organized tags

Tags are useful if you are interested in more of a certain sort of post. Here they are sorted and explained.
* Did you know? You can filter for posts with two or more tags by adding a + between the tags. For example, all "backpacking" posts in "Colorado" can be seen using the link https://valhikes.blogspot.com/search/label/backpacking+Colorado. It is important to replace spaces with "%20", so all peaks on the Hundred Peaks Section list ("HPS") in "Santa Barbara County" are found using the link https://valhikes.blogspot.com/search/label/HPS+Santa%20Barbara%20County. These sorts of links are not automatically generated, so you must type them in for yourself. Keep in mind that tags are case dependent.

places - political boundaries

I am in the United States of America, so that is given as default. It's a big place, so get split up by state.


Hong Kong
India
United Kingdom

National Parks, Monuments, and Recreation Areas

Basin and Range National Monument
Bears Ears National Monument
Bryce Canyon National Park
California Coastal National Monument
Canyonlands National Park
Carrizo Plain National Monument
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Curecanti National Recreation Area
Death Valley National Park
El Malpais National Conservation Area
Giant Sequoia National Monument
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Great Basin National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area
Navajo National Monument
Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Pinnacles National Park
Pipe Spring National Monument
Redwood National Park
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Sequoia National Park
Shenandoah National Park
Smith River National Recreation Area
Sunset Crater National Monument
Wupatki National Monument
Yosemite National Park
Zion National Park

National Forests

Angeles National Forest
Apache National Forest (known as Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest)
Arapaho National Forest (Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland)
Ashley National Forest
Bridger National Forest (Bridger-Teton National Forest)
Carson National Forest
Cleveland National Forest
Coconino National Forest
Coronado National Forest
Deschutes National Forest
Dixie National Forest
Fishlake National Forest
Gila National Forest
Grand Mesa National Forest (Grand Mesa-Gunnison-Uncompahgre National Forests)
Gunnison National Forest (Grand Mesa-Gunnison-Uncompahgre National Forests)
Humboldt National Forest (Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest)
Inyo National Forest
Kaibab National Forest
Klamath National Forest
Lassen National Forest
Los Padres National Forest
Malheur National Forest
Manti-La Sal National Forest
Medicine Bow National Forest (Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest and Thunder Basin National Grassland)
Mendocino National Forest
Plumas National Forest
Prescott National Forest
Rio Grande National Forest
Routt National Forest (Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest and Thunder Basin National Grassland)
San Bernardino National Forest
San Isabel National Forest (Pike-San Isabel National Forest and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands)
San Juan National Forest
Santa Fe National Forest
Sequoia National Forest
Sierra National Forest
Shasta National Forest (Shasta-Trinity National Forest)
Six Rivers National Forest
Toiyabe National Forest (Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest)
Tonto National Forest
Trinity National Forest (Shasta-Trinity National Forest)
Uncompahgre National Forest (Grand Mesa-Gunnison-Uncompahgre National Forest)
Wasatch National Forest (Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest)
White River National Forest

Wildernesses

Agua Tibia Wilderness
Arc Dome Wilderness
Ashdown Gorge Wilderness
Arrastra Mountain Wilderness
Bald Mountain Wilderness
Beauty Mountain Wilderness Area
Big Rocks Wilderness
Bighorn Mountain Wilderness
Blue Range Primitive Area
Blue Range Wilderness
Bridger Wilderness
Byers Peak Wilderness
Cedar Mountains Wilderness Study Area
Chiricahua Wilderness
Chumash Wilderness
Collegiate Peaks Wilderness
Columbine-Hondo Wilderness
Cucamonga Wilderness
Death Valley Wilderness
Dick Smith Wilderness
Eagles Nest Wilderness
Encampment River Wilderness
El Paso Mountains Wilderness
Far South Egans Wilderness
Fish Creek Canyon Wilderness Study Area
Flat Tops Wilderness
Garcia Wilderness
Gila Wilderness
Goshute Peak Wilderness Study Area
Golden Trout Wilderness
Hain Wilderness
High Schells Wilderness
High Uintas Wilderness
Holy Cross Wilderness
Huston Park Wilderness
Jennie Lakes Wilderness
John Muir Wilderness
Joshua Tree Wilderness
Kachina Peaks Wilderness
Kiavah Wilderness
Lassen Volcanic Wilderness
Lizard Head Wilderness
Marble Mountain Wilderness
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness
Matilija Wilderness
Mount Graham Wilderness Study Area
Mount Lassic Wilderness
Mount Massive Wilderness
Mount Moriah Wilderness
Mount Sneffels Wilderness
Mount Zirkel Wilderness
Mule Canyon Wilderness Study Area
Murrelet State Wilderness
Owens Peak Wilderness
Palisade Mesa Wilderness Study Area
Pecos Wilderness
Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness
Pleasant View Ridge Wilderness
Ptarmington Peak Wilderness
Quinn Canyon Wilderness
Ruby Mountains Wilderness
Russian Wilderness
San Gabriel Wilderness
San Gorgonio Wilderness
San Mateo Canyon Wilderness
San Rafael Wilderness
SEKI Wilderness (Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness)
Sespe Wilderness
Sheep Mountain Wilderness
Sheephole Valley Wilderness Area
Shellback Wilderness
Shenandoah Wilderness
Siskiyou Wilderness
South Egan Range Wilderness
South San Juan Wilderness
Strawberry Mountain Wilderness
Superstition Wilderness
Trinity Alps Wilderness
Uncompahgre Wilderness
Weepah Spring Wilderness
Weminuche Wilderness
West Elk Wilderness
Wheeler Peak Wilderness
Woodchute Wilderness
Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness
Yosemite Wilderness

