At 2,517 feet, Mission Peak towers over the southern arm of the San Franciso Bay. It offers a 360-degree panorama that extends from San Jose to Mount Tamalpais. On a clear day, you can even see the Sierra Nevada range to the east. In History of Washington Township, published in 1904, Mission Peak was described as […]
Hiking Black Crater
Black Crater is a “broken” cinder cone with a glacier-carved valley and quite possible the best views of the Three Sisters. The 7,251′ summit was once home to a fire lookout, and when you hike to the summit, you’ll understand why. You can see for miles up and down the Cascade Range. This trail is […]
The Nine-Peak Challenge
The Nine-Peak Challenge is a really intense route that took two SoCal hikers up nine (yes, NINE) peaks including San Gorgonio — the highest in Southern California — in one really long day hike. Thanks to Jen and Dave for sharing their photos and this epic trip report. Dave and I met at the Starbucks […]
Chantry Flats to Sturtevant Camp and Mt Zion
The beautiful Santa Anita Loop takes you on a 10-mile hike from Chantry Flats to Sturtevant Camp, then on to Mt Zion and back past Hoegee’s Trail Camp and along the Lower Winter Creek Trail. It’s got a 50 foot waterfall, babbling creeks, historical wilderness cabins, deep granite canyons and towering Alder and pine trees. It feels like […]
Mt San Jacinto via the Palm Springs Aerial Tram
Mt. San Jacinto was one of the first big peaks I bagged as a teenager and I’m still drawn to it many years later. This route starts at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tram — a treat in itself — and although it’s the “easiest” route it’s by no means easy. This out-and-back trail travels 11 […]
Hiking to San Bernardino Peak via Angelus Oaks
One of the best-kept secrets of Southern California is San Bernardino Mountain. Just five miles away from the highest peak in SoCal — San Gorgonio — San Bernardino tops out at a respectable 10,649 feet. Hiking from Angelus Oaks, this 16-mile out-and-back trail climbs over 4,600 vertical feet. It makes for a very long […]
Plank Walk Trail to Mt Tamalpais
This short, family-friendly trail was an impromptu birthday peak bagged by my mom, my wife and I as part of the second part of our spring break road trip. It’s barely over half a mile round trip, but gains at a steady pace, climbing over 250 feet in a quarter mile. And while it might […]
Enchanted Rock in Texas Hill Country
Enchanted Rock is a pink granite dome that rises 425 feet above the surrounding area in central Texas — but it’s just the exposed part of the largest batholiths in North America. The Enchanted Rock batholith stretches 62 miles — mostly underground. Humans have been visiting this rock for 12,000 years, and some believe it […]
