[3/3] Day 3 backpacking Yolla Bolly: Finishing the circuit with two more named peaks to tag on the way. First Blue Slide by the side of the trail just before everything got dicey. Second Horsehead Mountain where three forests and three major watersheds meet.
More info here: https://valhikes.blogspot.com/2026/03/shell-mountain-blue-slide-and-horsehead.html
#California #TrinityCounty #MendocinoNationalForest #ShastaTrinityNationalForest #TrinityNationalForest #SixRiversNationalForest #YollaBollyMiddleEelWilerness
#hiking #nature #landscape #outside #mountains #peakbagging #backpacking #hike #blogpost
[2/3] Day 2 backpacking Yolla Bolly: Headed up to Buck Ridge and up the yolla bolly (snowy mountains, well, mountain) of Shell Mountain. They really should all be yolla bolly at the moment.
More is here: https://valhikes.blogspot.com/2026/03/shell-mountain-buck-ridge-and-shell.html
#California #TrinityCounty #MendocinoNationalForest #TrinityNationalForest #ShastaTrinityNationalForest #YollaBollyMiddleEelWilderness
#hiking #nature #landscape #mountains #peakbagging #backpacking
Day 4: All the way back.
https://valhikes.blogspot.com/2025/07/alpine-boulder-creek.html
#California #TrinityCounty #ShastaTrinityNationalForest #TrinityAlpsWilderness
#hiking #nature #landscape #travel #hike #outside #backpacking #TrinityNationalForest #AlpineLake #StuartFork #TrinityRiver #waterfall
Day 3: The attempt to reach Smith and Morris Lakes. It was rather more strenuous than expected. I need to practice some boulder hopping.
https://valhikes.blogspot.com/2025/07/alpine-smith-and-morris-lakes.html
#California #TrinityCounty #ShastaTrinityNationalForest #TrinityAlpsWilderness
#hiking #nature #landscape #travel #hike #outside #backpacking #lake #granite #TrinityNationalForest
Day 2: The surprisingly hard hike to Alpine Lake and some excursion around it.
https://valhikes.blogspot.com/2025/07/alpine-alpine-lake.html
#California #TrinityCounty #ShastaTrinityNationalForest #TrinityAlpsWilderness #AlpineLake
#hiking #nature #landscape #travel #hike #outside #backpacking #lake #TrinityNationalForest
It's been 2 weeks since I got these posts done, so I should probably mention that there's a small but tough backpacking trip stopping by Alpine Lake most the time that's on the blog.
Day1: Short and easy up Stuart Fork to the ford.
https://valhikes.blogspot.com/2025/07/alpine-stuart-fork.html
#California #TrinityCounty #TrinityNationalForest #ShastaTrinityNationalForest #TrinityAlpsWilderness #StuartFork #TrinityRiver
#hiking #nature #landscape #travel #hike #outside #backpacking #river
Next, the hike:
https://valhikes.blogspot.com/2025/05/black-rock-mountain-lookout.html
which visited the old Guard Station location and then climbed to the fire lookout location. Only one is still standing and none were entered.
#California #TrinityCounty #TehamaCounty #ShastaTrinityNationalForest #YollaBollyMiddleEelWilderness
#hiking #dayhike #ShastaTrinityNF #TrinityNF #YollaBolly #fireLookout #nature #wilderness #publicLands #TrinityNationalForest #landscape #hike #travel #outside #peakbagger #peakbagging
Hey, look! Actually got to the popular bit of the Trinity Alps Wilderness! Er, at a time when it's still really easy to get a parking space, even on the weekend.
The details: https://valhikes.blogspot.com/2025/04/waterfalls-and-snow-in-canyon-creek.html
#hiking #dayhike #hikingCalifornia #CaliforniaHiking #California #TrinityNationalForest #ShastaTrinityNationalForest #TrinityAlpsWilderness #TrinityAlps #TrinityCounty #snow #waterfall #nature #landscape #travel #outside stuff like that
Although a little busy on a weekend day and a little bit on road, this was a surprisingly nice hike to a peak and old lookout site where the view really opened out.
Details all here: https://valhikes.blogspot.com/2024/10/monument-peak-and-eagle-rock-lookout.html
#California #TrinityCounty #ShastaTrinityNationalForest #MonumentPeak
#hiking #dayhike #ShastaTrinityNF #nature #landscape #travel #hike #outside #mountains #peakbagging #TrinityNationalForest #firelookout #ruins #peakbagger
Here's the easy way to get up Hayfork Bally, if you don't want the 8.5 mile lesser maintained trail and Jeep road route:
https://valhikes.blogspot.com/2024/10/hayfork-bally-lookout-and-high-point.html
#California #ShastaTrinityNationalForest #TrinityCounty #HayforkBally
#hiking #nature #landscape #travel #hike #outside #dayhike #mountains #peakbagging #peakbagger #peak #lookout #firelookout #TrinityNationalForest #Hayfork #PNW
Valerie Norton