Hiking with Heidi

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...

Hike Details: Elevation range - about 7200' (lots of little ups and downs but no huge elevation changes) Location - from Eastbound I-80, take the Boreal Ski/Donner Summit Sno-Park exit, turn left (going opposite of Boreal) and the road dead ends at the Sno-Park (fee is $5 per vehicle, passes need to be bought ahead of time at REI or other Truckee locations). You could also possibly park at the rest area at the next exit which is closer to the junction with the PCT. Bathrooms: Yes, a pit toilet  Mileage - 4-5 miles roundtrip Hiking time - 3+ hours (including stop for lunch)

Hike Details: Elevation  - 8210' up to 9410' Location  - Trailhead is located off of Carson Pass Highway 88, take the turnoff to Woods Lake Campground, which is a mile or so past Caples Lake Mileage   - 5 miles roundtrip Hiking time -  3 hours 

Hike Details: Elevation  - 8550' up to 8875' Location  - Trailhead is located at the Carson Pass Ranger Station on Carson Pass Highway 88, about 5 miles East of Kirkwood Ski Resort Mileage   - 3 miles roundtrip Hiking time - 3 hours 

Hike Details: Elevation - 6600' - 6800' Location - from I-80, take the exit for Hwy. 20 East, drive about 4 miles then turn right onto Bowman Lake Road, follow it for about 8 miles, watching for the turnoff on the right to Carr Lake. This is where the gravel road begins--sometimes fine, sometimes super bumpy. Then it's about 2 1/2 miles to the trailhead/campground parking area. Mileage - 3+ miles Hiking time - 2 hours I was so happy my friend Melinda could hike with me! And not just because she always brings homemade chocolate chip cookies as trail food. ;) So our plan was to hike past Carr, Feeley and Island Lakes and on to Penner Lake. But piles of snow changed that plan. We chatted with a Scout leader who was hiking in to meet up with his group. He told us the trail was about 95% covered with snow all the way to Island Lake. We had to cross a little creek/waterfall to get over to Feeley Lake. One side of the lake looked like summer. ...

Hike Details: Elevation - low approx. 6,250 ft. - high of 7,000 ft. Location - Emerald Bay State Park Mileage - 4-5 miles Hiking time - 3 hours Route -We parked in the Emerald Bay State Park parking lot (fee area) on Highway 89, then walked back to the Eagle Falls trailhead. Just follow the signs to Eagle Falls and then on to Eagle Lake. Permits for the Desolation Wilderness are at the trailhead, make sure to fill one out. After coming back to the trailhead, we headed down the trail to the Vikingsholm Castle and then back up again. If I were to do this over again, I'd recommend starting by going down to Vikingsholm, then hiking back up and then over and up to Eagle Lake and then back down to the parking lot. Ending a hike with an uphill slog is slightly less fun. Weather - Cool in the morning, but it started getting pretty warm by the time we finished around noon. Link to CalTop map I haven't had time to do much hiking yet this summer but I finally have some on ...