Author: Rick Rockwell
Grouse Ridge Trailhead: Hikes, Road, Camping, and Visit Tips
Grouse Ridge Trailhead is the common visitor’s name for the hiking access area near Grouse Ridge Campground, high on Grouse Ridge in Tahoe National Forest. The road is rough, the facilities are primitive, and the final approach can feel slower than the mileage suggests. But once you are up on the ridge, the payoff is …...
Carr Lake Trailhead: Hikes to Island Lake, Round Lake, and More
Carr Lake Trailhead is one of the easiest ways to get into the Grouse Lakes area of Tahoe National Forest, but “easy” comes with a Sierra-sized catch: the trail access is excellent once you get there, while the final road can make you second-guess bringing a low-clearance car. From this trailhead, hikers can reach a …...
Cohn House in Folsom: Historic Mansion Guide
The Cohn House in Folsom sits at 305 Scott Street, high above the city’s historic core, with a tower, wraparound porch, and layered Victorian profile that make it hard to miss. This part of town was once known as Folsom’s “Nob Hill,” and the Cohn House, often called the Cohn Mansion, is one of the …...
Historic Millerton Courthouse: Fresno County’s First Courthouse Above Millerton Lake
The historic Millerton Courthouse sits above Millerton Lake near Friant, in a place where most visitors are thinking about boating, fishing, camping, or views across the water. But this small courthouse points to a much older Fresno County story. Before Fresno became the county seat, before Friant Dam created Millerton Lake, and before...
Millerton, California: The Lost County Seat Beneath Millerton Lake
Before Fresno became the county seat, before Friant Dam created Millerton Lake, and before the old San Joaquin River settlement faded into the reservoir landscape, Millerton was the center of Fresno County government. It had a courthouse, jail, hotels, saloons, ferries, stage traffic, newspapers, schools, fraternal lodges, Chinese...
Haunted Cemeteries in California: Ghost Stories, Legends, and Historic Graveyards
Haunted cemeteries feel different because the legends are tied to things you can still see today: old roads, broken headstones, family plots, and burial grounds that, in some cases, outlasted the towns around them. Rose Hill has its woman in white. Yorba Cemetery has the Pink Lady. Adelaida has Charlotte. El Campo Santo has...
Mare Island: History, Attractions, Tours, and Things to Do
Mare Island does not feel like a normal California historic site. There is no single entrance gate where the story begins, no tidy visitor loop that explains everything in order, and no one landmark that fully captures what this place was. Instead, Mare Island spreads out across old shipyard roads, weathered Navy buildings, dry docks,...
Markleeville CA: History, Hot Springs, Travel Tips, and Things to Do
Markleeville is easy to underestimate. The Alpine County town sits southeast of Lake Tahoe, close to Grover Hot Springs State Park, scenic Sierra highways, and a stretch of California mountain country that feels much quieter than the Tahoe Basin. I first visited Markleeville after trying to time a fall-color trip around the weather. Rain...
Auburn Waterfalls: Best Waterfall Hikes Near Auburn, California
Auburn is one of the best waterfall areas near Sacramento, but the waterfalls here do not all fit into one convenient category. Some are developed park destinations with viewing decks. Some are natural waterfall hikes in the American River canyon. Some are roadside-style seasonal falls along old Gold Country roads. Others are obscure,...
Foresthill Bridge: California’s Tallest Bridge Over the American River
Few landmarks in the foothills make you feel the scale of the American River canyon like Foresthill Bridge. One moment you are driving out of Auburn on Foresthill Road, and the next you are hundreds of feet above the North Fork American River, looking across one of the most dramatic bridge crossings in California. Also …...