Bureau of Land Management


other Parks, Preserves, Refuges, Forests, and Recreation Areas

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Arcata Community Forest
Azalea State Natural Reserve
Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve
Cachuma Lake Recreation Area
Camel's Hump State Forest
Cerbat Foothills Recreation Area
Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency
Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
East Bay Regional Park District
El Capitan State Beach
Fremont Indian State Park
Gaviota State Park
Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park
Harry A Merlo State Recreation Area
Headwaters Forest Reserve
Hearst San Simeon State Park
Hickison Petroglyphs Recreation Area
Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Humboldt County Park
Humboldt Lagoons State Park
Humboldt Redwoods State Park
Jackson State Demonstration Forest
Jug Handle State Natural Preserve
Kern County Park
King Range National Conservation Area
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge
La Purisima Mission State Historic Park
Lake Casitas Recreation Area
Lake County Park
Lake Havasu National Wildlife Refuge
Lake Havasu State Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Lake Sonoma
Land Trust for Santa Barbara County
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Leo Carrillo State Park
Little River State Beach
MacKerricher State Park
Malibu Creek State Park
Marin County Parks
Marr Ranch Open Space
Midpeninsula Regional Park District
Mojave National Preserve
Monrovia Canyon Park
Montaña de Oro State Park
Mount Diablo State Park
Mount San Jacinto State Park
Ojai Valley Land Conservancy
Placerita Canyon State Park
Point Mugu State Park
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Redwood National and State Parks
Robert H Treman State Park
Robert Louis Stevenson State Park
Robert H. Treman State Park
Samoa Dunes State Recreation Area
Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
Sue-meg State Park (formerly Patrick's Point State Park)
The Wildlands Conservancy
Trinidad State Beach
Utah School Trust Lands Verdugo Mountains

named trails

ADT (American Discovery Trail)
AZT (Arizona Trail)
Basin and Range Trail
BART (Bay Area Ridge Trail)
Bigfoot Trail
CCT (California Coastal Trail)
CDT (Continental Divide Trail)
Colorado Trail
Condor Trail
GET (Grand Enchantment Trail)
Great Western Trail
Lost Coast Trail
PCT (Pacific Crest Trail)
NRT (National Recreation Trail, includes National Scenic Trails)

meta

art from the wilds - playing with paints in the backcountry
index - list of hikes at the start of each year
equipment - MYOG (make your own gear) instructions and reviews of sorts
fail - publishing the negative results: these trips were in some way an utter failure, often in boring ways, sometimes spectacularly
guide - to hiking a specific trail
older tales - from before the first digital camera
philosophy
potential - speculating on hikes I might like to go on, usually things I researched a lot but never did
sketches - a few sketches at the end of the month linking back to the hike during which they were done
trip report - the vast majority of posts are my journal of what happened; read if you want to come along with me (or something like that... structured in an "as it happened" sort of way for many of the years)

activity

backpacking - multi day trips; usually each day has its own post
camping - campgrounds sometimes get a post
day hike - single day hikes
drive - scenic driving routes
geocaching
hiking cat - Timmy came along
mountain bike - on the cheap mountain bike
sightseeing - roadside attractions; may include a minor (~1/4 mile) walk
snowshoing - on snow with paddles on my feet
trail work - a few hours of volunteering

groups and lists

Sierra Club - club organized hike
DPS - Desert Peak Section (peak list)
HPS - Hundred Peaks Section (peak list)
LPC - Lower Peaks Committee (peak list)
SPS - Sierra Peaks Section (peak list)

management agencies

Arizona State Trust Land
Army Corp of Engineers
Bureau of Land Management
city park
ecological reserve
fish and game (or fish and wildlife)
land trust

