Michael Booth's Page

Photo: Ragged Peak Saddle.** This date requires one reservation per car **Trail Head: The Dog Lake parking lot near the Tuolumne Meadows Ranger Station.Fee: $35 YNP entrance fee or annual pass.Description: Moderate to strenuous 10-Mile up and back, partial cross-country. Hike to Dog Lake, Delaney Meadow and beyond to Dingley Creek. Hike off trail to the head of Dingley Creek and lunch on the alpine meadow. Continue off-trail to Ragged Peak Saddle for the view of Mt. Conness and Young Lakes. Bag…See More

Photo credit hikingproject.com.Hike Description: Strenuous 8-mile CCW loop with a 2200 ft elevation loss to South Fork of the Merced, and gain back to the trailhead.Land Status: Sierra National  Forest.Trail Head: End of Hites Cove Road at information sign. Trail Head Elevation: 3900 ft.Lowest River Elevation: 1675 ft.Fee: None.Bring the dogs.Dinner: Mariposa.Last hiked: Never. See More

Photo by Tracy C: Debbie G on Woodward Valley Trail.Meeting Place: Bear Valley Visitor Center.Trail head: Sky Trail off of Limantour Road.Description: Moderate 8-mile incomplete loop from the Sky Trailhead to Limantour parking lot via Sky & Woodward Valley Trails and Limantour Beach. Dogs are allowed on Limantour Beach but not on Point Reyes trails.Elevation gain: 433 ft.Elevation loss: 1176 ft.No fees.Many of us are camping at Olema Campground.Dinner: The Station House in Point Reyes…See More

Photo: Female #878, fledged in the Pinnacles, fall of 2017. Parents are #569 and #589, photographed doing it in Jan 2017. Description: Moderate 6.1-mile loop through Bear Gulch Cave and up High Peaks Trail, completing on Condor Gulch Trail.Trail Head:  Bear Gulch Day Use Parking Lot.Parking: Bear Gulch Day Use Parking lot and overflow parking behind the Visitor Center with shuttle service to the trail head.Land Status: National Park.Fee: $30.00/car entrance fee paid at the visitor's center, or…See More

Photo from Alltrails.Description: Easy to moderate 4.6-mile out and back to Elizabeth Lake with a 900 ft. elevation gain. Add more mileage by hiking around the lake and walking in Tuolumne Meadows. Trail Head: ** Because Tuolumne Meadows Campground is closed we’ll park and hike from the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center. This adds about a mile each way to the hike. Dinner: Groveland. A trailgate may be too chilly.No dogs on this one.Last hiked: It was included in the 9/13/14 Obata Lake hike.See More

Photo courtesy of Yosemite Hikes.Description: 3.6 mile loop, partial cross-country.Destination: Series of cascade falls on the Tuolumne River.Destination: Top of Pothole Dome for 360 degree views.Fee: $30 entrance fee or pass.No dogs on this one.It will be warm this weekend. We’ll take it easy but we can add walks in Tuolumne Meadows or at the Pass. Early Dinner: Whoa Nellie Deli. See More

It will be too hot to hike on Saturday at 6000 ft elevation. If you’re still interested in coming up for the day we’ll do a road trip over Sonora Pass, stopping frequently for short walks where there’s not too much snow. Camp at Clark Fork Campground, Loop B, or meet us at the campground entrance on Saturday for the road trip at 10am. Bring the dogs. Late lunch at Kennedy Meadows. See More

Photo: Nick's rainbow at Wapama Falls from the first footbridge.Trail head: O'Shaunessy Dam parking lot.Elevation: 3728 ft. at the trail head.Mileage: 5.5 miles round trip to Wapama and back. 13 miles round trip to Rancheria Falls and back.Difficulty: Easy to moderately strenuous because of the total length of the hike.Fee: $35/car YNP entrance fee or pass.Dinner: Evergreen Lodge.Last hiked: May 19, 2022See More

Mileage: 7.8 mile CCW loop on Mitchell Canyon Rd., Meridian Ridge, Eagle Peak trail and Mitchell Rock trail.Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous because of the 1789 ft. elevation gain and loss.Trail head: Mitchell Canyon Road park entrance.Land Status: Mount Diablo State Park.No dogs on this one.Fee: $6 per car.Elevation: 580 ft. at the trail head.  2369 ft. at Eagle Peak summit.  1789 ft. change.Dinner: The Guadalajara Grill in Clayton.Last hiked: Jan 13, 2018.See More

Photo: Female #878, fledged in the Pinnacles, fall of 2017. Parents are #569 and #589, photographed doing it in Jan 2017. Description: Moderate 6.1-mile loop through Bear Gulch Cave and up High Peaks Trail, completing on Condor Gulch Trail.Trail Head:  Bear Gulch Day Use Parking Lot.Parking: Bear Gulch Day Use Parking lot and overflow parking behind the Visitor Center with shuttle service to the trail head.Land Status: National Park.Fee: $30.00/car entrance fee paid at the visitor's center, or…See More

Description: Easy to Moderate 12-mile out and back with less than 200 ft. repeated elevation change.Trail Head: About one tenth mile east of Ebbetts Pass on the PCT, at 8707 feet elevation. We can park there and at Ebbetts Pass.Land Status: Mokelumne Wilderness.Fees: None.Dinner: Trail Gate at Ebbetts Pass.Dogs are welcome.Easy backpacking opportunity to Upper Kinney Lake.Last hiked 9/09/17.See More

Photo: Half Dome from Mount Watkin's iconic tree.Trail head and parking: Olmstead Point on Tioga Road.Fee: $35 park entrance fee or pass.Trail head elevation and Mount Watkins elevations are both about 8440 ft. There is a 400 foot elevation change between those two points. Description: Moderate 9-mile out and back to Mount Watkins which faces Cloud's Rest and terminates across from Half Dome.Dinner: Trailgate at Olmstead Point.No dogs on this one.Last hiked: 7/15/17.Note: In order to get a…See More

Photo by Mark Longhurst.Description: Moderate 8.3 mile out and back to two lakes with an elevation change of 650 ft. Trail head: Crabtree parking lot at 7130 ft.Fee: none.Dinner: Trailgate at the trail head or Mia's.Bring the dogs.Last hiked: Never.See More