Hiking and Adventures
Here you'll find our travel guides, exploring an area articles and information on individual hikes and adventures.
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Tour of the Lakes on Gold Lake Highway
Lakes Basin Recreation Area is an unbelievable destination in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains with an incredible landscape of jagged, dramatic peaks and numerous glacially carved lakes. Gold Lake Highway is a scenic route that connects Bassets Station to Graeagle and provides access to endless outdoor recreation in this gorgeous area.
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Beautiful Waterfalls on North Yuba River in Northern California
While we were camping near the Sierra Buttes on Gold Lake Highway, we set off on an adventure to three different waterfalls on North Yuba River near Sierra City in northern California. We had so much fun discovering these new areas that we went back a second time to explore even more. And while we were exploring we found a bonus swim hole and an extra waterfall that we weren't expecting to find!
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Hiking Long Lake Loop + Mount Elwell on Gold Lake Highway
If you're looking for an adventure off of Gold Lake Highway, hiking Long Lake loop is a great option! Not only is it a loop (which if you don't know by now we're big fans of) but you can also add on Mount Elwell to experience a peak with incredible views in every direction. And there are also several options for extending the loop to check out even more of the gorgeous lakes in the area. Hiking Long Lake loop offers a little bit of everything while doing a great job of showcasing the beauty of this special area.
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Hiking to Sierra Buttes Lookout | Gold Lake Highway
When we first laid eyes on the Sierra Buttes and spotted the lookout tower, we had no idea how accessible hiking to Sierra Buttes Lookout would be! Once we got to the Gold Lake Highway area we were in completely unfamiliar territory and we had never even heard of the Sierra Buttes. But once we saw the dramatic towering mountains for the first time, we knew we had to see more! And hiking to Sierra Buttes Lookout was the perfect opportunity.
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Hiking to Big Bear Lake | Gold Lake Highway
Hiking to Big Bear Lake from Round Lake Trailhead is a short hike to a refreshing, scenic lake making it the perfect choice for a hot summer day! There are numerous clean, clear and beautiful lakes to choose from in the Lakes Basin Area of Gold Lake Highway. And Round Lake Trailhead leads to several gorgeous lakes in the area including Big Bear Lake, Little Bear Lake, Round Lake, Silver Lake and Long Lake for starters.
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Backpacking Grouse Ridge Loop | Tahoe National Forest
Backpacking Grouse Ridge Loop was our first backpacking trip of the year, our first time backpacking in Tahoe National Forest and our first opportunity to backpack with Shane's brother who flew out to visit from Florida. And since you can't go wrong with loop itineraries with lots of lakes, we were excited to head out to experience a new area and make new memories. The backpacking Grouse Ridge loop itinerary that we decided upon links several different trails in the Grouse Ridge area. These trails lead past lake after lake with numerous opportunities for quick side trips to visit even more lakes!
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Hiking to Webber Falls | Amazing Waterfall in Tahoe National Forest
Follow us as we rock hop upstream along Little Truckee River to the gorgeous pools at the base of Webber Falls. Webber Falls is a tall waterfall in a steep forested canyon with several pools and great flow! Shane's brother was in town visiting and we told him that we were going to play in the river. But we left out the fact that we would be hiking to a waterfall so he would be surprised by the gorgeous finale.
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Hiking Mt Lola Trail | Tahoe National Forest
Hiking Mt Lola Trail is among the many great adventures to choose from along Jackson Meadows Road. And this hike is a great choice for those looking to bag a peak and catch incredible panoramic views of the surrounding area! Mount Lola is the highest peak in Tahoe National Forest (9,143 feet) and a beautiful adventure.
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Hiking Crystal Lake Trail Near Mammoth Lakes
Hiking Crystal Lake Trail is a short but scenic adventure climbing switchbacks through the woods to a beautiful high elevation lake. Along the way there are incredible views of the surrounding granite mountains and several of the gorgeous lakes down below. Hiking to Crystal Lake is a great hike as far as bang for your buck or beauty for your effort.
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Hiking Grapevine Canyon: Petroglyphs and Rock Scrambling
Hiking Grapevine Canyon is a cool experience as it mixes history with beautiful desert scenery and some good ol' rock scrambling! Grapevine Canyon is located in the Spirit Mountain Wilderness of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. After viewing the many neat petroglyphs near the canyon entrance continue wandering through the canyon via faint trail and bursts of rock scrambling!
