Hike and Swim in the Foothills of the Sierras

Hiking to a swimming hole is a great way to beat the heat on a warm summers day. The foothills of the Sierras makes for some great roughing it swimming adventures. Who knew this could be so much fun!

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DIANA FALLS

Diana Falls is located near the town of Coulterville, CA. From the town center, you’ll take Greeley Road to Briceberg/ Bull Creek Road and finally make a slight right on route 2S05, at about 5 1/2 miles you will see a place to park. The trail is on your right if you’ve reached the bridge you’ve gone too far. Being a weekday and late in the season there was only one other car there, its owners were just walking down the trail when got out of the car. To get to the swimming hole it is a 1.4-mile hike to the falls. Because it was the end of the summer Diana Falls was dried up. Downstream but we found plenty of ice cold water as well as small falls that led to a pool.

CAMP NINE

Camp 9 is a local favorite and can be reached by following a road along the Stanislaus River to the Collierville Powerhouse. The road is an open range so don’t be surprised if you find cows hanging out in the middle of the road. As we approach the trail to Camp 9 swimming hole a loud humming comes from the power plant next to the Stanislas River. You’ll cross an awesome footbridge below the power plant. After crossing over the river you’ll hike about a 1/2 mile to get to the limestone swimming holes. The area is spread out enough that it’s easy to get your own space.

NATURAL BRIDGES DAY USE

Natural Bridges Trail is a round-trip 2-mile hike that gives you access to a limestone cavern that doubles as a swimming hole. As we approach the swimming area we can see interesting rock formations at the entrance of the cave. The cave interior has a magical quality and is enormous in size compared to the cave entrance. Water seeps from the cave ceiling and drips on my head as the light dances on the water. The cave or tunnel is 250 feet from one end to the other. We also ventured to the left of the cave about a 1/2 mile till we found a secluded swimming hole. Looks like there are many to choose from and the one we picked was mostly in the sun and the water was up to our necks. We drove by on a weekend and the parking lot was full. We went on a Monday andthere were only a handful of cars just to give you an idea of what to expect.

Hiking Big Canyon Park, San Carlos, CA

This local hiking spot is a great place for a quick hike after work if you live near San Carlos, CA. The park is nestled below some scattered homes and makes for a great getaway that makes you forget that you are in a residential area. The Harold Drake Trail runs through a forested area that reveals the the canyon and is a nice break from the forested shade. The city parks location is at 3190 Brittan Avenue, San Carlos, CA. https://maps.app.goo.gl/Rt1HR4y4t17dSzRVA

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So Much to See and Do In Pinnacles National Park

Established as a National Monument in 1908, In 2013 Obama signed into legislation and the park's name and specification was changed to Pinnacles National Park. This park is Southeast of San Jose and is the 9th unit of National Parks in the state of California.

I really enjoyed camping here. I booked online for the perfect spot, some of the sites are in complete sunlight which can make it miserable if it's the season for sweltering heat. The website says July and August but I've been here in April and it was Hot! Check out this little beauty, it's a website that provides images of all the campsites at Pinnacles, that way you can be sure to get a site in the shade. To stay cool you can go for a swim at the park's pool, its free for campers.

The park is host to wildlife which included bats, condors, deer, frogs, and Quail. Our early morning hike up to Condor Gulch Trail hike paid off, at about 7:00 AM on our way down the trail we saw about 15 Condors circling a rock formation. The flight of the Condor is like the flight of a kite, gliding on the wind and dropping in and out of air currents. The bat caves are yet another highlight of Pinnacles, around sunset we headed out to Bear Gulch Cave and  made our way through the caves to the other side just in time to watch some bats exiting through the closed area of the caves.  

Forested Urban Hike in San Francisco

Nestled between two homes on Stanyan St. and 17th, as soon as you finish climbing the stairs Mt. Sutro's Historical Trail opens up to a lush dense forest complete with Eucalyptus trees, fern, flowers, wild blackberries, birds, and climbing vines. Located in the San Francisco Fog Belt, Mount Sutro is beautiful in all climates but very magical during overcast days.  There are many ways to navigate through the woods each just as wonderful as the next. You can check out the map here to decide if you want to head back after the T junction or continue on. Be sure to look for the mysterious wood tiki carving of a man if you continue to the left of the T junction.

