Kevin Knauss: Health, History, Travel, Insurance
Posts related to hikes I have taken with pictures, location, and history of the region, usually around California.
With Folsom Lake water levels low in the autumn of 2016, I decided to hike from Rattlesnake Bar up the North Fork of the American River to see if I could catch glimpses of gold rush era history. The terrain was far more difficult than I imagine. While I know the river canyon has change since the gold rush of 1849, I was surprised at just how arduous the hiking along this stretch of the river must have been for the gold miners.
As the lake level drops, the history is revealed. As Folsom Lake hit record low water levels in 2015, a whole lot of history was revealed. A drought shrunken Folsom Lake of 2015 was the highlight for a guy like me who had been hiking around the reservoir for years looking for historical sites. After numerous hikes around the North and South Forks of the American River at Folsom Lake, I finally organized my photographs and historical research into a book, Hidden History Beneath Folsom Lake – Hiking Across a Dry Lake in Time of Drought.
When the summer heat hits in the Sacramento Valley, my fail-safe hiking destination is the Marin Headlands in the Golden Gate Recreational Area. Even after all the spring wildflowers have faded away, there is still plenty of natural beauty to see on the hiking trails above the Pacific Ocean.
But few of the visitors to Bodie State Park to hike around the Bodie Hills. Directly south of the old mining town on Cottonwood Canyon Road are some nice gentle hiking trails. The best part of the hike is the tremendous views you’ll get of the town of Bodie to the north and Mono Lake to the south. It is speculated that the unique Jeff Davis peak was the plug of an ancient volcano. The sides of the former volcano have eroded away leaving a solid vertical piece of rock.
I started hiking from the Folsom Lake Peninsula campground down to the tip of this stretch of land. Usually underwater, the drought of 2015 had drained the lake down to 15% of capacity. This exposed lake bed that is rarely visited during normal lake levels. Like many people I tripped across sunken boats, abandon gold mines and a surprising number of dams.
With the North Fork of the American River actually flowing around Rattlesnake Bar since the stationary waters of Folsom Lake didn’t occur until around the bend at Horseshoe Bar, I figured I might be able walk across the river to explore Goose Flats and the old mining operations. I thought if the miners of the 1850’s could ford the river so could I. Much of the bottom and banks of the river are choked with mud, muck and sediment as the lake elevation can be eighty feet above the river bed at Rattlesnake Bar.
A 2015 drought depleted Folsom Lake has allowed a rare opportunity to hike from the current Salmon Falls bridge over the South Fork of the American River all the way down to the old bridge which is usually covered by Folsom Lake. What makes this hike so special is that the South Fork of the American is flowing free like a river should.
It’s a relatively easy hike from the Squaw Valley High Camp up to the top of Granite Chief. A short tram ride from the floor of Squaw Valley at 6,240 feet deposits you at High Camp at an elevation of approximately 8,120 feet. From there it is a short two to two and a half […]
Virtually all visible signs of two dams on the Feather River along with thousands of feet of wooden flume and rock wall canal built in the 1890’s are hidden under the waters of the succeeding water project of Thermalito Lake in Oroville. Nonetheless, I was still drawn, like any amateur historian; to retrace the route […]
You don’t have to hike the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail to enjoy the high Sierra beauty it offers. A moderate hike starts right off of highway 88 at the Carson Pass and takes you through a variety of ecosystems. The round trip up to Showers Lake is approximately 10 miles and can […]
