Routes
US Route 395
- U.S. Route 395 in California – from Bridgeport to Hesperia (OpenStreetMap | Google Maps | Wikipedia | Lonely Planet)
- Perhaps one of the most beautiful roads in all the US (certainly under-estimated by most)
Adventures
- Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park (NPS | Wikipedia | YMMV | Map)
- Permits within this park are not required for day hikes, except if hiking Mt. Whitney.
- Mount Whitney (NPS | Location on Google Maps)
- At 14,505 feet, it’s the highest point in California and the lower 48
- A wilderness permit is required year-round and quota is limited to visit Mt. Whitney.
- All hikers entering the Mt. Whitney zone, including day-hikers, are required to obtain a permit.
- » Lottery – Permit Reservations » Applications open February 1 – March 1 (recreation.gov)
- Location of trailhead » Google Maps
- Located on the eastside of California’s beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Mt Whitney Trail starts in Inyo National Forest at Whitney Portal, 8,300 feet above sea level.
- The trail is 21.5 miles (round-trip) and gains over 6,200 feet of elevation (very hard) before reaching the summit in Sequoia National Park.
- The trail is at the southern end of the John Muir Trail.
- Overnight at the Trail Camp, or round-trip Day hike. Both are difficult hike. Often underestimated.
- Summit, hiked to without mountaineering skills (though every year hikers die on Mount Whitney because they are unprepared » consider altitude, training, and cold windy stormy weather at altitude).
- Leave No Trace principals at Mount Whitney (US Forest Service video)
- Resource » The HikingGuy.com’s video & website (for more details)
- Yosemite National Park (Map)
- Half Dome Day Hike » 14.2 mi (round-trip)
- Permits are required and quota is limited
- Lake Tahoe (Map)
- Hike Echo Mountain and Inspriation Point
- Channel Islands National Park (NPS)
- The Lost Coast
- King Range National Conservation Area (KRNCA) (BLM Trip Planning Guide .pdf)
- 6 hr drive north of San Francisco
- The Lost Coast Trail
- 25-mile, no-elevation gain, beach trail in Northern California but not a beginner backpacking trip
- Watch BLM video
- ! Permits are required and limited (recreation.gov)
- Reservations open October 1, for the following year.
- ! When allowed, campfires and stoves require a fire permit.
- ! Some sections of this trail are not passable at high tide. NOAA Tides
- Resource » HikingGuy.com video and website
- Alternative »
- Black Sand Beach on California’s Lost Coast (Static CamperVan)
- 17 miles from Ferndale on a very tight and twisty poorly kept road.
- Not RV friendly. Single lane at times.
- Best time to visit is May to October
- Expect fog in summer and rain in winter.
This page was updated September 26, 2023