About 12 miles from Lee Vining on California 120, the Tioga Road connects U.S. 395 to Yosemite National Park. The road continues west into the park and gives access to many fun landmarks within the national park, including Tuolumne Meadows, Tenaya Lake, Olmsted Point, and Tuolumne Grove.
For a nice hike that offers up some challenging spots and good elevation gain but is also easily accessible from the Pasadena area, the Inspiration Point Interpretive Site is a great destination. This post routes the trail from Echo Mountain to Inspiration Point via the Castle Canyon Trail.
Trail Canyon Falls in Tujunga Canyon offers a mostly flat hiking adventure- until you get to a 40-foot drop to reach the base of the falls. Hikers repel down the series of ropes to reach the canyon floor.
Located in the San Bernardino National Forest not far from Mt. Baldy is Cucamonga Peak. Sitting at 8859 feet above sea level, with an elevation gain of over 4300 feet from the Icehouse Canyon trailhead, this hike is no joke. But the beauty of Icehouse Canyon and the Cucamonga Wilderness, along with a breathtaking view at the summit made all the hard work, effort, and sore knees totally worth it.
The first peak in our 2021 summer hiking season was Mt. San Antonio, affectionately known as Mt. Baldy. This strenuous hike took us to the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains and rewarded us with sweeping views of the valley below.
The Cranky Camper 