Loops arounf Napa Valley (or within 4 hour drive)

Within a four hour drive you can be in the Sierra:  Yosemite, Emigrant Wilderness, Desolation Wilderness.

And you even have a chance at Redwood National Park to the north.

What do you want to do and see?

If I were you I would buy or borrow the Tom Harrison maps for Yosemite High Country, Emigrant Wilderness, Hoover Wilderness, and Desolation Wilderness and let your mind run wild.  It’s all good.

I guess I just want to see something unique for this area of the country. Typically I am in Southern CA and see either desert landscapes or typical Sierras. If there is any must see areas it’s a plus!

Thanks guys!

Trinity Alps – you can get there a little earlier in the season than the Sierras

Lost Coast

If you want to see something different in California, you could visit the Point Reyes National Seashore area.  Hiking is easy, you’d have to get reservations at walk-in camp sites(Glen, Sky, Coast and Wild Cat Camps), and you’ll see more people but the area is beautiful. This could also be done as a series of day hikes with a base out of Napa as Napa is a little over an hour away.  Other wise Trinity Alps or Lost Coast as Jerry recommends are more like true backpacking trips.

Well, you could hike to here:

or here:

or here:

or here:

or here:But those are all in the Sierra…  grin

I do like the look of that first photo Paul – where’d you take that?

Trinity Alps may be a possibility but it’s a bit more of a drive, the map says 4.5 hours. Any loops in the Trinity Alps that anyone can recommend for a 3 nighter or so?

First photo is Boundary Lake, in the far northwest corner of Yosemite.  Best access is via Cherry Lake and the Kibbie Ridge trail….

From Napa you have access to some of the best backpacking in the world- the sierra nevada mountains. You have endless possibilities here. I would skip the trinities as they are generally less spectacular than the sierras (not to say that trinities aren’t amazing) and they can get really hot in mid summer, best for a fall trip.

Lost Coast is also more than four hours. You could get to the southern trailhead in the Sinkyone. Not sure you could do four days there, but….