Author: Rick Rockwell
Mills Peak Fire Lookout: Road, Views, and Visit Tips
The road to Mills Peak Fire Lookout starts like a normal Lakes Basin side trip, then quickly reminds you that this is still a high-country forest road. The closer you get to the tower, the narrower and rougher the route becomes, with cliffside stretches, limited parking, and no real room for carelessness. That is part …...
Frazier Falls Trail: Easy Lakes Basin Waterfall Hike
Frazier Falls is one of the easiest waterfall hikes in the Lakes Basin Recreation Area, but the payoff feels much bigger than the effort. The short paved trail leads through high-elevation forest, crosses Frazier Creek, and ends at a gated overlook across the canyon from one of Plumas County’s most impressive seasonal waterfalls....
Kyburz Flat Interpretive Area: three historic eras in one scenic location
The Kyburz Flat Interpretive Area is Sierra County’s little known historic site that’s actually listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its blend of three different historic eras into one scenic location. Under the supervision of the Sierraville Ranger District, the Kyburz Flat Interpretive Area is nestled...
Columbia School House: the old red brick school on a hill
The Columbia School House is believed to be the oldest surviving two-story brick schoolhouse in California. Built in 1860, this historic school sits on a picturesque hill overlooking town. Gently restored and preserved, this school is in spectacular shape and provides visitors with a wonderful opportunity to step back in time and...
Cherokee, Nevada County: The Lost Gold Rush Town on San Juan Ridge
Cherokee once stood near the heart of San Juan Ridge mining country, but today the old Nevada County town survives mostly in cemetery stones, scarred hillsides, and scattered historical records. At its peak, roughly from 1856 to 1865, Cherokee was a busy mining settlement known for rich diggings, hotels, a school, stores, saloons, a...
The Maiden’s Grave: A story of hope, loss and mistaken graves
Located on Highway 88 a few miles west of Silver Lake and Tragedy Spring, the Maiden’s Grave is one of those Sierra Nevada roadside landmarks where California history, pioneer grief, and local mystery all meet in one small place. For generations, this grave has been remembered as the final resting place of Rachael Melton, a …...
Fallen Leaf Lake’s Underwater Forest: The Mystery of Its Submerged Trees
At more than 6,300 feet in elevation near the edge of Desolation Wilderness, Fallen Leaf Lake holds one of the Tahoe region’s most unusual natural mysteries: an underwater forest of ancient submerged trees. These trunks and root systems are not just a hidden curiosity beneath the surface. They have become part of a larger scientific...
The Murderous Tale of Tragedy Spring and the Mormon Emigrant Trail
Tragedy Spring looks like a quiet stop in the high Sierra today, but its name comes from one of the darker stories tied to the Mormon Emigrant Trail. In 1848, three Mormon Battalion veterans — Daniel Browett, Ezra Hela Allen, and Henderson Cox — rode ahead of their company to scout a wagon route across …...
Convict Lake and the Violent Story Behind Its Name
Convict Lake history is about more than a scenic Eastern Sierra landmark with a strange name. This Mono County lake got its name after an 1871 Nevada State Prison escape, a manhunt through the region, and a deadly shootout near what was then known as Monte Diablo Creek. Before the name Convict Lake took hold, …...
Mare Island Naval Hospital: Inside the History of Vallejo’s Former Navy Hospital
The Mare Island Naval Hospital is a historic building that makes you slow down before you even know what you are looking at. Sitting on Mare Island in Vallejo, the old hospital has the size, symmetry, and worn-down grandeur of an institution that once mattered deeply to the people who passed through it. For decades, …...
