Roaring Camp is a private company that is housed right next door to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. The former property that became both Roaring Camp and the state park was once one large ranch called Big Trees Ranch, which San Francisco businessman Joseph Warren Welch bought in 1867 to preserve a stunning grove of old growth trees that were in danger of being logged. Big Trees Ranch was eventually sold, part to the county of Santa Cruz (the part which eventually became the state park) and part to a man named F. Norman Clark, who had a dream to "bring the romance and color of steam railroading back to America." Clark worked with the state park to plan a line that would disturb as few trees as possible, and the railroad tracks run through the state park. This was an incredible excursion: both a train ride (which is always fun) and an adventure into the heart of the redwood forest along the steep canyon banks of the San Lorenzo River.
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Even though this is one of the most popular trails in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, I have actually never done this easy, flat, 0.6-mile trail through the park's largest, most impressive old growth redwoods. I am glad to have finally done it! I didn't realize how beautiful Opal Creek is, with its eponymous opalescent waters. Between the gorgeous trees and the unusual milky water, this hike sure is memorable even if it's short.
Today was my daughter's birthday, and she loves trains. So to celebrate, I took her to the California State Railroad Museum which is part of the Old Sacramento State Historic Park. I had been here before--my husband and I used to live in Sacramento--but this was her first visit, and it was a HUGE success! Choo choo!
My husband is a lucky duck in June because he gets to celebrate first father's day and then his birthday back to back. For his birthday this year, we went to one of our favorites: Pomponio State Beach, between San Gregorio and Pescadero.
This 8-mile loop through Mount Diablo State Park's northern area is one of the best hikes that I have been on in recent memory. The different parts of the loop had wildly different ecosystems, which meant that every new leg of the trail offered something more. I think that this might be the tail end of the season to do this hike. Although I was lucky to see water in the waterfalls and wildflowers at every stage of the hike, it was starting to get hot. I can imagine that it would not be pleasant to do this hike in even a couple of weeks. I will have to come back here next winter or spring to do this hike again though, because it was incredible! Wildflower highlights
I made a trip back to Mount Diablo State Park with my family over Spring Break, and it did not disappoint! I did basically the same trip as I did last June; however, the feel of the park was totally different with the hills lush and green.
Over the long weekend, I did something that I have never done before: I drove to the Sierras in the winter to hike in the snow! I am from Louisiana originally, and I moved to California in 2005 where I lived first in the Davis-Sacramento area and then in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. I have never had to deal with driving in the snow, and the idea of taking a winding mountain road in icy conditions just terrified me. But I have been hankering to see the sequoias for a while now, and so I planned and I waited until just the right conditions to visit Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Boy, am I glad that I that I went for it; it was MAGICAL. Click "read more" to see more photos after the jump. It was insanely beautiful.
This guest post will have a new voice, that of Claire’s mom, a 71 year-old, lifelong hiker from Louisiana. I am also a painter and have a special fondness for camping and the out of doors. Bad knees have slowed me down, but the love of adventure keeps me going. Click "read more" to read about my four hikes.
This was an encore trip to Brannan Island State Recreation Area for me. I went this time in the Fall, and although the air was relatively clear precisely where we were, the smoke from a nearby wildfire was creeping in to the east of us. This made for both a particularly golden light and an extremely empty park. I mostly just explored along the slough and enjoyed the quiet!
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