Hiking

History:
In total, the White Memorial Foundation contributed over 2,900 acres to the acquisition of the forest, starting in 1921. The rugged hills of this wildlife sanctuary provide panoramic vistas. A black spruce bog offers the visitor the opportunity to view a unique plant community.

Directions:
From the North: take Route 7 south onto Route 63 south to the rotary in Goshen, then Route 4 west to Mohawk State Forest.

A typical visit to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is about 1.5 - 2 hours. We recommend that all visitors begin their visit at the visitor center.

At the visitor center, you will receive orientation information and you can see geologic exhibits and fossil displays. The bookstore and bathrooms are also located here.

Behind the visitor center is an outdoor exhibit area where you can see petrified redwood tree stumps and associated exhibits. In the summer, rangers give hourly talks in the amphitheater which is also in the outdoor exhibit area.

If you'd like to escape the summer heat of the Salt Lake Valley, and entertain and educate your kids while you're at it, you can take this short hike at the base of Alta Ski Area. Take the first Alta entrance you get to off the Little Cottonwood Canyon road. It's called the Wildcat Base. You'll see a large parking lot once you go down a short hill. Park near the Gold Miner's Daughter building.

If you're in wine country and want to get out for a nice hike or a quick jog try the Sonoma Overlook Trail. It's a short drive or walk from the Sonoma town square. The trail is a two mile loop and with a fairly gentle grade. If you're hiking, there are a number of benches to sit down and take in the view, (and maybe enjoy a picnic or glass of wine). The trail is very well marked and a bit rocky in some spots; however you can do the hike or run in regular running shoes. During the rainy season the trail can get pretty muddy.

The drive out of Flagstaff was cloudy and cool. Unseasonably cool for Memorial Day weekend at the end of May. "Snow at the higher elevations, [of the San Francisco Mountains] up to a foot I hear" said the barista at the coffee shop. As we drove toward the canyon, Sam brought up the Death March, a hike he had dreamed of doing since moving to the southwestern desert 7 years ago. It involved hiking from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, to the North Rim, and back in 24 hours. 44 miles, 20,000 feet of elevation change, 24 hours. Sure, it has been done, but the question was could WE do it.

The Seattle Area has terrific hiking along shorelines and into the deep forests. The Washington Trail Association organizes family-oriented hiking near Seattle, Washington. Check out the Families Go Hiking section of their website for more information.

There are also many opportunities for day hikes and overnight backpacking in

This page is just a placeholder for now. We will be filling this information in during the next week. Thanks for your interest.

The San Francisco Bay area has beautiful vistas, rugged coastal trails, and deep redwood forest groves to explore. With all of these hiking opportunities, we just wanted to provide a little introduction to the hiking near San Francisco.

First, in San Francisco itself, two great spots for short hikes are Golden Gate Park, including Ocean Beach, and The Presidio, including Chrissy Field and Baker Beach. Some of these hking spots are part of the the Golden Gate National Recreation Area which also extends north of San Francisco into Marin County.

Hiking near Los Angeles can be a great alternative to urban and beach activities. Though, as with most of Los Angeles, trailheads can be quite a drive away from where you may be starting off.

One area for hiking that is close to Santa Monica, Venice Beach, and Malibu is the Temescal Gateway Park, which is located in Pacific Palisades, and is one of the most popular parks in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Other hiking spots in this same area include Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park.