High Sierra Topix

trailblazer wrote:Other possibilities that you may want to look into include heading way south...Kern River Canyon and the Domeland Wilderness, although I have no firsthand knowledge of early spring in these areas.

What's up with Domelands Wilderness? what's it like, how's the scenery, snow, trails, etc? Any good resources for it. All of my guides pretty much end at the southern end of SEKI.
We're planning on getting out that same weekend since we get C Chavez Day as a holiday and will likely take either that Thursday or Monday to make it a 4 day weekend. Our plans are : if good weather in the mountains- Snowshoe to Pear Lake and Tablelands. If its going to be stormy in the Sierras then we'll do Lost Coast. If that's stormed in then we might drive to Death Valley.

Just in case: Does anyone have suggestions for a good 3-4 day trip into Death Valley, preferably all backpacking but if car camping and dayhikes are better we're game for that too. Depending on terrain we can cover ~15 miles and 3-4K of elevation per day w/ full packs. Priority is for scenery, landscapes, flowers, water (yes I realize DV is a desert )

As the date of our trip gets closer and snow lingers, I am getting increasingly curious about Big Basin and Portola Redwoods. After seeing this page http://www.tarol.com/bigbasin.html it looks really nice. After looking at maps though, I am still unsure of where to go there, what the best routs are, points of interest, etc. If anyone knows of a great 3-4 day trip in the area, I'd love to hear about it. The Kaweah river looks like it is not going to be an option; although the snow is melting fast, it is not melting enough which is fine. I'll save that trip for another weekend this spring or this summer as a portal to the JMT. Also, is there any way to squeeze a base-camp style trip out of HH and camp below snow-line and hike all over during the day? Or is that area not well suited for base camping?

Big Basin is beautiful and Berry Creek Falls is the best falls in the Bay Area.
There are designated campsite where you can backpack too, but permits are
very difficult to get because of there popularity, but if you can get a tent cabin or
front country campsite you can do numerous day hikes while your there.
http://bigbasin.org/

Henry Coe is a good place in the spring since it gets very hot in the summer and
there is not much water.
Wild flowers can be magical in Henry Coe and permits are much easier to come by.
The trails are tough in Coe so do not go to this one if your not in decent backpacking
shape.
http://www.coepark.org/

Coe has 80,000 acres and an extensive trail network that opens up all kinds of loop options. As Maverick says, the terrain is tough--it's convoluted ridge-and-canyon terrain, and a lot of the trails were built without switchbacks. And as Maverick also says, you can show up on any weekend and get a permit for somewhere.

The major backpacking trail in Big Basin is the Skyline to Sea trail. Its a bit short for a 3-4 night. You can hike into Portola Redwoods and camp (another nice destination in and of itself). I recall the trail between the two being closed last season and I don't know its current status. Both these parks have designated camping areas and require reservations. Coe had a major fire a few years ago, although I have no knowledge as to how it has recovered.

I know you can do the Skyline to the Sea Trail starting at Castle Rock down to
the ocean.
It is 31.6 miles long and takes you through some great areas including Big Basin.
Or take a look at the Ohlone Wilderness Trail which is 28 miles long, both are one
way trips so you will need another car or some one to pick you up.

I was checking out some sierra webcams today and thought I'd mention that Golden Trout Wilderness appears to be mostly snow free below about 9000 ft.
This image is taken from the Bald Mountain fire lookout at 9430 ft at the very north end of Domeland wilderness. It looks NE so I think what we're seeing is the South Sierra and Golden Trout Wilderness areas. There's a lot of info available about Golden Trout/South Sierra wilderness hiking if you're set on the sierra as your destination.

I've been checking the webcams as well and have been looking at that same webcam for about a week. I grew up in Lake Isabella and know the Golden Trout Wilderness and Domeland Wilderness pretty well. I am in college and will be going back to visit my parents at the lake on Saturday for about 5 days before my trip, so I will be in a perfect position to go scout the areas around there. Keep the suggestions coming, I think this is a great discussion.