Cerro Alto is a prominent mountain in the Santa Lucia District of the Los Padres National Forest. The most popular route to the summit begins just outside the Cerro Alto Campground and climbs 1,600 vertical feet to the top (a peak elevation of 2,624 feet). The trail is about two miles long (one way). On […]

During the 1800s, much of California was a patchwork of large cattle ranches. A short but hilly bike ride from my home in Atascadero leads to what remains of one of these ranches, Rancho Asuncion. The rancho was carved from Mission San Miguel lands and granted to a single individual under Spanish rule, when land […]

Surf Conditions: Fair to Good Swell: 3.4 ft. @ 12 secs. WNW (303 degrees) Wind: 16 kts ENE, Offshore Tide: 3.5 feet and dropping Water Temperature: 61 degrees Air Temperature: 69 degrees Weather: Sunny As Thanksgiving was originally a three day affair, I chose to give thanks over three days. On the first day (Wednesday) […]

Here we have what might be considered by some to be “Type Two Fun”: a 27 mile bike – hike – bike route (round trip) with 4,400 feet of vertical ascent located on the beautiful Big Sur coastline. What is Type Two Fun, you ask? Well first let us consider Type One Fun. Type One […]

This Trail Report is dedicated to “Corn Boy”. I hope you don’t mind an occasional and gentle reminder to act regarding issues that affect Americans’ access to trails and the outdoors. Many of you responded in support of keeping our public lands public and rehiring laid off National Park Rangers. For that, I thank you! […]

Welcome back readers. I hoped the title of this trip report “piqued” your interest and you decided to take a “peek”. Speaking of readers, my reading materials prior to and during this trip were: Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite, by Charles Farabee and Michael Ghiglieri This book was discovered by Kare Bear while working […]

Here we have a fifteen mile mountain bike route with 1,500 feet of vertical gain near South Lake Tahoe, California. The route begins with a cruise through a meadow bordering Fallen Leaf Lake, then ascends to the top of Tahoe Mountain. The descent off of Tahoe Mountain affords the outdoor adventurer with views of Lake […]

Greetings readers. Allow me to regale you with the tale of a secret entrance into the enormously popular and famously congested Yosemite National Park. This 11.6 mile route begins at Fish Camp, California located just outside the southeast entrance of Yosemite National Park. After proceeding through lovely Fish Camp the road quickly turns to dirt […]