A little off-trail can go a long way, and the Baboon Lakes are a perfect example of that. Only a few hours drive from LA, this area remains an oasis for people looking to escape the beaten path while keeping their day job.
Author Archives: calitrails
Hiking the Baboon Lakes in Lake Sabrina Basin
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: Baboon Lakes, Backpacking, California, Dogs, Hiking, Inyo National Forest, Lake Sabrina, Mountains, Sierra Nevada
15 Comments
Hiking Crystal Lake to Mount Hawkins and South Mount Hawkins
A day of solitude surrounded by miles of untouched wilderness and snow capped peaks, all contained in a Sunday hike in LA’s backyard. Even I didn’t think that was possible.
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: Angeles National Forest, California, Dog, Hiking, Landscape Photography, Los Angeles
12 Comments
Horseshoe Meadows to Shepherd Pass: Circling the Western Side of Mount Whitney
Hiking on the west side of Mount Whitney gives an entirely different perspective on a popular region dominated by the lower 48’s highest mountain. Jagged 14,000 foot peaks, crystal clear lakes, sprawling alpine meadows, and beautiful mountain basins dot a vast landscape that is seldom visited by hikers outside of the narrow confines of the JMT.
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: Backpacking, California, Hiking, Mount Whitney, Sequoia National Park, Sierra Nevada
24 Comments
Hiking South Lake to Treasure Lakes
We concluded our family weekend in the Sierra with a day hike to the Treasure Lakes near Bishop. This is another short trail that gives hikers a great taste of the High Sierra without too much effort.
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: California, Dogs, Hiking, Inyo National Forest, Landscape Photography, Nature, Sierra Nevada
7 Comments
Day hiking Little Lakes Valley
We returned to the mountains this past weekend for another taste of early summer in the High Sierra. This time, the whole family tagged along and we did some more family friendly dayhikes out of Owen’s Valley. Our first hike was in Little Lakes Valley, which is one of the easiest access points to the High Sierra and also one of the range’s flattest trails. It’s the perfect trail for someone’s first trip to the Sierra.
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: California, Dogs, Hiking, Inyo National Forest. John Muir Wilderness, Nature, Sierra Nevada
21 Comments
Hiking the North Fork of Big Pine
This trip was the two year anniversary of Callie’s first backpacking trip and the launch of CaliTrails. We celebrated the occasion by taking our first backpacking trip of the year on one of the Sierra’s best dog friendly trails.
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: Backpacking, California, Dog, Hiking, John Muir, Landscape Photography, Sierra Nevada
48 Comments
Angelus Oaks to San Bernardino Peak
The Sierra season is quickly approaching, so Callie and I took advantage of one last opportunity to get a big training hike in before the summer’s adventures begin. Our destination this time was the San Bernardino Peak trail, a first for both of us but definitely not our last. With gorgeous open views and very few hikers to contend with, this is a fantastic trail to hike with your dog.
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: California, Dog, Hiking, Los Angeles. San Bernardino Mountains, Photography, San Gorgonio Wilderness
9 Comments
Mount San Jacinto via the Marion Mountain Trail
With the suburban sprawl of the Inland Empire surrounding its west side and plush resorts in Palm Springs flanking the east, San Jacinto State Park provides a convenient refuge for Los Angeles hikers looking for an escape from the grid. Most visitors access the park via a tram that ascends from Palm Springs for close to a mile of elevation gain to an altitude of 8516 feet. On the opposite side of the mountain, a number of trails offer more ambitious and desolate routes to the summit. The Marion Mountain trail is probably the most popular of those routes, and with good reason. It’s a phenomenal hike that at times feels more like the Sierra than a local LA trail.
Categories: Trail Guide
Tags: California, Hiking, Los Angeles, PCT, Photography, San Jacinto State Park
14 Comments
Sandstone Peak – Mishe Mokwa Trail Loop
About an hour west of Los Angeles, Sandstone Peak features a dazzling vista of the Pacific that rivals any view that I’ve seen in Southern California.
Categories: Trail Guide
Tags: California, Dogs, Hiking, Los Angeles, Photography, Sandstone Peak, Santa Monica Mountains
5 Comments
The Devil’s Chair Trail
Tucked away on the northern side of the San Gabriel mountains, the Devil’s Punchbowl is one of LA’s best kept secrets. The juxtaposition of mountain scenery with desert geology gives it the type of rich diversity that defines California’s landscape.
Categories: Trail Guide
Tags: California, Devils Chair, Devils Punchbowl, Dogs, Hiking, Los Angeles, Photography, San Gabriel Mountains
7 Comments
CaliTrails 