What I love about the Bay Area is the crazy diverse geography. A steep mountain hike next to a beach is rewarding for multiple reasons: Good workout and better views! The only thing that can make it better ist that your pooch can come along!! Monterra state park is south of Pacifica and north of Half Moon Bay. Its a lovely little park, tucked away near the California coast. The bottom part the of trail and the park are shaded and cool. With some elevation, the terrain becomes more "desert" like and shrubby. Our hike was sunny and warm but that just made the dip in the sea all the more rewarding! Here's the trailhead start point: Some highlights:
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Yosemite is the king of panoramas. Once you’re in the valley region, every direction offers outstanding views of massive cliffs and astounding waterfalls… and of course, tourists. If you want to get away from the valley traffic jams and the hustle bustle of the people, go on a hike! Even better, go on a longer hike. Panorama trail, staying true to its name, offers just that! With nearly 9 miles of descent from the glacier point to the valley floor, you’re sure to find sweeping views of large granite cliffs, half dome, waterfalls and national park land as far as your eyes can see.
Start the trail by booking a bus tour to the top of the glacier point. You can also choose to shuttle yourself if you have two cars in your group. The bus drivers offer a wealth of knowledge on the bus and it’s actually quite insightful and entertaining! We even saw a video about bears in the US! After your car/ bus gets to glacier point, spend some time actually walking to the Glacier point before starting the Panorama trail. Fun fact: When President Obama visited Yosemite, he went up to Glacier point with this family and took the four mile trail down. So if you do this hike, you’ll literally be walking in the footsteps of a US president. The Panorama trail begins just by the gift shop at Glacier point. It first descends for 3 miles at a steady pace. After this, the trail starts rising in elevation for nearly 700 feet for another mile. This was hard for us as the day was really warm and the sun was quite bright. We marched on and took a nice break near Nevada falls. After this, we quickly descended towards vernal falls and then to the valley floor. The Vernal falls descent, while scenic, is quite steep. A great alternative to the Vernal falls trail is the john Muir trail which is three quarters of a mile longer but far less steeper, and therefore, much nicer on your knees. While Justin and I went down the Vernal falls route, Justin’s parents offered to take the less steep John Muir option. The views along the trail were stunning as we were able to see the Half Dome from several angles. There weren’t too many hikers along the way and for the most part we were by ourselves on the trail. While long, the trail wasn’t as physically demanding as a regular 9 mile hike due to a mostly descending route. I highly recommend this to people with moderate to high fitness levels who want to spend a nice day outside in Yosemite. Bring on the Calf aches! Length – 9.5 miles Duration – 4-7 hours Level – Moderate Equipment:
SUP is the new "ski bumming"-esque hobby with the catch that you must have flat abs. Considering my excitement level to adopt all adventure sports as a hobby, Justin had strategically kept me away from SUP for nearly 2 years after it hit big. But now, it was time. Even Justin couldn't say no as we basically got to rent the paddle boards for 3 days for the price of 1 day AND got to use them on a bright sunny day in the magnificent Tetons.
If you're vacationing in Jackson area and are up for an independed adventure, sans large groups, this is a great and safe activity. Also, there are no mythical strange creatures that live in the depths of Jenny Lake, so if you topple over, you can easily swim back to your board. We rented the paddle boards from Rendezvous River Sports and made sure they were inflatable paddle boards. While they are a pain to inflate (or a solid workout - depending on your perspective), they are highly compact and can be driven around in your grandma's sedan. Believe it or not, there was NO one else on this stunning weekend day on Jenny Lake. Pro Tip: September is a great time to visit the area when the rates are cheaper and the crowds are lighter but the weather is still as good! Below are pics of the Justin and I enjoying a gorgeous afternoon on Jenny Lake! When dreams come true, you either don’t realize that it’s already happened, or your simply overwhelmed and speechless. Usually, I don’t really realize that it’s happened. But the Delta Lake hike is the anomaly that left me in awe and with an incredible feeling. I first set sight on the Tetons in 2010 driving through the Wyoming area. It was love at first sight and ever since, my love with the Tetons has only grown. I have hiked in the Teton national park several times, however, I only recently found out about the Delta Lake hike. Ever since it’s been my dream to come through the park and hike to the delta lake. This September we finally were able to cross this off my bucket list. The day was overcast in the morning but it quickly became a bit sunnier. The clouds that remained added to the beauty of the day. The trail to Delta Lake follows the path to the Amphitheater Lake. After a few miles, the trail splits between Gannet canyon and Amphitheater Lake so take the Amphitheater lake path. Following this, look for an unmaintained trail splitting at the end of a switchback. After this, some route finding skills are required. Even though the path isn’t marked, the trail is visible and not impossible to find. At this point, the trail is only for the sure footted, fitter hikers. After ducking under some fallen trees and passing two bouldering fields, the trail proceeds towards the lake through a steep section. After walking for roughly 20-30 minutes, you will arrive at the stunning view of the lake.
The lake itself is small but at the head of the lake sits the Grand Teton Mountain itself. I can’t quite put the beauty of it in words, so here’s some pictures. Even though the day was turning chilly, we decided to spend over an hour at the lake. Every second there was incredible and totally worth it. I still feel the happiness and warmth thinking about that day at the lake and can’t wait to head back next summer in the tetons. Maybe we’ll even try skiing there! |
MahimaNuclear Engineer, Product and Strategy expert, Vegetarian, Adventurer. Categories
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