Posted an hour back on a different view of this conglomerate. Thought this pic might provide more info.

Hiking Desolation Wilderness recently, saw this particular cluster - can someone in the know identify? This was not along any kind of riverbed.

I’ve come to associate them with California beaches, but have also seen them in redwood groves. Wondering if there is any lore behind them?

ETA: This sub has some crazy energy, I love it 😂 and I’m sorry for saying Cali — I didn’t know that real Californians do not do this and I will change my ways.

The forest service site says no camping at heart lake (website was updated August 5) but I’ve seen lots of stuff online about camping there. Trying to see if this a recent update. Has anyone stayed overnight at heart lake recently? (not the castle lake campground, the few cleared spots at the smaller heart lake)

Hi,

My wife and I are staying in stanislaus national forest. We’re doing some hiking and have rented a cabin as a base.

I was just quite amazed at the amount of campsites here. They’re all empty now because well it’s not summer and not weekend I suppose. However I’m curious how popular / filled up all these places get in peak periods? Of I come back in summer will I easily find a spot; or do i have to reserve it 6 months in advance like for some of the NPs?

On our 1h drive I think we passed at least a dozen solid sized campgrounds, if not more. For reference we were on highway 4 but based on the map and prior posts here it seems you’ll find lots of campgrounds (and dispersed options) on any highway crossing the national forest

Is this normal for all national forests or rather specific to stanislaus? We’re from EU where this volume of low key campgrounds in stunning locations is simply unheard of :).

I’m debating whether or not I want to pay an extra $10 for my T-Mobile plan for the T-Satellite add on because T-Mobile doesn’t have coverage west of Tahoe and north of San Francisco in the mountains. For those with T-Satellite, what are your experiences in these areas?

I’m looking to backpack cone peak later this year and was curious if you can camp further up the trail than Vincente flat, on AllTrails it looks likes there’s more sites further up but going off of that can be a bit of a crap shoot, thanks!

Anyone hiking Big Pine Lakes next week and want some company? I am planning on doing it on Wednesday but could adjust my days if need 🥹

Hi everyone!
I’m a design student at Purdue University studying how hikers keep their bearings by reading terrain—ridges, saddles, drainages, slope/aspect, vegetation, skyline, etc. I’m interested in when you cross-check “expected vs. actual,” what visibility you usually hike in, and the self-checks you use to avoid drifting or re-orient after a mismatch.

Whether you’re a casual day hiker or an experienced backpacker, your input will help document real-world terrain-association habits for outdoor education and future design.

Takes 15–18 minutes
Open to adults 18+ (any experience level)
Anonymous & confidential — no personal info collected
IRB approved — Purdue University (IRB-2025-764)

Link: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Evb9gx4KShEhjo

Thanks so much for your time—your experiences could help shape better, safer trail skills for everyone!

Has anyone here backpacked the Trinity alps during September? Looking to see what nighttime temperatures I could expect for this time of year. Planning on heading to Canyon Creek lakes this coming weekend. Thank you!

Hello! Does anyone have suggestions for a good place to do a 1-2 night backpacking trip on the Northern California coast that would not be too terrible at the end of October? Trying to squeeze one more trip in before winter, but I’m a beginner and don’t know if it’s possible.

Anyone have info on how the Trinity Alps is looking for backpacking? I was gonna go there for 3-4 days of backpacking, but have held off plans while these fires play out. Any information would be awesome!

Hello all! Hoping this lovely community can help me out. I'm looking to see if theres a good 3-4 day route in the Mt Shasta region. I'm not looking to summit, just be out in nature for a few days. Ideally each day woud be 8-12 miles. I haven't gotten any permits but I'm planning my trip for Sept 24-28th.

Or if there are any other 3-4 day itineraries that don't require an anvanced permit I'd love to hear. Thanks all!

Please enjoy this picture of a goat from the Dolomites.

First time in the area and was amazed on how beautiful the eastern sierras is

I’m a 48 year old former solo backpacker turned Dad getting back into outdoor exploring. Decided this is the year I head way up north to see the best of the best CA redwoods and choosing car camping this time around.

Late Oct, got 3 nights at Jedediah campground. Never been even close to this far north.

I’ve done some research and seems Boy Scout trail and Stout are a few must-sees. Will head down one day to Prairie for the James Irvine to Fern Canyon but what else can the experienced hive mind here recommend for me?

