Michael Booth's Page

Photo: Jackie on North Dome 2012.Trail head: Porcupine Creek on Tioga Road.Fee: $35/car or Annual Pass. No Peak Hour ticket required.Elevation: 8100 ft. at the trail head, 8340 ft. at Indian Rock, 7540 ft. at North Dome.Mileage: 9.4 miles includes Indian Rock. 8.8 miles w/o Indian Rock.Difficulty: Moderate with a repeated elevation loss and gain of about 800 ft.Dinner: Groveland.Last hiked: 10-06-2012.See More

Photo: Cirque behind Upper Granite Lake.Trail Head: Tioga Pass Park Entrance Station Parking Lot or the Leavitt Meadows lot.Trail Head Elevation: 9973 ft.Elevation Gain: about 900 ft.Description: Moderate CCW 7-mile loop from Lower Gaylor past Upper Gaylor and out to the Tioga Lake vista. Then up to the mine and cross-country to Upper Granite and Lower Granite and back to Lower Gaylor and the trail.Fees: YNP entrance fee or Dinner: Whoa Nellie Deli in Lee Vining or mini Trail Gate.Last Hiked:…See More

Strenuous 11.6 total miles up and back. All on the PCT except off trail the last mile to the summit. Or choose the option of going part way.Elevation Gain:  1842 feet.Trail head:  Sonora Pass day use parking lot.Trail head Elevation:  9628 feetSummit Elevation:  11570 feet.Fees:  None.Bring the dogs.Dinner: Trail Gate at the trail head.Last hiked: 8/27/2016.See More

Two hike choices: Moderate 8-mile up and back to Thunder Mountain summit. Or moderate to strenuous 12.3 mile loop, taking in the summit and returning on Horseshoe Canyon and Castle Point Trails.Elevation gain on first hike is 1450 ft.Elevation change on loop is 2250 ft.The highest point is Thunder Mountain summit at 9400 ft. in both cases.Parking and Trail head: Thunder Mountain Trailhead, a parking lot on the south side of Hwy 88 between Silver Lake and Kirkwood. Land Status: El Dorado…See More

Description: Moderate out and back from Tioga Road to May Lake with a 1000 ft elevation gain and loss. 5.5 miles total.Or continue from May Lake past Polly Dome Lakes and wait for a ride at Murphy Creek trail head. Downhill from May Lake 1100 ft., 9.3 miles total for this option.Trail Head: The crosswalk marked in white stripes after Olmsted Point but before Sunrise parking lot. Park on the right after the crosswalk. Fee: Yosemite entrance fee or Pass. RESERVATION REQUIRED.  If you are a…See More

Photo: From 6/7/14 Photo Album.Trail Head: Kennedy Meadows Trail Head Parking is 1.75 miles from the marked trail head. I included that distance in the hike mileage.Description: Moderate 8.7 mile up and back with 1370 foot elevation gain and loss.Trail head elevation: 6330 ft.Highest Trail elevation: 7700 ft.Fee: None.Dogs are welcome.Dinner: Kennedy Meadows Cafe or our campsites.Last hiked: 5/23/21.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.No dogs on this one. Dinner: Evergreen Lodge or Trail Gate.Last hiked: Apr 15, 2023.** No YNP reservation necessary for this date. See More

Photo from a previous winter hike.  Trail Head: Red Hills Parking lot off of Red Hills Road.Land Status: Bureau Of Land Management.Description: 8.2 mile moderate loop with 500 foot repeated elevation change.Hunt for wildflowers. Bring the dogs. Fees: none. Dinner: Cafe Bravo in Oakdale.Last hiked: March 17, 2018.See More

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