoors is so great, then why don’t people enjoy it more? The answer is because of the time trap, and I will tell you exactly how to beat it.

For many, the biggest problem is finding the time to go, whether it is hiking, backpacking, camping, fishing, boating, biking, or even just for a good drive in the country. The solution? Believe it or not, the answer is to treat your fun just as you treat your work, and I’ll tell you how.

Consider how you treat your job: Always on time? Go there every day you are scheduled? Do whatever it takes to get there and get it done? Right? No foolin’ that’s right. Now imagine if you took the same approach to the outdoors. Suddenly your life would be a heck of a lot better.

The secret is to schedule all of your outdoor activities. For instance, I go fishing every Thursday evening, hiking every Sunday morning, and on an overnight trip every new moon (when stargazing is best). No matter what, I’m going. Just like going to work, I’ve scheduled it. The same approach works with longer adventures. The only reason I have been able to complete hikes ranging from 200 to 300 miles was that I scheduled the time to do it. The reason I spend 125 to 150 days a year in the field is that I schedule them. In my top year, I had nearly 200 days where at least some of the day was enjoyed taking part in outdoor recreation.

If you get out your calendar and write in the exact dates you are going, then you’ll go. If you don’t, you won’t. Suddenly, with only a minor change in your plan, you can be living the life you were previously just dreaming about.

—Tom Stienstra

Note on this Updated Edition

Many keep this book in their cars or pickup trucks at all times. It sits dog-eared, often with cryptic notes, on a seat, on the center floorboard or on the dashboard, ready for use. No matter where we each might be on our separate paths, we are both kind of like dogs: We need to go for a walk every day . . . and we share the hope that there is always a trail waiting nearby, always another hike to look forward to.

We’ve selected the best trails in Northern California for this book. We have hiked each of them. We have also involved hundreds of rangers, interpretive specialists, and field scouts to review our work to make it as correct as possible as we go to press. Each word has been vetted multiple times. For this edition, we’ve included too many updates to count. If you run across any changes out there on the trail, feel free join our team and drop us a line.

This is the only complete guide to hiking in Northern California. Its range and scope are unmatched. There are many excellent locally focused guidebooks. Both of us have written several. Most hikers love to range both near and far, to explore and make each day a discovery. Put no bounds on your life or what is possible. That is what this book can do for you.

You have the best of Northern California in your hands. We’ve done everything possible to put it within reach.

Author’s Note

A wise person once said that a culture can be measured by the resources it chooses to preserve. If that’s true, then Northern California’s parks and preserves are an immense credit to our culture. We are blessed with an abundance of public land, including units of the National Park System, national forests, federally designated wilderness areas, state parks, and county and regional parks.

This huge mosaic of parklands celebrates a diverse landscape, which includes miles of desert, Pacific coastline, an unaccountable wealth of snow-capped peaks and alpine lakes, and even a handful of volcanoes.

Northern California also boasts its share of the world’s tallest living things, the towering coast redwoods. And we are home to the world’s largest living trees (by volume), the giant sequoias. Also within our borders are groves of the planet’s oldest living things, the ancient bristlecone pines.

Quite simply, we live in a land of superlatives. These are some of my favorite places on earth, and I believe that everyone should have the chance to see them and be humbled by their wonders. But this wish comes with a caveat: We must tread lightly and gently on our parks, with great respect and care for the land. And we must do whatever is required to ensure the protection of these beautiful places for future generations.

I wish you many inspiring days on the trail.

—Ann Marie Brown

Best Hikes

Can’t decide where to hike this weekend? Here are our picks for the best hikes in California in 16 different categories, listed from north to south throughout the state:

B Beach and Coastal Walks

Rim Loop Trail, Patrick’s Point State Park, Redwood Empire, tap here.

Lost Coast Trail/Mattole Trailhead, King Range National Conservation Area, Redwood Empire, tap here.

Lost Coast Trail/Sinkyone Trailhead, Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, Mendocino and Wine Country, tap here.

Coast Trail, Point Reyes National Seashore, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Old Landing Cove Trail, Wilder Ranch State Park, Monterey and Big Sur, tap here.

Asilomar Coast Trail, Asilomar State Beach, Monterey and Big Sur, tap here.

Point Lobos Perimeter, Point Lobos State Reserve, Monterey and Big Sur, tap here.

B Bird-Watching

Arcata Marsh Trail, Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, Redwood Empire, tap here.

