Rock Climbing in California - Get Ready to be inspired

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals."

-Henry David Thoreau

No matter where you visit in the beautiful state of California you can expect to find fantastic rock climbing locations nearby. Get ready to be inspired to reach new heights exploring these incredibly breathtaking locations.

California is the land of granite peaks, rock and exposed mountains jutting out of the landscape providing extraordinary rock climbing spots for every skill level. Our search for the best of the best led us to Yosemite (Central America), Lassen National Park (Northern California), Joshua Tree National Park (Southern California) and Sierre National Forest (Eastern Sierra).
 

Photo by Sierra Mountain Center

Yosemite
Central California

Let's start with the best - Yosemite, a mecca for rock climbers. Serious rock climbers can’t resist Yosemite, even though the first glimpse of the daunting vertical walls can be intimidating, it doesn't stop them from gearing up to make the climb. Most climbing in Yosemite involves carrying and placing protection devices instead of clipping them into preplaced bolts, a technique that can take years to master. Making Yosemite less than ideal for beginners, so you'll want to beef up your rock climbing skills before taking it on.

For hands-on lessons, sign up at Yosemite Mountaineering School and Guide Service. The school holds classes and seminars for all skill levels between April and October. The classes meet on a daily basis in both Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows, and equipment rentals are available.

If you'd rather just watch the action instead of actually doing it yourself, head to El Capitan Meadow. Sit back in a camp chair and scan the face of massive El Capitan for the distant climbers scaling it’s impossibly sheer face. This 3,593-foott/1,095-meter rock face was first successfully scaled in the 1950’s, and since then many other bold adventurers have climbed their way to the top. The majority of the climbers make the climb in three to five days, spending their nights sleeping on ledges or tethered into hammocks (watch for the shimmer of headlamps as they turn in for the night). Professional rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson made history in January 2015 when they became the first to free climb El Capitan's Dawn Wall, long considered the most difficult rock climb in the world.

Lassen National Park
Northern California

Located near Redding, California, this park boasts an incredible 10,000-foot volcanic dome and a variety of awesome crags that offer fantastic rock climbing. The park's largest crag is referred to as "Bellybutton", because it has plenty of cracks that provide great footing as high up as 165 feet. The Lassen Peak Trail is a great place for scenic hiking. And the hot springs in the park are the perfect place for chilling out after a strenuous day of climbing or hiking.  

Photo by Sierra Mountain Center

Joshua Tree National Park
Southern California

Located in the high desert, Joshua Tree is a world class rock climbing destination loaded with over 8,000 climbing trails, more than 400 formations, and vertical rock climbing surfaces for all experience levels. If you prefer to take a lesson or a guide, you may want to look into Vertical Adventures Rock Climbing School.

Photo by Joshua Tree National Park

Sierra National Forest
The Eastern Sierra

Located on the eastern edge of the Sierra National Forest you’ll find a number of areas recognized for world-class rock climbing. The Rock Creek Canyon features excellent 9,000-foot granite walls located near Mt. Abbot's peak.

In the Lakes Basin, Horseshoe Slabs, a popular climbing spot with amazing granite walls also at 9,000 feet, is ideal for late summer/early fall climbing. For bouldering fanatics, check out Deadman's with it’s main cliff that's more than 30 feet tall. For the novices, myself included, there's Iris Slab, the perfect place to work on your climbing skills. 

Sierra Mountain Center, one of the great mountaineering schools, provides lessons and guides in the Eastern Sierra of California.  

Photo by Sierra Mountain Center

If you're not sure where to get started, click here for some of California's best rock climbing locations 

Experience Kayaking at Elkhorn Slough

"Always keep your eyes open. Keep watching. Because whatever you see can inspire you." 

-Grace Coddington

Do you love holidays that involve water sports and activities? Then you should consider Elkhorn Slough where it is especially kayaking that are attracting a lot of tourists annually. The area around Elkhorn Slough is not only suitable for kayaking and paddle boarding but it also offers opportunities for birding photography and wildlife viewing. It is a veritable wildlife heaven and a habitat to a wide variety of different types of wildlife. Therefore kayaking enthusiasts not only practice their beloved sport but they experience wildlife on a whole new level. Many visitors start their tour at Moss Landing when they are faced with two options to either rent a kayak or to join one of the well-organized guided tours such as Kayak Connection which provides rentals, tours and lessons. This will be followed by a bit of paddling through the state marine reserve which are literally crawling with wildlife.

Photo by Kayak Connection

 
In this particular area people will find a large otter population and there will also be various other kinds of wildlife such as pelicans, sea lions and even seals. Exactly how far you would like to go is something, which has to be decided by each individual, but most people will do between two and 6 miles. For those who are not used to long kayaking trips, it is possible to catch the shuttle back to Moss Landing but for the more experienced kayaking professionals, most of them would prefer to row back by themselves. However, even the most enthusiastic kayaking professional has to relax sometimes and there are more than enough venues in this area to cater for most people’s needs. One such venue is Phil's Fish market which is well-known for its cioppino as well as a wide variety of seafood which can be enjoyed while people are enjoying the spectacular view.

