@jjjjaaaammmmiiiieeee Oh dang. Conversely, if you see what you think is a sasquatch with long hair in that area in late April/early May be sure to scrutinize carefully - it might just be me.
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The AllTrails web site is a great resource for any area you might visit. I’m in Mccloud. We have several resident bears that hit the dumpsters at night. They aren’t around during the day. Ditto on checking the roads. They can be icy into late spring depending on the elevation. And drive carefully. We have bear v car a lot up here. In the West section of Siskiyou and over to the coast check out the guides and videos from Back Country Press. Also…stock up when you are here in Baja Oregon. As we say …Eureka means I found it. Yreka means look for it in Medford. Lots of great places in Siskiyou.
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Thanks for the heads up. From a safety perspective I am now more concerned about cryptids than anything else.
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The weather is so uncertain these days that it is wise to check forecasts for the areas you are visiting. Also check the Caltrans road conditions and webcams on its website. Coast roads are always subject to winter damage and after-fire erosion may have damaged mountain roads. The area north of Mt. Lassen and south around Tahoe was extensively burned last year, as you probably know. The upside of the fires is seeing what plants come back the following spring. I observed before and after the Alameda’s fire effect on plants. You willl go through lightly populated areas. Watch your fuel level and take food and water.
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I just wanted to add, know your poison oak.
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https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=14&taxon_id=51080&verifiable=any
Indeed, yes ! Know it in it’s shrub form, in its vine form, and in its tree form. Know what what it looks like growing on the sunny side of the hill as well well as the shady side. Know what it looks like in the spring, the summer, the fall, and winter. It’s all different. It is an amazingly variable plant.
Otoh, not everyone is terribly allergic to poison oak. And, if you wAsh it’s oils (urushiol) off with cool running water and soap, you can usually avoid the itchy rash.
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@wsjaybird thanks, as it gets closer I’ll have to spend some time on caltrans to get a sense for conditions on my route, especially near the Sierras and Lassen.
@ds_explorings @teellbee yes for sure! I was in Mariposa and the Bay area last August so I got to see it when it was very noticeable (fall red/orange/yellow) which was a good primer. In MA there is poison ivy everywhere which, although the leaves are different shapes, shares a lot of the same features and habits as poison oak and gives the same vibe. Also very familiar with how unfortunate it is to get a rash, though it’s been several years and would like to keep it that way!
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Just because I don’t think anyone has mentioned this yet — car break-ins are very frequent in San Francisco, frequent in much of the rest of the Bay Area, and sometimes an issue at trailheads and pull-outs (e.g. up and down Highway 1).
Hard to avoid leaving things in the car on a road trip, but personally: I keep everything out of sight under a tarp (even while driving) and am mindful about who’s watching when I’m loading/unloading gear. It’s worth familiarizing yourself with your insurance coverage/process so you can replace things and get moving again quickly if you do have an incident.
(Sorry if this all sounds sort of dark—I’ve had lots of unsuspecting out-of-state guests get burned before and now err on the side of scrub-jay-shrieking about theft to all visitors. 
Human dramas aside, California is glorious and fascinating and wonderful; it’s the greatest privilege of my life to call it home. Have an amazing trip!)
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@passthatatlas OK so people breaking into my car near the coast and bears (and probably people too) inland. Got it. I’m not travelling with too much expensive stuff, just a pair of bins which goes in the glove box and a scope that gets hidden under something. My general strategy is to appear as though I live in my car by throwing jackets, socks, and other clothing all over the place and strategically tucking valuables the layer below that. And by strategy I mean I can’t be bothered to be neat when there’s so much cool stuff to see/do. Fortunately I’m staying with a friend in the Bay area, but that’s really good to know about heading up Route 1. Thanks!
