A compilation of the hikes of Michael (Mike) MacIntosh in Davis, CA. Includes links to photos, directions, recommendations related to hiking, camping, photography and other outdoor activities.
I'll make this brief, as I have a thousand and one things to do tonight (and want to get this posted). Great camping trip in Lassen. Second time I've been there, the first time with my dad. I stayed 4 days, 3 nights of solo camping in Manzanita campground near the northern entrance to the park.
Lassen Volcanic National park is one of the lesser known National Parks. It was the site of a 1914 eruption and evidence is quite visible throughout the park. That being said, it's a beautifully green and scenic park, offering some great views and photographic opportunities.
The campgrounds are top notch, as you'd expect from a National Park. Manzanita Lake has great campsites and a small general store (in case you forgot any critical items, like marshmallows). The lake itself is an easy 1.5 mile loop and offers great views of Lassen and local wildlife. There are bears in the park, so the normal precautions are necessary (did not see any, but heard one in my camp Tuesday night).
In terms of hikes, I did Bumpass Hell and the Cinder Cone. I would recommend both. Both are fascinating examples of the volcanic history (and present) of Lassen and incredibly scenic as well. Bumpass Hell trailhead is right off the main road through the park, but Cinder Cone requires an hour drive from Manzanita Lake (6 miles of which are down a well-maintained dirt road). For those in better shape than I, I've heard great things about climbing Lassen itself as well as nearby Brokeoff Mountain. I didn't fish at all this trip, but Manzanita lake offers some great fly-fishing opportunities.
Mike's Recommendations (if you decide to visit):
Just a quick blog this time. Head north on Highway 70 from Davis/Sacramento last Friday to fish/photograph the Yuba River outside Marysville. I chose to photograph instead of fish, as my thumb was still stitched up from an unfortunate encounter with a bread knife the week before.The river itself is sparse, but quite beautiful. It was flowing extraordinarily low (700 CFS), which allowed us to cross the river. Learned an interesting trick from my father: You cross a river upstream of a riffle. The riffle is the shallowest point, which it makes sense to cross, but it's also moving the fastest there. The trick is to skirt the edge of the riffle, in the deeper water, which is not flowing as fast. Amazing how much difference this makes. Do keep in mind that the Yuba is normally not cross-able this time of year when river flows are normal.While my dad fished, I trekked out across the flood plain and came across the largest beaver dams I'd ever seen. There were multiple dams at various points in the side channel and were holding back huge amounts of water. Never saw actual beavers, but it was fun to photograph their handiwork, especially from a ridge line I hiked up to.
Only actual wildlife I came across to photograph was some turkey vultures which were circling overhead. There are always vultures circling overhead on the Yuba. Makes me wonder how many dead things are out there. They're always fun to photograph with the long lens, and I had the unique opportunity of photographing them from the ridge, where I was at roughly their same height. I also shot a few photos of what I believe to be a predator drone overhead, flying out of nearby Beale Air Force Base. Fairly certain that's what it is.
Fishing was only so-so. A few possible strikes for my dad, but no fish hooked. This is always a risk of fishing the Yuba, but given the size of the water, you know that if you do hook a fish, it's liable to be a big one.
Overall, a fairly fun day and nice way to spend a furlough day. Part of our purpose was to scout this location for an upcoming pontoon boat trip. My father and I just purchased Dave Scadden Outlaw X5 boats this weekend (see North Fork Outdoors), which we plan to use for river runs as well as still-water fishing. They're rated for class 4 rapids, though we won't be trying anything like that....yet.
Note: To use any photo as a screen background: 1) Go to Individual Photos link above 2) Go to that individual photo , 3) Click on the magnifying glass in upper right corner, then 4) Right-click and set as your background.