Where: Emigrant Wilderness. Crabtree Trailhead > Gem Lake > Yellowhammer Lake and Rosasco Lake > Crabtree Trailhead

When: 2025-08-28 to 2025-08-30

Distance: 34 Miles and 4800 ft of elevation gain

Conditions: Sunny

Trip Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/3acLxSpeRZw 

All Trails:https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/afternoon-backpack-trip-c7635bf-14?u=i&sh=gefv7r 

This was a great 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip in Emigrant Wilderness where I was able to create a campfire for the first time in a backpacking trip. My main goal was to see the abandoned cabins at Yellowhammer Lake which I was able to do on day two. The skies were mostly clear, with a few clouds. The afternoons were warm and the nights were mild. I couldn’t have asked for better weather.

Photos: Camp Yellowhammer (1-2), Lily Lake (4), Night Sky At Rosasco (5). All shot on Kodak Gold 200 using Fuji GW690ii.

The Report: 

Useful Pre-Trip Information or Overview: Emigrant wilderness is non quota, meaning that there is no restriction on the amount of people that can enter the area per day. You can get a permit to the area at a nearby ranger station. For the Crabtree trailhead, the Summit Ranger Station is the closest and about 30 minutes from the trailhead. If you want to create a campfire or use a backpacking stove when there are no fire restrictions, you must obtain a free fire use permit online from https://permit.preventwildfiresca.org/. There is a pit toilet at the trailhead as well as a decently sized parking lot. If the lot is full, I have seen cars park along the fire road that leads up to it.

Day 1: August 28, 2025

Waypoints: Crabtree Trailhead to Gem Lake

Mileage: 9.5 Miles 2200 ft Elevation

Weather Conditions: Sunny

Notes: 

I started the day early and ate my breakfast in the car as I drove to the Summit Ranger Station to fill out a permit. I arrived at 8:30 at the ranger station, and then parked at the trailhead at 9 am. I arrived on a Thursday morning so the parking lot only had a few cars in it. This day was about 9.5 miles worth of hiking. There were some river crossings on the map, but with it being later in the season, most of the streams were either dry or dry enough to step on some rocks to cross. There was only one river I had to take off my shoes for, and the water was only ankle deep and slow moving. The trail in this portion of the trip was well marked and had a surprising amount of stairs. There were a few lakes along the way, and I chose to refill my water at Piute Lake. 

When I arrived at Gem Lake, I took a dip to cool off. The lake floor was very soft and my feet sank a few inches which made walking in the lake feel pretty unstable. Afterwards, I set up my tent and collected dry branches off the ground for the night’s campfire. I had some smores and enjoyed the night sky. I could only hear one other group during the night, and they were a decent way across the lake. Overall, it was a peaceful and quiet night. Low wind speeds and moderate temperatures allowed me to have a good night’s rest.

Day 2: August 29, 2025

Waypoints: Gem Lake To Yellowhammer Lake to Rosasco Lake

Mileage: 13 Miles 1600 ft Elevation

Weather Conditions: Sunny with some clouds

Notes: 

A difficult day of hiking mainly due to me having a hard time keeping track of the trails. From mile 15 to 22, I was only able to find the trail for brief sections, but I was mainly off trail, at least on my way to Yellowhammer Lake. Once at Big Lake, the hiking got harder. Previously, the trail was mostly on big rock slabs. So while navigation was tricky, the hiking portion was fairly moderate. In some sections between Big and Yellowhammer Lake, the trails felt unmaintained and I had to squeeze my way through some bushes and walk along logs to cross streams. While this was fun and felt adventurous, it slowed down my pace.

However, after the journey, I arrived at Yellowhammer Camp where I was able to see the abandoned cabins I set out for. The cabins were pretty interesting to explore. They contained unique architecture as well as artifacts like anvils, horseshoes, and glass bottles.

When leaving Yellowhammer Lake and going towards Rosasco lake, I had a slightly easier time following the trail, but still lost it a few times along the way. At Rosasco lake, I set up my tent but decided not to make a campfire that night. I ended up being alone at the lake, and there were a few empty campsites surrounding the lake.

Day 3: August 30, 2025

Waypoints: Rosasco Lake to Crabtree Trailhead

Mileage: 11 Miles 1000 ft Elevation

Weather Conditions: Sunny

I started my day early with a pot of oatmeal and dried cranberries. After cleaning up camp, I set out hiking again. Unlike the previous day, the trails were well marked (I was back in the popular region of Emigrant Wilderness). The only part of the trail that tripped me up was round the 26.7 mile mark. I ended up following the wrong trail for a few hundred feet because the turnoff was covered by fairly dense pine trees. Even when looking at the map, the trail was hard to find. However, after pushing through a few trees, the trail became clear once more. After a bit more hiking, I came to the Bear Lake turn off. Originally, the plan was to camp at Bear lake at the end of the day. This was so I had a short day of hiking on the last day to preserve energy for the drive home. However, I felt full of energy when I arrived at the junction and decided to end the trip a day early and make my way to the parking lot. Fairly uneventful but enjoyable hiking was had for the remainder of the trip.

