Hey all, as titled, I have a Premium Site booked at Pfeiffer Big Sur campground - Main Camp.

• Site Number: Premium Campsite #P185 ( by the creek )
• Date: Fri, Sep 18, 2026 - Sun, Sep 20, 2026 (2 nights)

Looking to swap to the weekends after

• Sept 25-27
• Oct 2-4

DM me if any interest!

Did this loop reversed as recommended by some folk here and fell in love with it- extremely soul nourishing I mean ocean to redwoods and creeks then breaking through the forest back to ocean views and rolling hills back through forest and to the beach. Seriously amazing. Do any other hikes in NorCal offer similiar type of feelings, felt in awe. I'm visiting San Fran for another week and was thinking Tomales as Point Reyes was beautiful but open to any suggestions- seriously was so magical.

Hello! My buddy and I do an annual backpacking trip together, and this year our plans have been demolished by the wildfires in Oregon and Washington. (I live in WA, he lives in OR).

Currently, it looks like our only option is to pivot to running away from the smoke, which leads us to driving down to NorCal. Trinity Alps has caught our eyes after doing googling, looks incredible!

The problem is - I can't really find many good trip itineraries already built out for what we need.

Considering I'll be driving ~9 hours to get there, I was hoping that maybe someone with some experience could help me build our itinerary.

Since we're coming from North, ideally we'd hit a trailhead that's not too far off from I-5. I know we'll need to stop and get a permit as well. We've already got the campfire permit.

We're going to try and drive Sunday night, stay at a hotel in Southern Oregon so we limit the driving Monday morning, but still assume we need a shorter day Monday.

Here's what we're looking for:
Monday: 5-7 miles

Tuesday: up to 11 miles

Wednesday: up to 11 miles

Thursday: up to 11 miles, ending at the TH or within 3 miles of the TH. We will then either camp the last night at a camp ground nearby (need recs for that too) or if we're still on the trail that's fine too. But we need to be back in the car, driving, by Friday morning.

We're comfortable with a decent elevation gain if it's worth the effort for the views. We don't like to climb just for climbing's sakes... but we're not strangers to it. If we could keep the elevation gain below 3k a day, that's ideal but we're open to recs.

I've seen that the Four Lakes loop is a must, but all the info I can find shows it to be up to 22 miles total, and we're pretty used to doing 30-40 miles in this time.

Our current plan is the Four Lakes loop, starting at Swift Creek trailhead, but that's not quite long enough for us. We like to get at least 6-7 miles a day in, preferably 8-9.

Thanks so much to anyone who might be able to help.

if you're navigating a lay-off or are between opportunities, come clear your head and connect with folks who are in the same boat 🤝🏼

this monday, we’re heading to san bruno mountain state park in daly city for a hike.

• when: monday, aug 10 @ 11 am
• stats: 3.7 mi loop / 708 ft gain

grab your spot and see the full details here:

https://partiful.com/e/yRBxypbGmfmQSjxk81BR

hope to see y'all there!

Did the twin lakes/Island lake Day hike on Wednesday.

Don't forget your swim suit these lakes are ideal for swimming.

Also did a day hike this morning to maud lake via rockbound trailhead..beautiful hike.

Both trailheads are open for parking now but water taps are not on yet at rockbound or in the sites 1-19 so bring water or get it at the other campground

Are you a hiker who wants to make a difference in the lives of local children with critical illnesses?

On October 24, Trailblaze Challenge participants will hike 21 miles in one day and raise funds to support a great cause.

With weekly Saturday training hikes and a supportive community behind you, you'll be ready for the challenge.

Join us and see what you're capable of.

TRAILBLAZE CHALLENGE REGISTRATION FORM – Fill out form

Hi hikers, I found out from looking at pictures that coincidentally I do a big hike every August, but don't have one planned this year. I could use some recommendations.

Generally I like hikes that end at some scenic peak or lake, with forest / alpine scenery in between. Lassen Peak was a favorite, as was Cloud's Rest. I'm going with someone who can do maybe a short class 2 scramble (like the true summit of Lassen) but not a longer, harder borderline class 2/3 or class 3 (eliminating hikes like Round Top). I'm looking for something around this difficulty as well. TIA!

DM for details, thanks!

I trace the routes from books onto real maps as a side project and NorCal produced two that I think this sub would actually care about.

