Hiking with Heidi

Hike Details:  Elevation range : 2400-2500', mostly level trail with a few ups and downs Trailhead Location : Park along the turnout on Champion Mine Road here . Mileage : 2 miles, but you can add more by exploring the other trails in the Deer Creek system. Hiking time : 1-2 hours Bathrooms :  Public restrooms available in downtown Nevada City ( here and here ). Accessibility:  From the trailhead parking, this wouldn't be a very accessible trail. However, it looks like you could drive to the end of Champion Mine Road and connect with the Deer Creek Tribute Trail, which is a wider, flat gravel road. From there, the trail to the suspension bridge might possibly be accessible.  Link to CalTopo map We started on this trail in the mid-afternoon of a warm, sunny day--but because this trail is so green and shady, we hardly felt the heat. It was lovely! The suspension bridge is relatively new (installed in 2014 I believe) and is a beautiful bridge spanning Deer Creek b...

Hike Details:  Elevation range : 600-700', mostly level trail with a few ups and downs Trailhead Location :  Auburn State Recreation Area, Quarry Trail parking, this is a fee area though you can also park along the side of the road where it's not marked as a fee area, but this fills up quickly on the weekends Mileage : 3-5 miles, but you can hike out for as long as you want along the river Hiking time : 1-2 hours Bathrooms :  Pit toilet at trailhead, plus a few others along the trail Accessibility: The first mile of this trail is labeled as a wheelchair-accessible trail, which is a fairly flat gravel road. Link to CalTopo Map This is a nice, easy trail with lots of options for variety and challenge. It's great for everyone from families to hardcore trail runners. You can hike out as far or as short as you want and get a lovely little dose of nature along the way. In the winter and spring, there's lots of water and lots of green. In the summer, you have to go early i...

Hike Details: Elevation range - 7200' Trailhead Location - Donner Summit Sno-Park Mileage - 3.75 miles round trip - from the Sno-Park trailhead past Azalea Lake, then a loop around Flora Lake and back. Hiking time - about 3 hours, with lots of time for stopping to take pictures. Link to the CalTopo map:   https://caltopo.com/m/932L As someone who doesn't normally like the cold, somehow snowshoeing has become a favorite winter activity! Cue the music..."the cold never bothered me anyway!"... :)  We always start off with lots of warm layers, but it doesn't usually take more than about 15-20 minutes before we're shedding jackets and gloves because it's so easy to warm up when you're snowshoeing. It's a great workout! The trail heads out from the Donner Summit Sno-Park parking lot and essentially follows the hiking path of the PCT.      We went past both Azalea Lake and Flora Lake. The sun kept popping in and out all...

America the Amazingly Beautiful!!! We had a free day after the 4th of July so we (meaning I) decided to head out on another hike (and the boys went along with it, haha!). This was a new one that I hadn't heard of, though I've hiked a few trails in the general vicinity. I have to say this is now right up there in the top 5 of my favorite hikes for its incredible beauty! And a good thing it was so beautiful, because it was a tough little hike--good incline, higher elevation and a few added miles due to the campground being closed for parking (see info below). This is Wrights Lake, so clear and beautiful! Hike Details: Elevation range - 7,000-8,000' Location - Desolation Wilderness - Take Hwy. 50 East from Placerville, go just past Kyburz and turn left onto Wrights Lake Road, drive 8 miles to the entrance of Wrights Lake Recreation Area. When we arrived, the gate was closed and the campground was not yet open, so we had to park in the first parking area and the...

Hike Details: Elevation range - 7400-7600' Location - Echo Lake - from Hwy. 50 Eastbound, take the Echo Lake/Sno-Park turn-off (just before reaching Echo Summit). A Sno-Park permit is required ($5) and must be purchased ahead of time, I got mine at REI. The snow trail begins right across from the entrance to the Sno-Park, on what would be Echo Lakes Road. Mileage - 1.25 mi. from the parking lot to the edge of Echo Lake. From there we hiked up just a little ways on the north ridge to see the view overlooking Lake Tahoe. Hiking time - about 3 hours, with lots of time for stopping to take pictures and lunch at the lake. An awesome group of nine of us set out on the trail on this beautiful, sunny winter day! A few of the women were first-time snowshoers, so it was fun to share a new adventure with them! I've hiked here in the summer a few times, so I was looking forward to seeing what it was like all covered in snow. The trail to the lake essentially follows what wou...