well off the beathen path

North Lake Fall Colors Originally uploaded by Jeff Sullivan Time is of the essence, RIGHT NOW. Autumn colors with aspen trees started changing around September  - and this fall coloring will last until the first deep freeze or snow fall, usually October. June Lake, Mammoth, Rock Creek & Twin Lakes are all awesome spots. Green Creek, Upper Summer Meadows, Virginia Lakes and Convict Lake are also worth checking out. The entire Eastern Sierra from Bishop to Tahoe is California's best for fall colors, fishing and sightseeing. OCTOBER is Autumn: take a drive on Highway 395

Kern Graffiti Originally uploaded by danamight River trash runs rampant in the Kern River Valley. Party animal campers leave their marks well into the next generation for this canyon. Kern is the closest BIG RIVER to SoCal - so the neglect and abuse are starting to really make a big impression. This popular recreation spot is often a rafters first time exploring the sport, a mountain bike haven, a backpacker or fishermen's paradise - but sadly, Kern Canyon needs help. California Wilderness boundaries are becoming less and less pristine. pris·tine –adjective 1. having its original purity; uncorrupted or unsullied. 2. of or pertaining to the earliest period or state; primitive. Origin: 1525–35; L pristinus & early; akin to primus  —Synonyms 1. undefiled, unpolluted, untouched Imagine a weekend at the river in late summer. No crowds, cuz the kids are back in school. Free camping all over the place. Hot sunny days, thunderstorms, mountain bike trails and mountain breezes.

Dardanelle Gas Originally uploaded by Swede1969 The alpine Sonora Highway #108 crests the Sierra Nevada mountains at 9000' elevation and usually has the deepest snow in the region. It just opened again- for the short summer season. Dardanelle is a small village in the forests of granite walls - a general store w/ gasoline, showers, RV park, cabin rentals and a National Forest Campground across the street. Stanislaus National Forest is the place. Carson Iceberg Wilderness and Emigrant Wilderness are located nearby. Find out more about this Sierra destination Dardanelle, CA Stanislaus National Forest NEW Carson Iceberg Map Emigrant Wilderness Map

Los Padres National Forest spans the coastal ranges from the edges of Monterey Bay down to the mountains of Ojai California. This forest offers nearly 1000 miles of designated ORV routes and back roads. Sadly, there are also hundreds of miles of undocumented trails, most of which are the result of illegal vehicle (quad or bike) use on the Mt. Pinos & Santa Lucia Ranger Districts. Areas suffering from the most intensive use include: Mutau/Hungry Valley, Ballinger Canyon, the Highway 33 Corridor, Pozo-LaPanza, and Rockfront. Basically any OHV trails near or around Gorman, Frazier Park, Pine Mountain, Ventucopa, New Cuyama, Santa Maria & Arroyo Grande, CA. HIKERS / BIKERS / CAMPERS / OFFROADERS Total Escape list outdoor recreation for everyone, so please respect the land, the trails & keep 'em open. Simple: Stay on the trail!

For those of you who haven't been out to see the wildflowers this Spring, you are missing the best show in decades! These little beauties are short lived. Certain canyons on the coast may bloom for months, but most of inland California has pockets of color, sporadically, lasting a weeks at most. You can drive past a spectacular bloom one week and the next week it's gone. Peak season means a very temporary window of opportunity for wildflower viewing . California flora blossoms, opens to glorious color during warm sunshine and then vanishes a week later. Gorman @ Tejon is about to explode very soon. Carrizo & Wind Wolves already peaked. Lower Kern is delightful. Klipstein Canyon off Hwy 166 is blooming alive. Remember the higher the elevation, the later the bloom. 1000' to 4000' (prime time now, April 2010)