Abbotts Lagoon Trail, Point Reyes National Seashore, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Martin Griffin Preserve/Audubon Canyon Ranch Trail, Martin Griffin Preserve, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Arrowhead Marsh, Martin Luther King Regional Shoreline, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Elkhorn Slough South Marsh Loop, Moss Landing, Monterey and Big Sur, tap here.

Chester, Sousa, and Winton Marsh Trails, San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, San Joaquin Valley, tap here.

Carrizo Plain and Painted Rock, Carrizo Plains National Monument, San Joaquin Valley, tap here.

Mono Lake South Tufa Trail, Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

B Butt-Kickers

Devils Punchbowl (via Doe Flat Trail/Buck Lake Trail), Siskiyou Wilderness, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Shasta Summit Trail, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Rooster Comb Loop (Long Version), Henry W. Coe State Park, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Don Cecil Trail to Lookout Peak, Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

Alta Peak, Sequoia National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

Mount Whitney Trail, John Muir Wilderness, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

B Fall Colors

Whiskeytown Falls, Whiskeytown Lake National Recreation Area, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

American River Parkway, Sacramento and Gold Country, tap here.

Fallen Leaf Lake Trail, South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe and Northern Sierra, tap here.

Parker Lake Trail, Ansel Adams Wilderness, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Convict Canyon to Lake Dorothy, John Muir Wilderness, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

McGee Creek to Steelhead Lake, John Muir Wilderness, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Blue Lake, John Muir Wilderness, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

Tyee Lakes, John Muir Wilderness, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

Farewell Gap Trail to Aspen Flat, Sequoia National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

B Hikes with a View

Mount Eddy Trail, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Lassen Peak Trail, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lassen and Modoc, tap here.

Rubicon Trail, D. L. Bliss State Park, Tahoe and Northern Sierra, tap here.

Perimeter Trail, Angel Island State Park, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Clouds Rest, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Sentinel Dome, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Panorama Trail, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Moro Rock, Sequoia National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

The Needles Spires, Giant Sequoia National Monument, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

B Kids

Rainbow and Lake of the Sky Trails, Tahoe National Forest, Tahoe and Northern Sierra, tap here.

Angora Lakes Trail, Tahoe National Forest, Tahoe and Northern Sierra, tap here.

Tomales Point Trail, Point Reyes National Seashore, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, Moss Beach, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Año Nuevo Trail, Año Nuevo State Preserve, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Pinecrest Lake National Recreation Trail, Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Devils Postpile and Rainbow Falls, Devils Postpile National Monument, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Tokopah Falls, Sequoia National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

B Meadow Hikes

Haypress Meadows Trailhead, Marble Mountain Wilderness, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

South Gate Meadows, Mount Shasta Wilderness, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Carson Pass to Echo Lakes Resort (PCT), Tahoe and Northern Sierra, tap here.

Grass Valley Loop, Anthony Chabot Regional Park, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

B Redwoods

Boy Scout Tree Trail, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Redwood Empire, tap here.

Tall Trees Trail, Redwood National Park, Redwood Empire, tap here.

Redwood Creek Trail, Redwood National Park, Redwood Empire, tap here.

Bull Creek Trail North, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Redwood Empire, tap here.

Redwood Creek Trail, Muir Woods National Monument, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Shadow of the Giants, Sierra National Forest, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

General Grant Tree Trail, Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

Redwood Canyon, Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

Congress Trail Loop, Sequoia National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

Trail of 100 Giants, Giant Sequoia National Monument, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

B Self-Guided Nature Walks

McCloud Nature Trail, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Rainbow and Lake of the Sky Trails, Tahoe National Forest, Tahoe and Northern Sierra, tap here.

Trail of the Gargoyles, Stanislaus National Forest, Tahoe and Northern Sierra, tap here.

Shadow of the Giants, Sierra National Forest, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Methuselah Trail, Inyo National Forest, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Unal Trail, Sequoia National Forest, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

B Short Backpack Trips

Taylor Lake Trailhead to Hogan Lake, Russian Wilderness, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Toad Lake Trail, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Echo and Twin Lakes, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lassen and Modoc, tap here.

Woods Lake to Winnemucca Lake, Mokelumne Wilderness, Tahoe and Northern Sierra, tap here.

