5 California Backpacking Trips You NEED to do this Summer

[@katherineweeks227]

Great video!!!! Can't wait to go camping in CA!!

[@ElsbethWeeks]

Thanks! You definitely should!

[@sabrinarobinson5160]

I was watching and just realized you were in Bernal Heights. Thanks for the great recommendations!

[@ElsbethWeeks]

Haha yeah - got a little windy for my mic at the top!

[@stepsforthesoul]

Thank you! Nice vid. Liked and Subbed👍hiking CA this summer for sure!

[@ElsbethWeeks]

Thanks for watching ! I'm sure you will love Calfornia :)

[@mr.bnatural3700]

I was born in California and lived there for 40 years; the state is so Big I never made it to those places mentioned except Yosemite (of course); back in the 1960's we went to see "FireFall" and when we were gone a Bear got into my Dad's 1964 Plymouth Wagon; what a mess he made with the food and sugar. When I was three; i almost fell off of Glacier point.

[@ElsbethWeeks]

OMG! You can't say you almost fell off of Glacier Point and not tell the story! I'm glad I live in CA now, but when I go somewhere, I always wonder if I missed out by not seeing it 10/20/+ years ago etc. I'm sure somewhere like Yosemite was always popular, but it's so crowded these days!

[@mr.bnatural3700]

​@@ElsbethWeeks Most places in California are much more crowded now especially world famous tourist areas like Yosemite or any national park; if you get off the tourist circuit some places can be spooky desolate as I'm sure you have experienced. Every generation seems to discover the outdoors and a new flood of young people fill these places. It seems to go in cycles. I was part the post WW2 war families as they filled these places then fade away as their parents got older, then the huge "back to earth" Hippie Generation flooded trails and parks. (There were the Yosemite Riots; look it up). Then as that generation got settled down & had babies there was a long decline of camping & hiking interest from the mid 1970s through the 1980s. Very few people on trails; mostly old-timers; plenty of parking & camping vacancies everywhere in Yosemite and they had to permanently close some campgrounds in a lot of national parks for lack of interest. Gen-x seemed to wake up and start trickling into the outdoors in the late 80s and because of population & wealth increasing worldwide; the outdoor tourist boom hasn't slowed one bit except for the covid hiccup. When I was a child, The attitude towards the Parks and outdoors was to conquer, provide access, pave, civilize and exploit everything as much as possible so the populous could comfortably enjoy their stay. I remember concession trailers on the gravel bars in the Merced River in Yosemite Valley; if there was a natural attraction anywhere there was a concession trailer selling everything you might want. The outdoors had a carnival atmosphere with trash everywhere; (this was before the "Don't be a Litterbug" campaign.) The ground was the proper depository for your trash. Bears, Deer and wildlife were just live actors for your enjoyment.////// So this brings me to Glacier Point; Glacier Point 1959 was just another tourist destination with a large Hotel, restaurant, souvenir shops and concession trailers. The marmots, deer and ground squirrels were well fed and tame; so I made fast friends with a roly-poly chipmunk and followed him over the edge of the Point until he was out of reach. I had no idea crowds of people were gasping and frozen in terror over a little boy climbing around on the boulders past the guardrail. Funny thing was, I knew what I was doing; i wasn't going to let myself fall. I mused "What a silly notion grown-ups have; maybe they aren't very smart after all." Okay, sorry, that was a long reply.

[@OutdoorExistential]

Great suggestions!

[@ElsbethWeeks]

Thanks! I feel so lucky to live in such an amazing state :)

[@OutdoorExistential]

@@ElsbethWeeks Likewise!! Hoping to get further north this summer! :D

[@Vweebs]

Great video! Any recommendations for a beginner?

[@ElsbethWeeks]

Thanks for watching! If you are looking for something in California, I think Lake Aloha is a great option for beginners!

[@FieldWorxoverlandadventures]

Also check out Marble Mtn. Wilderness northern California absolutely beautiful and Alturas the South Warner Mountains👍👍👍

[@ElsbethWeeks]

I have wanted to check out Marble Mountains for such a long time! Do you have any suggestions for a good first trip?

[@FieldWorxoverlandadventures]

Elsbeth Weeks Yes first trip I would recommend driving up to lovers Camp and park there it’s a paved road all the way up to the parking and it’s very well-maintained and that’s a direct route to the Marble Mtn.‘s I recommend hiking approximately 6 miles to upper sky high Lakes and you will find plenty of camp spots near the Lakes there is a large lake and a smaller lake in a small pond above those two lakes and from there you can branch off and do all kinds of hikes I recommend camping there your first night and then the next morning hike up towards the Pacific crest Trail from that intersection you can go all different routes your close to marble rim but I do recommend upper sky high lakes you will love it, I recommend getting a map of the Marble Mtn.‘s but from that area you will have a view of the marbles all the way up it looks like snow covered mountains from a distance it’s white marble and there’s another area that has all black marble and lots of caves

[@Robert-i5k8e]

sykes hot springs in big sur no permit needed