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“Cinder Cone” (the imaginative name for the cinder cone near Butte Lake) is great, but access might be a little difficult. The access to the Butte Lake parking area is down a gravel road off CA-44 in the northeast corner of the park. That makes it a little out of the way at the best of times. The NPS opens Butte Lake campground in early June. It looks like they had the road open by May 8 (maybe earlier) for high-clearance vehicles in 2021, but I don’t know if it would be open by the date you visit.
Even though the Dixie Fire swept through this area, it does seem that the NPS expects it to be open in 2022: “Butte Lake road, day use area, and campground are anticipated to open for the normal summer/fall season. Cinder Cone Trail is open and closures are not anticipated.” If you do get there, the Painted Dunes and Fantastic Lava Beds beyond it might be worth a visit; it’s been way too hot and exposed for that to seem attractive when I’ve visited in summer!
I would recommend you call the park once you have an idea of the dates you might visit and ask them what they expect may be open. If you do decide to visit, you might want to focus on either the south side or the north side, given that CA-89 across the park will not be open. If you choose the south side, Mill Creek Resort is close to the park entrance and has quirky cabins (though the prices are no longer a bargain). On the north side, I believe there are cabins to rent in the Hat Creek area. For cheaper accommodations, you can stay in Redding or Red Bluff and drive east to either side of the park.
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@rupertclayton Thanks again! After reading your message I checked out the park website for info on road openings and snow. I’d hoped that at lower elevations there would be wildflowers blooming, but it looks like the area may be covered with snow still. It would be cool to get out to Butte Lake and Cinder Cone even if the road is closed. If there isn’t too much snow and there’s parking before the road it might make for a nice day hike. Per your suggestion, I think I’ll give park a call to see what they think, and if they might have areas to suggest nearby. The Sierras are proving a fun little challenge to try to figure out what’s accessible and if so what the conditions might be!
Not Bay Area, but that reminds me I had my wallet stolen from my car at a trailhead in SLO. I dont know what possessed me to leave it in the car rather than bring it on the hike.
Glass is getting really hard to find now too, with appointments booked out for many days.
Don’t ask…
It’s not a safety tip, but allow me to put in a plug for McArthur-Burney Falls State Park. This was definitely the ‘sleeper site’ of our trip to Lassen VNP and environs. It boasts one of the most spectacular – and geologically interesting – waterfalls I’ve ever seen: the water comes pouring out of the cliff face, not just over the top.
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You might want to check out and contribute to this project : California Endemic Species
If you happen to be in the San Jose area, try to make time to visit at Mount Hamilton / Lick Observatory . Lots of great wildflowers, such as this one Lindley’s Blazingstar.
A lot of nice quiet trails and observations to be made at Donner Memorial State Park in Truckee.
Above places I visited solo (unfortunately most of my photos lost photos lost since).
Happy and safe trip!
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We do have ticks and Lyme disease in Northern California, plus some other bug-bite diseases. Tick repellent, and/or periodic bodily inspection is a very good idea.
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@anita363 Thanks, that looks beautiful and will definitely hit it up if I’m in the area!
@sygrnwd I am very interested in CA endemics and hope to contribute to the project! Crazy how lit up the entire states is. There is a slim chance I’ll end up in San Jose, and I will be relatively close to Truckee so I’ll add them to my map, thanks!
@biosam Thanks for the tip, ticks are prevalent here so I know the deal. I’m not great at putting on repellant, so for me the strategy is usually frequent tick checks, especially any time step off trail, etc.,
If you make it to San Jose, and it is a ~clear day~, I could recommend the Mt. Umunhum Trail. It takes you up to a fabulous mountain top view where you can see from Santa Cruz beaches, to San Francisco, (edited) Mt. Diablo, Mt. Hamilton, and beyond to the Central Valley. this a partially wooded trail and ends at the historic, newly restored radar station. At the top, most of the old radar station environs were scraped away, the top of the hill was sculpted back to more natural contours, and the native plant population restoration project is taking off nicely (albeit, possibly less impressive this year unless we get some miracle-level rain soon).
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Sounds awesome, thanks 