natural features

arch
beach
canyon
cave
cold spring
desert views
forest
fossils
funny plants
glacier
granite
great rocks
hot spring
lake
landmark
marsh
meadow
mesa
mountain views
National Natural Landmark
National Register of Historic Places
oasis
ocean view
pass
peak
plain views
river
ridge
volcano
wash
waterfall

man made features

artifacts
campgrounds
city views
fire lookout
museum
mine
old cabin
ruins

hike length

short - under 6 miles long
medium - 6-12 miles long
long - 12-18 miles long
exlong - 18+ miles long

trail properties

cross-country - at least part of the route has no trail
dirt road - dirt roads, open to public driving, included in the route
downhill - at least the first half is largely dropping elevation, "upside down" hikes
Edventure - a sort of interpretive trail
faint trail - portions of the trail are hard to follow
fire road - dirt roads, not open to public driving, included in the route
gentle downhill - same as downhill, but not so severe
gentle uphill - same as uphill, but not so severe
flat - little if any up or down
interpretive trail - interpretive signs or numbered posts with a brochure provided for a learning experience
ladders as trail - usually a nutty east coast phenomenon
loop - as opposed to the default out-and-back
paved - some part of the route is paved road
point to point - start and end are not the same, requires a shuttle
rolling - lots of short up and down
trail - route is on trail
uphill - at least the first half is largely climbing elevation
use trail - trail may be clear, but was not built; often steep, rocky, and a bit more dangerous

short term trail properties

burn
flowers
horses
night - in the dark
snow - in the snow
thorns
wet - hikes that were quite soggy

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popular posts:

Jennie Lakes: Belle Canyon and Rowell Meadow

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Kings Canyon National Park Sequoia National Forest Giant Sequoia National Monument Click for map. DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4 It was another mild night, but the mosquitoes very nearly vanished early on into it. The sun comes quickly here and the morning golden hour is really quite something. I enjoy it with breakfast and happily the mosquitoes seem to be slow to wake up. Our northerly view from near camp: the morning sun as it hits Ball Dome. Morning over Ranger Lake. We head out to the trail again and wander gently downward, still high above the valley bottom. The air seems a lot clearer today and the snow on the far mountains is much more defined. The snowy distances.
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Lost Coast: Cooskie Creek Route

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King Range National Conservation Area, Arcata BLM (purple line, map link ) DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5  |  DAY 6  |  DAY 7 I looked around at how soaked everything was from the dew and decided I had enough water to cook breakfast right there (well, on a rock under the Douglas fir) while waiting for everything to dry out a little. My windbreak trees became morning shade trees, but they were still blocking some strong gusts most excellently, so I wouldn't want to trade them. Good soggy morning! So I headed out on the faint old road to join a much better road until getting pointed off to the left at a gate. Trail gets really faint there, but it's all much easier to follow on the second pass than it was on the first. A bit sunnier, but most spots aren't much drier than they were. After the short road section, follow near the fence on the faint track. If truly desperate for water and it has rained well recently, there might be a tiny
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Mount Lassic

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Six Rivers National Forest ( map link ) Mount Lassic actually has a trail up it, I just didn't know where. It was built (possibly by California Department of Fish and Wildlife, but still official and maintained) but not drawn on a map nor described except that its purpose is to move feet away from the rare lupine that grows over less than 4 acres in the whole world. All but a garden sized plot is on this mountain. I wanted to visit it, but not to stomp across its whole territory. (Also, I made really certain that my shoes were completely purged of any seed before arriving in the area. After Clover Gulch, that was a challenge, but worthy.) I decided to start off on a small trail I found by my parking. It was minimally flagged and marked and probably not the one meant for the public. There's a faint trail just to the left of the smaller tree here where the road drains its water. Weather seemed to be forming over the Lassics, as it had the last few days, but then roam
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If the Map's Wrong, Fix It!

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OpenTopoMap (an OpenStreetMap service) showing my GPS track from backpacking in the Flat Tops Wilderness in 2016 . It is zoomed into the busiest entry point where one very excellent and well used trail is missing. The map in question is, of course, OpenStreetMap . While not explicitly setting out to do this, they've created the Wikipedia of maps and you probably use it even if you don't know it. It's on AllTrails and Strava and behind Gaia Topo and MapBuilder on Caltopo. If any of those have an error, you can fix it. There in the lower right hand corner on AllTrails is the attribution and an invitation to change and add to the map. It's not just on the internet. This is also the one electronic map I carry with me, offline , that I know it will cover the place I am. When I need a library, post office, grocery store, gas station, I can search and find it even if I haven't got any usable cell signal. The roads are (generally) there. The buildin
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