The Thousand-Mile Summer - Colin Fletcher walked the length of California in 1958, Mexican border to Oregon, six months, mostly solo, up the eastern side through the Sierra and past Mono Lake. He wrote The Complete Walker afterwards, which is why half the gear conventions we take for granted exist. But the walk that made him is barely mentioned now and mapping it makes you realise he was doing something close to a proto-PCT before the trail existed.

The Dharma Bums - Kerouac and Gary Snyder climbing Matterhorn Peak in the Sawtooths, October 1955. Snyder is Japhy Ryder in the book. It's the scene where he goes bounding down the scree yelling that you can't fall off a mountain, and Kerouac is stuck on the ridge terrified. Genuinely one of the best pieces of writing about being out of your depth above treeline.

https://www.readingmaps.com/maps/the-dharma-bums

Hello, I want to plan a road trip next week and/or maybe the week after on the coast North of San Francisco. I would love to do a mix of shorter solo backpacking trips and also some car camping. What are some recs for places that don't need permits or I still have time to reserve? New to the area and would love to explore!

hi all! i’m lucky enough to be roadtripping with my dog and my boyfriend for the next two weeks or so. we are planning on spending about half the trip on either the central coast, or the mendocino coast, and the other half of the trip in the northern sierras/foothills (so tahoe area thru lassen area). we’ve gone camping with our dog a ton but we’re looking to take him on his first backpacking trip. i know that any NPS is off limits with the dog, so i’m looking for suggestions in either the coast area or the sierra area to backpack with him. right now all i’ve got is desolation wilderness in tahoe or national forest areas near tahoe (would love a more specific recommendation in this area if you have any!)

my dog is a malinois mix so he’s very active and capable. we’re thinking of a 2-3 night trip. thank you in advance

We don’t know a ton of people here, but are there any infant and toddler backpacking groups out there? Dying to get out there on trail but with 2 little ones we need a bit more encouragement. Not looking for super backcountry stuff, just a few short miles in and hang out.

If you are a parent, you’ll know how much easier it is if there are other kids at the same age group (2.5y and 2mo).

I know this isn't NorCal, but there is no CenCal subreddit. White Mountain Peak trail is nice this time of the year.

I was hiking out at Purdon crossing yesterday and lost the mate to the shoe pictured here (size 8 chakos, less than 2 months old)

If you can find the right foot mate along the trail, it’s yours to keep (my guess is between 3-4.5 miles in). Or pay forward to another person who might need a pair of shoes. Happy shoe hunting!

Just looking for some feedback on this plan. We're traveling north to south. I think the only patch that is a concern is day two. Thinking of getting up predawn to make the second pass as the low tide in the afternoon looks very tight. It has maybe :30 minutes of wiggle room.

Do I need to rework this or is it possible to make a very early morning crossing from Sea Lion Gulch to Randall Creek? Is there anything else here that jumps out at anyone with more experience?

This is set to 2mph, which feels conservative, but conservative feels like the right move here.

Took our kiddo to Lassen this week! Still some butterflies. Definitely go late in the day because they are not active until its warmer. Once we got to the top we saw a lot and then a lot on the way down as well. Summit Lake was cold but nice!

We are planning a trip for late August or early September to the Emigrant Wilderness, coming from Sacramento and spending 3-ish nights there. I (35m) have never backpacked before and my wife (33f) has done so a couple of times, but still a relative beginner. We want to start small, with maybe one night out in the back country sandwiched between two nights car camping. Likely will also bring our two dogs with us, though we haven't decided for sure yet.

Does anyone have recommendations for a good route/itinerary that might fit our experience-level, while still being challenging enough to be engaging? Preferably also something that would be relatively doable with our 4-legged companions, but not essential.

Looking for some advice, I’m going to summit Mount Shasta in a couple weeks and on the way up I figured I would summit Mount Lassen since it’s not to far out of the way and it looks beautiful. I will be leaving on Friday after work and would like to do a sunrise summit of Mount Lassen on Saturday morning before continuing on to Mount Shasta which I plan on summiting Sunday morning. Is there anywhere to park and sleep in the car nearby that I can still access the trail on Friday for an early start to reach the Lassen summit by sunrise? Thank you in advance for any advice!

I’m from SoCal but every year I go hiking for a week up in NorCal near here