Coast Trail, Point Reyes National Seashore, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Black Mountain, Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

May Lake and Mount Hoffman, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Glen Aulin and Tuolumne Falls, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Ladybug Trail, Sequoia National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

B Summit Hikes

Preston Peak, Siskiyou Wilderness, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Grizzly Lake, Trinity Alps Wilderness, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Shasta Summit Trail, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Lassen Peak Trail, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lassen and Modoc, tap here.

East Peak Mount Tamalpais, Mount Tamalpais State Park, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Mount Dana, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

White Mountain Peak Trail, Inyo National Forest, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Mount Whitney Trail, John Muir Wilderness, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

B Swimming Holes

McClendon Ford Trail, Smith River National Recreation Area, Redwood Empire, tap here.

Deer Creek Trail, Lassen National Forest, Lassen and Modoc, tap here.

Paradise Creek Trail, Sequoia National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

Alder Creek Trail, Giant Sequoia National Monument, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

B Waterfalls

Burney Falls Loop Trail, McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, Lassen and Modoc, tap here.

Feather Falls Loop, Plumas National Forest, Sacramento and Gold Country, tap here.

Grouse Falls, Tahoe National Forest, Tahoe and Northern Sierra, tap here.

McWay Falls Overlook, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Monterey and Big Sur, tap here.

Waterwheel Falls, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Devils Postpile and Rainbow Falls, Devils Postpile National Monument, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Upper Yosemite Fall, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Mist Trail and John Muir Loop to Nevada Fall, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Tokopah Falls, Sequoia National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

B Wheelchair-Accessible Trails

Taylor Lake Trail, Russian Wilderness, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Kangaroo Lake Trailhead/Cory Peak, Klamath National Forest, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Lake Cleone Trail, MacKerricher State Park, Mendocino and Wine Country, tap here.

South Yuba Independence Trail, Nevada City, Sacramento and Gold Country, tap here.

Sierra Discovery Trail, PG&E Bear Valley Recreation Area, Tahoe and Northern Sierra, tap here.

Abbotts Lagoon Trail, Point Reyes National Seashore, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

McWay Falls Overlook, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Monterey and Big Sur, tap here.

Lower Yosemite Fall, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Roaring River Falls, Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

B Wildflowers

Lake Margaret, Eldorado National Forest, Tahoe and Northern Sierra, tap here.

Chimney Rock Trail, Point Reyes National Seashore, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Grass Valley Loop, Anthony Chabot Regional Park, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Rocky Ridge and Soberanes Canyon Loop, Garrapata State Park, Monterey and Big Sur, tap here.

Path of the Padres, San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area, San Joaquin Valley, tap here.

Lundy Canyon Trail, Hoover Wilderness, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Hite Cove Trail, Sierra National Forest, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Whitney Portal to Lake Thomas Edison (JMT/PCT), Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

B Wildlife

Coastal Trail Loop (Fern Canyon/Ossagon Section), Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Redwood Empire, tap here.

Spirit Lake Trail, Marble Mountain Wilderness, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Captain Jack’s Stronghold, Lava Beds National Monument, Lassen and Modoc, tap here.

Tomales Point Trail, Point Reyes National Seashore, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Pescadero Marsh, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Año Nuevo Trail, Año Nuevo State Preserve, San Francisco Bay Area, tap here.

Carrizo Plain and Painted Rock, Carrizo Plains National Monument, San Joaquin Valley, tap here.

Tule Elk State Natural Reserve, San Joaquin Valley, tap here.

Hiking Tips

HIKING ESSENTIALS

Aside from the shoes on your feet, it doesn’t take much equipment to go day hiking. Whereas backpackers must concern themselves with tents, sleeping pads, pots and pans, and the like, day hikers don’t have as much planning and packing to do. Still, too many day hikers set out carrying too little and get into trouble as a result. Here’s our list of essentials:

Food and Water

Water is even more important than food, although it’s always unwise to get caught without a picnic, or at least some edible supplies for emergencies. If you don’t want to carry the weight of a couple water bottles, at least carry a purifier or filtering device so you can get water from streams, rivers, or lakes. It should go without saying, but never, ever drink water from a natural source without purifying it. The microscopic organisms Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium are found in backcountry water sources and can cause a litany of terrible gastrointestinal problems. Only purifying or boiling water from natural sources will eliminate giardiasis.

There are plenty of tools available to make backcountry water safe to drink. One of the most popular for day hikers and backpackers is a purifier called SteriPEN, which uses ultraviolet light rays instead of chemicals to purify water. It’s small, light, runs on batteries, and purifies 32 ounces of water in about 90 seconds.