Photo by John Ames

  Elkhorn Slough is one of the acknowledged tourist destinations in North America and it is reckoned among the top 10 destinations when it comes to wildlife viewing. Especially the area around Moss Landing has one of the largest remaining otter populations on the entire planet. For many kayaking enthusiasts it is an exhilarating experience to paddle among these amazing creatures among which is harbor seals, floating jellyfish and a very large population of migrating seabirds. One of the guarantees that could be given to any tourist who visits this area is the fact that wherever people might go with in Elkhorn Slough they are certain to spot very large quantities of wildlife.

Photo by Kimon Berlin and it's open to sharing

Photo by John Ames

 Elkhorn Slough is located about halfway between the coastal towns of Santa Cruz and Monterey. Both of these areas offer tremendous opportunities for outdoor activities such as beach, surfing, kayaking, hiking and biking. Further away about an hour drive from Elkhorn Slough, visitors may take a hiking trip to nearby Big Basin Redwoods State Park for hiking along waterfalls such as Silver Falls or Berry Creek Loop and this kind of excursion is possible throughout the year. Several waterfalls can be found in this area. The redwood trees can be found everywhere in the park and there are also a substantial number of banana slugs.

Whether you are a professional kayaking enthusiasts or an amateur you will find Elkhorn Slough an excellent destination to hone your skills while at the same time enjoying an unforgettable wildlife experience. This is truly an area that are literally teeming with all kinds of wildlife as well as a very large variety of plants and vegetation. This is an experience which you would like to repeat once you have discovered the secrets of this amazing destination. 

Photo by Kayak Connection

California & Oregon Road Trip Planning - Lassen Volcanic National Park

As I mentioned in one of my previous entries, I plan to share my research about places you might want to visit in preparation for our road trip in Northern California and Oregon. Planning a great trip takes a lot of time, and I hope these posts - this one included - will give you some helpful ideas for your next outdoors trips without taking too much of your time.

There’s no doubt that we'll be visiting Lassen Park as our first stop from the Bay Area. In Lassen Volcanic National Park, visitors get to see sizzling fumaroles, volcanoes (yes, I said volcanoes), charming meadows filled with wildflowers and crystal clear mountain lakes - sounds incredible doesn't it? Lassen Park actually has a lot of lakes, and a variety of campgrounds allow you to stay inside the park. Most incredibly, Lassen Volcanic National Park is the only place on Earth where all four types of volcano can be seen!

photo by Lassen National Park Service

Lassen Park Campgrounds

It seems some of the campgrounds (Manzanita, Summit Lake) are along the main road, and another set of campgrounds (Juniper Lake and Warner Valley) are only accessible from Chester Road rather than from the main park road. Manzanita is probably the most popular campground in the park - it is reasonably big (180 sites), has a camp store and offer some cabins! These extra services, plus a lively area with views of Mt. Lassen from parts of the lake, can make it a busy place. It has sites for RVs too. There are more services at Manzanita with store and boats and lively area with views of Mt Lassen from parts of the lake. 

Compare this to Summit Lake campgrounds, which each has a little less than 50 sites - still popular, but a lot fewer people. It is a pretty location, plenty of trees, with a place to swim off of a nice sandy beach on the north end of the lake and it isn't very busy. It’s actually considered to be remote in comparison to Manzanita Lake. 

Manzanita Lake, photo by Lassen NPS

 If we make it to Chester. . .(which makes the road trip on each end 1.5 hour longer) and to Juniper Lake, we'll get a wonderful mountain lake to swim (with water that's supposed to be crystal clear) and a nice pebbly beach. The lake is shallow for quite some distance before it starts to get deep, so it is not too cold. A short but steep hike above Juniper Lake brings you to Crystal Lake, which is great for swimming as well. Accommodation options near Juniper Lake are Juniper Lake and Warner Valley campgrounds and Drakesbad Guest Ranch which has a hot spring swimming pool to soak in and that's definitely a selling point for us! 

Because of the lack of facilities, small campgrounds and farther driving distance around Juniper Lake and Warner Valley, this area will be a lot quieter with more secluded campgrounds.

Hiking trails:

 The park offers over 150 miles of hiking trails for visitors of levels of ability. After hours of research, here are the trails that I found that would appeal to my kids. I've also included a map of the park with the suggested trails in blue oval.

 

1. Bumpass Hell is a must if you haven't visited the park before.

Start: Bumpass Hell parking lot

Round Trip Distance: 3 miles

Round Trip Time: 2 hours

Terrain: easy 300 foot descent

Elevation: 8000 feet

Bumpass Hell is the largest hydrothermal area in the park, and marks the principal area of up flow of steam and discharge from the Lassen hydrothermal system. The trail is quite easy, though the altitude (8,000 feet) can make the trail seem moderately difficult. Many argue that a trip to Lassen is not complete without a visit to Bumpass Hell, which got its name from Mr. Kendall Bumpass who unfortunately seriously burned his leg when it broke through the thin crust layering the boiling pool.

2. Boiling Springs Lake: This seems like a very interesting trail. It’s an easy gradual trail crosses through meadow and forest and around the 125 degree boiling lake. It also has some of the best mud pots in the park plus numerous trees, wildflowers and bird watching make this a must see!

Boiling Springs Lake, photo by Lassen NPS

3. Devils Kitchen: a moderate two hour round trip hike through the meadow to the head of Warner Valley, along Hot Springs Creek and into the forest to the “kitchen’s” bubbling mud pots, steam vents and boiling springs.

4. Crystal Lake: It’s a short hike from Juniper Lake. It winds through forests where there's a great swimming spot and incredible views. It’s only 0.6 miles, but it’s very steep.

For more information about all trails of the park, click here. 

Since most of these interesting trails are in the south side of the park, I guess we're going to stay at Juniper Lake or Warner Valley campsites though they add 2 to 3 hours to our driving (and we don’t enjoy long car rides that much!). But for the experience of seeing mud pots and boiling, steaming lakes, we are going to make the effort! What’s nice about Warner Valley is that it’s only, first come - first serve which means we don’t need to make a reservation ahead of time. We wish we could have stayed at Drakesbad and enjoy its hydrothermal pool and the convenience of not camping out for just 1 night (that's all we have!) but it's unfortunately booked!

Stargazing at Lassen Volcanic National Park

Half the fun of spending time at Lassen Volcanic National Park is stargazing, something that I had read is often overlooked, even with its amazing, dark, night's sky. Far from the light pollution of civilization, Lassen is one of the last remaining sanctuaries of natural darkness. Lassen's dark skies offer unparalleled views of the celestial wonders and we plan on attending one of the parks ranger led, "Starry Night" programs in the park.

Check back in to find out how our road trip vacation will turn out - I'm sure it's going to be phenomenal! 

Lassen Volcanic National Park, photo by California Travel and Tourism Commission

9 Lessons Learned in Rock Climbing (and in Life)

Recently, I came across with this TED talk video. Veteran rock climber Matthew Childs shares nine lessons learned in rock climbing that relate to the real world. Though, the speech was presented for non-climbers, Childs uses enough climbing lingoes that all outdoor enthusiasts can get the most out of.

Here are 3 of my favorite lessons: 

* Don't Let Go! Momentum is good. Don't stop. Don't give up. I've experienced this when I'm mountain biking on some steep hills and I keep reminding myself: "keep pedaling. keep the momentum. This is not the time to stop or take a break." I've also experienced it when I'm hiking with kids and they ask if we can stop and go back to the parking lot. The challenge is perhaps lack of anticipation when they don't know how long more the hike is going to take or if they're going to face more uphill.  

* Have A Plan! Perhaps, a back-up plan too! But, do yourself a favor and don't go on an adventure without a plan, without tools and preparation. And here's one of my favorite quotes from an unknown author: "If the plan doesn't work, change the plan, but never the goal."

* Fear Sucks! Fear can stop us in our tracks and hold us back. Not that I'm claiming to be a fearless outdoor enthusiast or a fearless person in general but I do remember my friends were worried about my solo trekking trip in the Alps and all I had to tell them was: "If your dreams are not scary, then they're not big enough.

Finally, I leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

"Winning isn't about finishing in first place. It isn't about beating the others. It is about overcoming yourself." 

-Killian Jornet

  

California Road Trip Planning- Whiskeytown Lake

The National Recreation Area says "Whiskeytown is More Than a Beautiful Lake", I can attest to the quote as true! Waterfalls, hiking trails, and some of the most beautiful country in California you'll ever see in your lifetime.  

Photo take by Prayitno Photography

The clear blue waters of Whiskeytown Lake are surrounded by prominent mountain peaks with stunning waterfall -- creating the best mountain creeks for fishing. The absolute best camping, swimming, hiking, and fishing in all of California.

There are over 38,000 acres surrounding 4 waterfalls, mountain creeks and over 70 miles of mountain trails.  Plus, it's the center of the California Gold Rush area. You can pan for gold in "them thar' rivers".

That's one of our plans when we visit Whiskeytown in our road trip. The kids and I want to find our pot of gold while we take in the majestic mountains and watch the wild animals' commune with Mother Nature.

Our first venture will be to try out some of the water sports that range from kayaking, sailing, fishing, swimming and water-skiing on the lake. There are 2.5-hour free kayak programs available to book in advance and not to be missed!

From there, we’ll hit the trails for some hiking. Of course, we’d like to take in all 4 waterfalls, but that's a lot of hiking through the woods. Click here for all of its trail information. We'll be bringing along our mountain bikes to take some of the steeper trails and cover more trails. And, who can resist the thrill of downhill rides? Whiskeytown is known for some of the best mountain biking in the area and its epic Lemurian Shasta Classic Mountain Bike Race.

There is so much to do while visiting the area. You can camp, picnic or take an RV and park in the RV Park. The swimming in the lake is around Brandy Creek Swim Area, which is about 10 miles from Redding. So, if you don't want to camp out, you can always stay at the hotels in and around Redding. Jet skis are prohibited on Whiskeytown Lake, but you can take your small craft and fish all day long.

The swimming beach is also where you can see Glory Hole. Glory Hole is the water output for the lake. Although, in recent years, the water level has been so low, you may not be able to see the water rushing out of the lake.

If you're a stargazer, Whiskeytown, CA is a great place to view our wonderful galaxy. You can take part in one of free ranger-led astronomy or star party programs to see constellations and learn about the demigods who were immortalized in the stars. There are classic tales of heroes, as well as a look into deep space on the powerful telescope.  You can watch the night stars without any pollution or lights of the city to bar their viewing. It's much better than watching TV!

When you need to enhance your vacation, some of the nearby attractions are close by.   You can visit:

Mount Shasta - is a single peak in the Cascade chain, with a height of 14,179 feet. Rising 11,000 feet from the surrounding valley, it dominates the landscape of northern California. It presents a thousand different faces, inspires great awe and respect, and beckons all to view it from every possible perspective.

Shasta-Trinity National Forest – is nearby for more hiking and camping.  Here you can take in glaciers, lakes and alpine meadows teaming with wildlife and wild flower filled fields.

Redwood National and State Parks – don't miss the redwood forest. You will never see anything like these trees anywhere in the world. It's a bit of a travel, but it's more than worth the effort of a day trip. 

Grab the kids, some food, and take a trip to Whiskeytown, CA for a relaxing day of fun, frolic, and fantastic scenery.

A Note of Interest: Whiskeytown is the only area with the phantom orchid (Cephalanthera austiniae). These beauties are all white and devoid chlorophyll. They can't make energy for themselves, but rely on symbiotic mycorrhizae for its nutrition.

California & Oregon Road Trip Planning

 "Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself." -Unknown

Here We Begin Working Our Next Grand Adventure.....

I’m planning a 2 plus week road trip with my kids from the Bay Area in California to Oregon located in the Pacific Northwest. We are planning to traverse inland and part of pacific coast in our trip. The tentative itinerary I've come up with is to travel from home to Lassen Park, Shasta, Ashland, Eugene, Portland, Bend, Crater Lake, Redwood Trees National Park, Mendocino and back. Sounds easy? Well, not for me.

Here's what my planning stages look like:

It took me a couple of weeks to decide on the right road trip for my kids and me. My kids love to travel, but we’ve mostly gone on sightseeing trips to places like Cabo, Maui, Kauai, Paris, London, Tehran, and last summer to Washington DC. This time around I wondered if we should take another international journey to a country we hadn't visited yet? Na, not this time around - to be honest, it just wasn't in the budget this time around. Somewhere on east coast like New York City? Nope - I didn’t feel like flying and plus New York City could be as or more expensive than traveling to Europe. That and the east coast can be killer hot and humid during the summer.

We enjoy outdoor vacations and when it comes to family vacations, we've always preferred exploring the great outdoors. Hmmm. . . maybe we should check out the legendary Yellowstone Park? I nixed this idea because it's supposed to get really busy during the summer months and dealing with crowds of people doesn't appeal to me. Finally, after a couple of weeks of contemplating, I decided I didn’t want to go too far from home this time but still wanted it to be a special trip. I decided we'd take a road trip to Northern California and Oregon, a Pacific Northwest paradise filled with famed outdoor scenery. Since it's our neighboring state and we’ve never gone on a road trip before, the idea seemed very appealing. So, Okay, after spending a couple of weeks deciding where to go, I now have to figure out how long it's going to take, the best places to stay and visit. Our overnight accommodations will vary from tents and cabins to tree house and hotels depending on the places we are visiting. Yes, we are super excited to stay 2 nights at a tree house near the border of California and Oregon.

Trip planning, especially for outdoors can be very time consuming! In a series of upcoming blogs, I’m planning on sharing my research about the places that appeal to my family, hoping to save you some time when you decide to experience these destinations for yourself. 

Stay tuned and please feel free to let me know of any other outdoor places we must visit during our trip that's not in our above itinerary yet!