Category: West

Posted on

Desolation Wilderness-Yosemite-Mono Lake-Lassen Volcanic

Started in South Lake Tahoe and visiting Fallen Leaf Lake area. Then hiked 3 days with friends in Desolation Wilderness. We continue to Yosemite and Lassen Volcanic to hike and camped, and visited places in between. Good hikes to Round Top Lake, Clouds Rest/Sunrise Lakes, Cinder Cone and Lassen Peak.

Desolation Wilderness (32 km, 1300 m total ascent, 2000-2600 masl)Eagle Falls Trail from trailhead on Emerald Bay Rd (CA89) – Bayview Trail – Velma Lakes Trail/Pacific Crest Trail to Campers Flat (overnight), Blakely Trail to Lake Schmidell, return via Pacific Crest Trail to Dicks Lake (overnight) and Eagle Falls Trail – Bayview Trail to trailhead on Emerald Bay Rd. Between trailheads, from Inspiration Point to Lower Eagle Falls, walked along Emerald Bay Rd. Three days.
Click on wikiloc logo to see more details
Round Top Lake (12 km, ~350 m total ascent, 2600- 2870 masl)Carson Pass – Frogg Lake – Winnemucca Lake – Round Top Lake (Pacific Crest Trail-Winnemucca Wildflower Trail-Pack Trail).
Click on wikiloc logo to see more details
Clouds Rest/Sunrise Lakes (32.5 km, 1400 m total ascent,2490-3027-2620 masl)Tenaya Lake-Sunrise Lakes-Clouds Rest-Sunrise Lakes-Tuolumne Meadows (Clouds Rest Trail-Sunrise Lakes Trail-John Muir Trail). Two days.
Click on wikiloc logo to see more details
Cinder Cone (9 km, 350 m total ascent) Click on wikiloc logo to see more details
Lassen Peak (9.5 km, 750 m total ascent, 2580-3187 masl) Click on wikiloc logo to see more details
 
Posted on

Travel in time: Las Vegas-Death Valley-Mojave Desert-Joshua Tree

It was a last minute decision to spend Christmas 2006 in the West (9 days). We flew to Las Vegas (picked-up our rental car at the airport) where we spent two days on short day-hikes (Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire) and evenings walking up and down the Strip (lost $5 each gambling and got trapped in an elevator trying to see the view from higher up in one of the hotels).

On the third day we headed to Death Valley for 4 days. Started in the North walking around Ubehebe Crater and visiting Scotty’s Castle, before settling in a motel in Stovepipe Wells Village, our Death Valley base. We then made our way South on day 2 and 3, with a bit longer hikes in Mosaic Canyon, on Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and in Titus Canyon. We explored Artist Palette area for a while. On the last day we watched sand storm in the valley from Dante’s Point (very windy and quite cold) and then spent the rest of the day hiking in the Badlands. It was really good time to visit Death Valley, sunny and warm (at most) – good for hiking and comfortable exploration.

Zabriskie Point and Badlands

Click on wikiloc logo to see more details

 

The next morning we were woken-up by beautiful peacocks in front of our windows at historic Amargosa Hotel. Kelso Dunes was our next destination, we spend several hours walking up and down the “booming” mounds (singing sand). A few short hikes in the Joshua Tree NP on day 8 (Hidden Valley, Baker Dam) and to Fortynine Palms Oasis.

Fortynine Palms Oasis

Click on wikiloc logo to see more details

On the last day we visited Hoover Dam and hiked down to Colorado River via White Rock Canyon. Quick drive to Las Vegas to drop-off our car and fly back home in Chicago just as the New Year was arriving. Unusual Christmas for us, but great experience.

White Rock Canyon

Click on wikiloc logo to see more details

 

Posted on

National Parks of the West

National Parks visited in August 2003. Itinerary: Rocky Mountains ➜ Arches ➜ Capitol Reef ➜ Bryce Canyon ➜ Zion ➜ Lake Powell ➜ Grand Canyon ➜ Monument Valley ➜ Mesa Verde ➜ Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

We did several hikes including one full-day hike to North Gate in north Zion NP.

North Gate

Click on wikiloc logo to see more details

 

error: