Nevada Note: On the Road Again…
Milagros is open – Carrie, Brooke, Lonni and Amy are there to assist you! – but we have been out of town for the past week. During our time away our server went haywire thus the unscheduled blog facelift…and our inability to post anything until today.
Now that we have a child in school we are beholden to the school calendar and as spring break approached we were faced with no travel plans. So we all got in the car and headed south to see family in Nevada. So here is a quick jumble of road notes from the trip thus far.
The drive was lovely and once we were off the interstate, the drive became even nicer. A few favorite stops from this trip and trips in the past:
- Mt. Shasta: Such a stately mountain, I have always wanted to climb it. We have taken day hikes up the mountain past the treeline from a few points. There is plenty of summer camping in the area – this time of year we hit the Strawberry Valley Inn for lodging needs.
- Burney Falls: Lovely falls and great family hiking – a perfect leg stretcher or picnic stop. There is a campground in the park as well.
- Lassen National Park: This park has great snowshoeing in the winter, great hiking and camping in other seasons. We love hiking Bumpass Hell which really shows off the volcanic nature of the area. Our favorite managed campground in the part is Southwest (tent-only!).
- Honey Lake: This is a unique area that is one of the last remanants of Lake Lahontan which was an enormous lake that existed during the last ice age. Making a stop to check out the flocks of geese, swans, and cranes that pass through the area as well as local birds of prey.
Once we arrived in Reno, we were cursed with our on-going “hey we are traveling so someone HAS to get sick!” Mila, Gael, and Tony all got ear infections…but it is what it is and we haven’t let it hold us back. Mila has a gaggle of cousins in the area so getting the kids outdoors was the order of the day – actually everyday.
We have posted other Nevada Notes in the past (Truckee River, Galena Creek, Animal Ark). On this trip we were armed with a great on-line database of Nevada trail maps (thanks for the tip Reno Natural Mothers!). So we enjoyed a couple of new family-friendly trails this trip:
- Rancho Nature Trail: This trail starts near an Basque memorial and winds through sagebrush scrub and a wetland. The riparian habitat boasts a mix of plants and animals and the kids had a lot of fun exploring.
- Huffaker Lookout: The trailhead is next to a play area this is great for the kids pre-hike or post-hike. A few different loops along the hills can be created and the top of the hills provides a sweeping view of Truckee Meadows. There are plenty of interpretive signs, benches, and even picnic tables along the way. The kids raced to the top of the hills and had a great time.
Happy trails!
