California

Another mandatory part of the California tourist program is to go to Yosemite National Park. In spring, it's not that crowded, the waterfalls are most impressive, and in the past winter, there has not been much snow, so let's go! A hike that is suitable if you only have 1 day and have to drive back the same day, leads to...

[Deutsch siehe unten] On a San Francisco trip, visiting the Golden Gate Bridge is obviously a must. Most tourists just drive to the south end, take a few pictures, and maybe walk up to the first leg of the bridge. Others cross the bridge on a bike tour, and a third group takes the car across the bridge and drives up to Hawk...

Sun and fun in California Escaping from the polar vortex to California, we were looking for a non-technical day hike near our homebase in the SF Bay Area. Mt. Diablo seemed like a perfect destination. Although the peak is not even 1200m high, it allows for a nice peak bagging loop with around 1400m of elevation gain. Fellow...

Mount Diablo, the "center peace" of Mount Diablo State Park is an isolated peak which is visible from most of the San Francisco Bay Area and much of northern California. It's "only" 3557 feet high (1178m) but has a remarkable visual prominence. On a clear day one can see many of the Sierra peaks, a lot of the Central Valley and of...

When I left the house in the morning my plan was to do a ski tour to Ralston Peak. However, on site the avalanche conditions on the Northern slopes of Ralston Peak seemed unsafe. Therefore, I decided to visit Echo Peak instead. The danger for avalanches was predicted to be "Moderate", but after I saw a small avalanche, it didn't...

Squaw Valley was the host site of the Winter Olympics in 1960 (click). Today it's one of the largest ski resorts in the USA. If you're willing to pay a whopping 114$ for a day pass you can enjoy about 3600 acres of ski areas. If you're not really into those things like me, there is also the possibility to climb mountains in the...

Folsom damn was built in 1955. The resulting lake was part of the "Folsom Project" for flood control, hydroelectricity, drinking water and water for irrigation. Most of what was "drowned" in 1955, has been submerged since then. Due to the present extreme drought in California, Folsom Lake is at a historically low level - about 100...

My plan on this day was to climb Sawmill Ridge and Robinson Peak, they are both north of Twin Lakes (Mono County). I chose these peaks due to the fact, that they have steep south facing flanks, where the little snow which the Sierra got this season should have melted away again in order to allow the ascent without any 'snow-toys'....

As Delta showed not too long ago the Mono Lake Basin is definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in California. It was on my to-do list even before I moved here. As a "local" it is now "just around the corner" (for US standards only!). On this weekend I combined the trip to Mono Lake with a hike to the nearby Robinson Peak and...

When I drove to Carson Pass for this adventure, I knew I would be back soon again. Not only because I liked my snowshoe hike a lot then, but also because I saw many other potential and interesting goals in this area. The view of Thunder Mountain and in fact the whole ridge northeast of Silver Lake made such a good impression to me...