Recent Blog Posts
From trail-tested camp recipes to lessons learned while hiking the John Muir Trail; if it happens on the trail, we talk about it on the blog. Check out the latest blog posts below.
10 Best Dog Friendly Hikes in the Bay Area
These scenic dog-friendly hiking trails near San Francisco promise to be a big hit with your four-legged hiking companion. All of the trails on this list are within a 30-minute drive from San Francisco. The dog-friendly hikes range from easy jaunts to challenging workouts. Cataract Falls in Marin The dog-friendly, six-mile Cataract Falls hike near […]
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10 Best Urban Hikes in San Francisco
With its hidden stairways and pedestrian paths and its secret dirt trails, San Francisco is a walker’s paradise. This list covers my top 10 urban hikes in San Francisco. The walks range from a short but challenging 1-mile walk along the Inner Sunset’s pretty mosaic stairways to a 17-mile hike across San Francisco from the […]
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15 Bay Area Backpacking Trips Near San Francisco
You don’t need to travel far to go backpacking in the Bay Area. Below are my favorite Bay Area backpacking trips that are less than two hours from San Francisco. Some backpacking sites in the East Bay and Marin are even easily accessible by public transportation. While some of these backpacking trips require advance reservation, […]
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20 Mental, Physical, and Lifestyle Benefits of Hiking and Backpacking
Hiking is more than just a form of exercise, it’s a lifestyle. If you’re a hiker or backpacker you know what I’m talking about. The benefits of hiking are plentiful and the positive impacts carry over to every aspect of your mental and physical wellbeing. Hikers and backpackers are the original forest-bathers. We go into […]
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Best Oregon Beach Hikes Along the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor
The Oregon coast is known for its scenic beaches and the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor has a reputation for having some of the most stunningly beautiful ocean views and beaches in the state. It has always been a dream of mine to drive the Oregon coast in its entirety. I’ve still yet to […]
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Experience the Benefits of Nature with an Easy 10-Day Nature Challenge
Do you ever find yourself scrolling through Instagram looking at an endless feed of alpine lakes, rolling green hills, meadows bursting with colorful wildflowers, and mountain peaks capped with snow? You may not need a vacation, this just might be your brain’s way of trying to improve your health. The Benefits of Nature Studying the […]
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Five Lessons from Hiking the John Muir Trail
Are you hitting the trail this summer? Here are five helpful lessons I learned from hiking the John Muir Trail that may help you plan your JMT hike. This article is in honor of those about to hike the 210 miles from Yosemite to Whitney (or vice versa) on the John Muir Trail! Congratulations! You […]
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Five Romantic Hikes in San Francisco
Candle-lit dinners are nice, but I’ll take a romantic hike with my sweetie over dinner at a stuffy restaurant any day. These five romantic hikes in San Francisco are perfect for strolling hand in hand with your special someone and setting your hearts a fire. Living in the City by the Bay we are blessed […]
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Five Things I Wish I Knew Before Backpacking the Three Sisters Loop
In August 2019 we set out to hike the loop around three of Oregon’s prettiest peaks in the Cascade Range (South Sister, Middle Sister, and North Sister), collectively called the Three Sisters. The Three Sisters Loop is an epic 50-mile trek through Deschutes and Willamette National Forests that highlights central Oregon’s incredibly scenic and diverse […]
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Five Ways to Get Your Nature Fix This Winter
Hiking is more than a good source of exercise. Hiking the trails and being out in nature has been proven to improve your mood, reduce stress, increase your creativity, and build self-confidence. When I don’t get my regular nature fix, I often get moody and depressed. My hikes are a critical part of my mental […]
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Hike to Precipice Lake
Precipice Lake is by far my favorite alpine lake. I discovered this beauty on my 2018 hike of the High Sierra Trail and it was the highlight of entire 72-mile trek. Precipice Lake is seriously stunning. It made such an impression that I hired an illustrator to draw the lake from a photo and it […]
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How to Avoid Rattlesnakes When Hiking
Summer is snake season! Just like humans, snakes want to soak up some rays and bask in the sun after a long winter. There have been a number of recent rattlesnake sightings in the East Bay hills and on the peninsula, that’s not a surprise since the entire state of California is prime snake territory. […]
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How to find backpacking and hiking partners
Whether you want to summit your first mountain or just want to get your kids outdoors more, having a supportive hiking partner will help get you there. Finding a hiking buddy can be a challenge, especially if you don’t live in an outdoorsy area or have any outdoorsy friends. Luckily, hikers are generally a welcoming […]
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Outdoor Bloggers Share Their Best Backpacking Breakfasts
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This is especially true when backpacking. You need the right fuel to summit that mountain and carry you through the morning. The best backpacking breakfasts are tasty, lightweight, and easy to make. Searching for some tasty inspiration I reached out to five outdoor bloggers and asked […]
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Six Bay Area Hiking Challenges that Make Planning Hikes Easy
2023 has gotten off to a very muddy start in the Bay Area. But don’t despair, while the weather might not be cooperating, these six San Francisco Bay Area hiking challenges make it a little easier for you to accomplish your hiking goals. If you’re anything like me, you start the year full of enthusiasm, […]
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Skyline to the Sea Trail Permits and Planning
In 2020 the Lightning Complex Fire destroyed the Big Basin Visitor Center and burned approximately 97 % of the park’s 18,224 acres. The park and surrounding trails are currently closed to visitors and there is no anticipated re-opening date. The Skyline to the Sea trail is a 28-mile trek through Big Basin and Castle Rock […]
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Tips for Hiking with Dogs
For many years, my regular hiking partner was Grizzly, a bulldog-boxer mix. Grizzly and I went everywhere together. We spent summer weekends filling our lungs with mountain air in Tahoe, and in the fall we sauntered among the changing Oak trees in the East Bay hills. Our adventures included exploring the Lost Coast and once […]
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Ultimate Joshua Tree Hiking Guide: 24-hours in Joshua Tree National Park
Larger than the state of Rhode Island, Joshua Tree National Park is an iconic park in California. Since the park is so big and there’s so much to see, planning a trip to Joshua Tree can be a little overwhelming. If you only have 24-hours in the park this family-friendly Joshua Tree hiking guide includes the […]
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Visiting Lake O’Hara at Yoho National Park
If you have ever wanted to experience the Canadian Rockies up close, a trip to Lake O’Hara will be just the trip for you. Whether you’ve heard of it or not, the Lake O’Hara area is hard to get in, but highly coveted. The trails are uncrowded, because access to the trailheads and the lake […]
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Winter Reading List for Hikers
The short days and long nights of winter may make it difficult to get outside and explore. But, it is the perfect time to curl up with a good book and life a life of adventure through the stories of others. These books are on my reading list for this winter. There’s a large variety […]
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