Historical Trail was named after a survey revealed a trail from the 1880's. The trails have been maintained by the Sutro Stewards since 2006, the group improves the trails through trail and habitat restoration.

Misty Morning Hike at Mt. Tampalias

This particular Mt. Tam trail starts near Mountain Theatre, in the summer the theatre hosts plays and concerts on weekends. We start our hike in the first parking past the venue, a moderate 3-hour hike with a diversity of plants and environments.

We start our hike and follow the signs to the Potrero Meadow by way of Lagunitas Rock Spring Fire Road. It’s so quiet you can hear the nearby stream and the wind blowing through the fall leaves that haven’t dropped yet. A variety of fungi and mushrooms spring up near the trail's edge as we make our way to the meadow a light fog rests on the meadow floor and leads to a quiet trail called Bernstein.

The fog gets thicker and amplifies the greens and turns the forest into a light green color. I’m stuck inside a giant Bonsai pot with a perfectness that seems crafted by a giant human.

Following Northside / International / Miller Old Grade Road we finally reach West Point Inn, an old Inn that provides bathrooms, and an observation deck with picnic tables that look out to the hills. Hummingbirds dart around the feeder attached to the deck as we take in the view. You can rent cabins here Tuesday-Saturday and I fantasize about staying here for a day or even a few days and taking in all the beauty of the forest. Nowhere to go and nothing to do, the slowing down of time.

We finally head out using Rock Springs Trail as our exit, parts of it run through slippery serpentine rock and the manzanita with its shiny burgundy marbled bark sticking out in the newly sparser scenery.

There are many trails in Mt Tam that lead to West Point Inn and the Mountain Theatre, check out this map before you go. The loop we took was Mountain Theatre (second parking lot) / Lagunitas Rock Spring Fire Road/ Bernstein Trail / Northside / International / Miller Old Grade Road / Rock Springs. International Trail is off Northside, when you get to the top of the mountain where all the trails split be sure to continue on Northside you’ll see International a few yards ahead.

Caving in Utah

If you are interested in cave exploring, Utah is a great place to visit. Utah is the host of over one hundred caves with names like Indian Burial, Lucifers Liar, Silly Putty (closed) and What the Hell Cave.

We visited Mammoth Cave Lava Tubes and Bowers Lava Tubes in Dixie National Forest. The caves were fairly large and impressive. Don’t forget your flashlight, it can get really dark and muddy in the caves. Please, please check out cave safety and ethics of caving before you go. The caves are closed off in the winter for hibernating bats.

To get to the caves you need to travel off the Forest Highway 050 onto a dusty dirt side road. As a truck passed us on the road, I can see a whirlwind of dust in my mirror.

Upon arriving at Bower Lava Tube we parked in the designated area and began our short quiet hike into the woods. In the middle of the landscape, you will find a hole in the ground where you will descend an 8-foot ladder. You can stand in the cave, but at about 100 feet you’ll need to crouch, look up and you will see a unique silver glitter residue on the ceiling.

Mammoth Cave Lava Tube area must have had some type of Mad Max event going on while we there. Upon arriving we were immediately assaulted with the sounds of buzzing motorbikes and off-road vehicle engines, riders decked out in full motor cross gear and dust holding thick like fog in the air. As we approach the mouth of the cave, it is congested with children and adults. Once climbing down into the cave the sound disappears and you are left with cave explorers, flashlights grazing the cave walls. The Mammoth Caves can become very small at some points where you might have to crawl and squeeze your way through, we went back after the crouching halfway. There are at least three ways to enter the cave and 2100 feet of exploration.

Berry Creek Falls Loop

Berry Creek Falls Loop is located inside Big Basin Redwood State Park, the entry fee into the park is $10. The hike is a 10.5-mile loop. At the beginning of the trail, there is a sign that warns that the hike is strenuous. With an elevation gain of 1800 feet, the hike takes  5 to 6 hours to complete. It rambles through deep forest, trickling water,  bridges, redwoods, and several scenic waterfalls. Check on the park's website before going the trail is not always open.