Day Hike Photography 2025

The year 2025 was a good year for state side adventures.  Three trips to Mammoth Lakes and the High Sierras. A road trip through South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah. A trip along the California Northern Coast and a late Autumn trip to Zion National Park.

Mammoth Lakes and High Sierras

The trips to Mammoth Lakes and High Sierras were in April, July and October.  In April the upper trails were closed due to snow.  The July trip was filled with great day hikes and October’s the Autumn colors were just starting to wane.

The High Sierras are special in April: snow covered mountains, persistent chill in the air, fresh smell of pine and a lingering peaceful solitude. Snow covered trails in April limited hiking, so the hikes/drives were off highway 395. Drove the June Lake Loop with clear views of snow-covered mountains over June and Silver Lakes.  The only person at June Lake was a man and his dog on a standup board and saw no individuals at Silver Lake.

Since most of the hiking trails were closed, headed to Owens Valley. Hiked along the Owens River to Crowley Lake. The views of the mountains over the river and lake were beautiful but the most impressive aspect of the hike was the white pelicans on the lake. Unfortunately, they were too far away to photograph.

In April Lake Mary Road in Mammoth was snow covered, so allowed us to walk the road uncrowded to Lakes Mary, Mamie and Horseshoe. There were a few cross-country skiers, but it still felt uncrowded and the views of the snow-covered mountains over the lakes was breath taking.

Mid-summer brings a different Mammoth Lakes experience. The upper trails are open and can be crowded starting late morning for the first couple of miles. A couple of the midsummer hikes were up to eleven thousand feet: Valentine Lake Trail and Duck Pass Trail to Barney Lake. The moderate hikes were Emerald Lake and Mammoth Pass Trail down to Reds Meadow then onto Sotcher Lake.  Emerald Lake takes on its emerald color mid-morning.

Meeting people along the trail is one of the enjoyments of hiking. While hiking Mammoth Pass Trail met a family of five that were hiking from Mammoth Lakes to Yosemite National Park. The three kids ages were between eight and twelve. What an experience for the kids.

Tioga pass was open in July. Headed to Saddlebag Lake just outside Yosemite. The Lake is at the end of a very rough dirt road. Hiked Saddlebag Lake Loop and a portion of Lundy Pass Trail.  There are so many beautiful and picturesque lakes in the Sierras, but for me Saddlebag is one of the more impressive.

McGee Creek Trail is one of my favorite trails. What makes McGee unique is the rock colors with persistent hues of yellow, red and orange. The October hike started just as the sun was creeping into the valley. The Autumn colors were still present but like everywhere waning. Fortunately, I was able to cross the creek and make it to the meadow where the beavers have returned. It was good to see them building again.

Stormy days in October limited my one hike to McGee. Because of the weather, drove back roads in Owens Valley and the Sherwin Creek dirt road.  From the Owens Valley the view of the mountains was rain and cloud covered that made for a peaceful sleepy atmosphere. On the Sherwin Creek drive discovered a grove of aspens that still had their Autumn colors. The grove was a sliver that started near the road and extended up the side of a hill.

Both in April and October on the drive up to Mammoth Lakes, drove up Whitney Portal Road into Alabama Hills outside of Lone Pine. Alabama Hills is where many of the early cowboy moves were made. Off the Whitney Portal Road there are several dirt roads into BLM land with great views of Mount Whitney and surrounding peaks.

Road Trip

In early June started a road trip from Ohio. The first stop was South Dakota then onto Wyoming and Utah.  Rain was a plague through South Dakota and did not clear until Wyoming. It was sunny all the way through Wyoming and Utah. Starting in southern Utah the temperature moved up into the 100s. Intended on hiking the Valley of Fire just outside of Las Vegas but with the high temperature decided to leave it for another day. 

Sioux Falls South Dakota was a pleasant surprise. The falls were more impressive than anticipated and the Cathedral of Saint Joseph can rival any of the cathedrals in Europe. The Badlands was overcrowded being tourist season yet saw few hikers on Medicine Root and Castle Trails. In the Badlands the rain and cloudy skies muted the color brilliance of the rock formations but enhanced the earth-tones of the areas of the park where erosion was prevalent.

 As the rain and cloudy skies persisted into the Black Hills, the hikes were short and photography limited. Horse Thief Lake near Mount Rushmore was a great escape from the bus tourist. Ventured out on the Centennial Trail until it became too muddy and the Black Elk Peak Trail would have been picturesque if the cloud cover had not been so heavy. The Cathedral Spires Trailhead was down a long narrow heavily traveled road. The rock formations were interesting but not spectacular. The Black Hills would be a great Autumn visit.

Sunny days finally in Wyoming. Hiked Turtle Rock Trail in the eastern side of Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest just outside Laramie. At the trailhead there was a moose warning. Talked with a couple of locals that confirmed the moose in the park can get aggressive. Saw none. Planned on doing a hike in the western portion of the park, but snow was still covering the trails.  Still, the views of the snow-covered mountains along the drive were amazing.

On the driving through southwestern Wyoming took several dirt road offshoots. Saw several pronghorn sheep and even a golden eagle. On one of the roads discovered an old, abandoned train switching station and the Green River was at the end of another.