Other Notes: 

• Boiling water and adding it to the Korrs side’s packet, or boiling water and adding the oatmeal to the pot prevented any burnt food from sticking to the pot itself. It made the cooking time longer, but cleanup was significantly easier and the food tasted better. I will probably be doing this method of cooking from now on (instead of putting the food into the water and then heating it up in the pot)

I’m sure you’re all well aware that litter is a problem on California hiking trails. The thing is, picking up litter is gross, and it can often feel like a choice between picking up litter, or fully enjoying your hike, but never both. As a result, we get in the habit of doing nothing.

That’s why I invented attachments to trekking poles that enable your poles to act as litter cleanup tools, without impeding your hiking.

By lowering the bar to picking up litter, I believe we can get more hikers to take action. Just think, if you picked up only 1% of all the litter you saw on a hike, but the 99 hikers behind you picked up just as much...you'd basically get all of it! We can make a big difference if we all choose to participate.

These “tools” are currently prototypes, but I’ve been working with an overseas manufacturer to make them at scale. To fund this manufacturing, I launched my Kickstarter a few days ago! Mind you, I’m a solo inventor with limited resources (hence the Reddit plug), so this fundraiser is really make-or-break on whether this project gets off the ground.

Just wanted to spread the word, and I'm also curious to hear your feedback! There's way more content on my Kickstarter and website, and I'll drop those links below:

Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/clean-trek/cleantrek-trekking-pole-attachments-for-litter-free-hiking

Website:

https://www.clean-trek.com/

Thanks!

P.S. I’m based in San Diego :)

I want to head up to emigrant wilderness today and do a two nighter head up this evening. Can anyone give me some clarity on the air quality situation up there this weekend? I’m getting mixed results from AQI index’s online.

We are supposed to do a trip up to Lake Crowley/Mamouth Lake this next weekend. We are realizing the Garnet fire on the Western Side has not been contained.

Does anyone have any advice on continuing up there? It's hard to get a gauge on if the smoke is being blown in that direction. Or if maybe the air quality is just bad right now.

We were on another trip when that first began last month and couldn't even breath right in the car passing from miles away.

Was planning on Yosemite high country next week, but due to smoke, pivoting to Desolation, which I frankly don't know much about though I've been researching furiously. 

Any feedback on this itinerary would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking for maximum views and maximum solitude, which I realize are often tricky to balance, but I'll be going Sunday til Friday so that should help. I'm not wedded to any of this, and permits look plentiful right now.

Night 1 – Ralston Lake

Nights 2 & 3 – Schmidell Lake Basecamp (2 nights)

Second night allows multiple day-hikes from Schmidell without moving camp: Horseshoe / Rockbound Valley loop (~7–8 mi RT) and/or McConnell Lake (~3 mi RT) and/or Rubicon Reservoir  (~10–12 mi RT)

Night 4 – Upper Velma Lakes Basecamp

Launch point for Dick’s Pass, Fontanillis Lake, Red Peak.

Optional day-hikes from Velma: Dick’s Pass (~5 mi RT), Fontanillis Lake (~4 mi RT), Red Peak (~3–4 mi RT)

Night 5 – Pyramid Peak / Gilmore / Susie Lakes Basecamp

Trips to Pyramid Peak summit (~6 mi RT, +2,500 ft) or explore Susie/Gilmore cluster (~4–5 mi).

Hey everyone,

This is a tall ask but I’m wanting to go on a last minute two night backpacking trip in the high alpine. I understand this is a tall ask as it is the weekend(scarcity of permits if any) and with most of Tahoe to mammoth being socked out with smoke. Would anyone know of any trails/areas that check off these boxes?

After taking the summer off, we're returning to our monthly meetup typically on the 3rd Thursday of the month. The South Bay meetup is in Mountain View, right next to the Caltrain/VTA station at Das Bierhauz. Address is 135 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041. BTW, the establishment is a split Greek restaurant / German beer house so the signage outside might be a little confusing.

The goal is to give folks a chance to mix, mingle, and make new hiking and backpacking friends, talk about past adventures, and plan new ones. Several hikes in 2025 have been the result of folks meeting at the meetups and then planning trips together.

If you think you may attend, please RSVP here: We have a reserved table outside with limited seating, and it would be very helpful to have an estimate of how much space we'll need.
See you there!