Skunk Cabbage Coastal Trail - Redwood National Park

This California trail is the most similar to Southeast Alaska I've encountered so far in terms of vegetation, wetness, terrain, and sketchiness. The first 2.5 miles traverses through beautiful forest, ferns, and moss, and the mist swirling through the trees brought back memories of Juneau. Then the trail descends 1000 feet to the ocean, and given it was December, the trail was muddy, wet, and slick...again just like Juneau. I reached the beach and was going to hike 2 more miles along the sand, but the waves were very aggressive this day. So I hung back and decided to film the wave action from a vantage point 3 feet up a bluff. All of a sudden a very energetic wave surged towards me, and I instantly had to dive uphill to grab a bush so as to not be drug out to sea. That wave must have climbed 8 feet up the bluff...luckily I was not filming from the sand, otherwise this hike might have had a sad ending. Needless to say I was soaking wet and 3 miles of hiking awaited me...the video of the sneaker wave was worth it though...see video scrolling half-way down below.

Berry Glen Trail - Redwood National Park

A rain free December Saturday in northwest California demands that you get outside and hike...and that's what I did, heading north from Eureka to Redwood National Park. I picked the Berry Glen Trail, which ascends 1200 feet in 3 miles from the Elk Meadow Day Use Area to the Lady Bird Johnson Grove (see map here). Big trees abound throughout the hike, and there is an interesting plaque at the Lady Bird Johnson portion, where President Richard Nixon dedicated the grove to the former First Lady in 1969 (see image here). All in all a good hike with a bit of elevation gain and some history for kicks.

Fall Canyon - Death Valley

I drove 3 miles up the Titus Canyon Road, parked at the trailhead, and then realized I had a dilemma. Titus Canyon, just steps away, looked awe inspiring and beckoned me to enter. However, I saw that the trail-info-sign showed a second option, Fall Canyon, which required a half mile hike across desolate scrub land. The sign also mentioned that the canyon occurs on a fault. That was enough to convince me...I headed for Fall Canyon (see map here).

My choice was a wise one. Fall Canyon is one of the premiere canyons in Death Valley. The sidewalls are at all times hundreds, if not a thousand feet up into the air. And evidence of fault motion, rock folding, and mountain building was around every corner (see this site for an example). My head was constantly tilted skyward with mouth slightly gaping...this canyon is a truly special place...you must hike it if you visit Death Valley.

After a little more than 3 miles, I encountered a 25 foot dry fall. There was no chance of getting past this obstacle. So I turned back. But the light was becoming fantastic as the sun glowed back and forth against the canyon walls, and pictures turned out great despite using a tiny little iPhone camera.

Mosaic Canyon - Death Valley

My final day of hiking in Death Valley started off with Mosaic Canyon. The entrance to this canyon can also be accessed via a dirt road. However, the NPS was installing a new water storage tank, and they decided to place the tank beneath the road so that they wouldn't disturb the naturally occurring gravel located next to the man made gravel. So I had to walk 2.4 miles to the trailhead. And again, it was a grinding uphill slog. Thankfully, Mosaic Canyon rewarded me for the effort. The canyon features marble walls that almost immediately begin to constrict as I went up-canyon. The tall narrow slick-rock-like marble then opens up into an amphitheater like section, where mountains rise thousands of feet up into the air. Continuing up-canyon, I eventually encountered a section blocked by large boulders. After a bit of searching, I found an easy climb through this section. Unfortunately, I quickly ran into multiple dry falls that possessed few if any hand and foot-holds for climbing. I managed to make it up a few, and probably would have kept on going up-canyon if I were hiking with someone else. That wasn't the case, so I turned back.

Desolation Canyon - Death Valley

The Desolation Canyon route passes through a broad flood plain that transitions to a narrow gorge. Although it wasn't the most spectacular canyon I have visited in Death Valley, it was still a nice easy laid-back hike that traversed a path that was actually hardened mud instead of annoying gravel. The route eventually leads to a series of dry falls that become progressively harder to ascend (although certainly manageable). I tackled a few and then called it a day.

Natural Bridge - Death Valley

I hiked a couple of easy Death Valley miles to Natural Bridge. It is an interesting arch, similar to what you would find in Canyonlands and Arches National Park. Pictures are below.