The Green River continues into Utah carving out the Flaming Gorge. Drove to the gorge overlook.  The overlook was a little over a thousand feed above the river and the views were impressive. Driving progress down highway 44 was slow due to all the stops to appreciate all the beauty. One stop was to photograph an ominous thunderstorm over the mountains to the west. Drove past Butch Cassidy’s homestead but did not stop.

Hiked Wall Street Loop Trail in Red Canyon just outside the Bryce Canyon National Park. Even though the trail is just outside the park, the rock formations are very different. The west side of the trail was forested, and the east side was very rocky, sunny and hot.

A must stopover in Southern Utah is Bryce Canyon. Got to the park around 7am before the crowds. Hiked Peekaboo and Queens Garden Loops. With an early start, Peekaboo was peaceful and beautiful. By the time we got to Queens Garden the crowds started appearing and the solitude vanished. As you walk through the canyon, the hoodoos surround and engulf making one feel there is nothing else. Standing on the canyon rim then you understand the size and beauty of Bryce.

Northern California Coastal

The first day on the coast was a drive north from Eureka to Crescent City. The first stop was Trinidad State Beach. Found a portion of the beach north of the crowds that was rocky and peaceful. The rocks were in the surf line and the waves either splashed against the rocks creating spray or gently surrounding them. Just north of Trinidad is Sue-Meg Beach home of the popular Wedding Rock. The beach is more rock formations than sand. The coastline north of Sue-Meg is rockier with fewer sandy beaches. Enjoyed a vibrant sunset at Endert Beach south of Crescent City.

South of Eureka highway 101 veers away from the coast. For the brave of heart, there is a road, 211, through the “Lost Coast”. The road is very rough, and some sections are dirt or badly paved. The reward for the drive is seeing a portion of the coast that few experience. The beaches are rocky, not sandy, and small communities pepper throughout the region. Hiked out to Punta Gorda Point Lighthouse and below the lighthouse was a colony of elephant seals. All along the Lost Coast saw harp seals heads popping up inside the surf line.  Unfortunately, never saw any sea otters.

The small town of Port Arena was a very pleasant surprise. The last northern community not infected with San Francisco stress. Drove out to Port Arena Lighthouse and walked along the cliffs near the lighthouse. Hiked Pelican Bluff Trail just south of Port Arena. The trail is an easy hike along steep cliffs down to secluded inaccessible beaches.

The drive south from Port Arena to Point Reyes Lighthouse was foggy. Stopped at Cook, Schoolhouse, Rock Point and Portuguese Beaches. The laid-back beaches north of Port Arena were replaced with actively crowded beaches. It was extremely foggy at Point Reyes Lighthouse and could only view and photograph the lighthouse from the observation platform due to government shutdown. After Point Reyes drove around Tomales Bay stopping in Inverness to photograph a deteriorating old Chinese boat wreck.

Zion National Park

Took a short three-day December trip to Zion National Park. Even though it was off season and cold, there were quite a few people/hikers. The last day busses run into the valley is November 30^th, so we were able to drive into the valley.

The first day planned on hiking out to Potato Hollow, but the parking lot was already full so headed further into the valley to the tourist laden walk to the “Narrows”.  Later in the day hiked the Watchman Trail. I always think of The Watchman as the sentinel to the park.

The second day was cloudy so decided to explore outside the park. Hiked Coalpit Wash and Scoggins Wash Trails. The trails have views of the backside of the mountains and peaks seen from inside the park. The tails were easy to follow, traversing several washes and a couple of muddy streams. The entire day only encounters a couple of hikers. Intend to do this hike again on a sunny day. So many rock formations and mountain views.

The third day finally hiked to Potato Hollow the primary goal of the trip.  Potato Hollow is on the West Rim Trail past Scout Lookout. Most people use the West Rim Trail to get to Scout Lookout or Angels Landing. They unfortunately miss the beauty and peacefulness of the Hollow.

I hope I have as many adventure in 2026 as in 2025 !

May In Ohio

May in Ohio is when there is glimpse of the summer to come. It was rainy for my visit and the waterfalls and rivers were running strong. Even though it rained more days than not, I was able to get in some hiking.

Started the Hocking Hills State Park hike at Cedar Falls. From the falls hiked to Old Mans Cave via the Overlook Trail. On the trail there is a small waterfall created by water flowing down the hillside. The trail passes the popular Upper Falls and the picturesque Rose Lake. Just below the Cave there is a beautiful stone bridge and the Lower Falls. At the Lower Falls I enjoyed the way the afternoon sun cast shadows across the stream and the accents on the rocks.

Hiked Hemlock and Lyons Falls Trails in Mohican State Park. Hemlock Trail runs along the Clear Fork Mohican River and the Lyons Falls Trail passes both Little and Big Lyons Falls. Surprisingly the falls were just trickles based on the amount of rain. Often there are fishermen wearing waders in the river fly fishing. The river was flowing to fast for fisherman this May.

Flint Ridge County Park is a place I visit often when in Ohio. My Father was raised in Flint Ridge. It is a region the American Indians discouraged conflict since that is where they chipped away the flint for their arrow heads.

Drove the backroads in Southwestern Ohio in search of old barns and covered bridges. Many of the roads were dirt with a scattering of houses. On one of the dirt roads discovered a cemetery that dated back to when Ohio was first being settled.