My favorites: Top 10 — new list each week . . . updated May 18, 2013

Some of my favorite lakes lakes

  • Lakes with boat ramps: California has 195 recreation lakes with boat ramps. Most are set in the foothills of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys, as well as in the Sierra Nevada, Cascade and Shasta-Siskiyou ranges. Virtually all have campgrounds, fishing and nearby hiking or biking Here are the prettiest: 1. Lake Tahoe at Emerald Bay; 2. Sardine Lake, Graeagle; 3. Donner Lake, Truckee; 4. Convict Lake, Inyo County; 5. Lake Siskiyou, Mount Shasta. Others of note: Best boating: Shasta Lake, Redding; best fishing: Barrett Lake, San Diego; best camping: French Meadows, Tahoe National Forest.
  •  Lakes you can reach by vehicle without boat ramps: California has 190 small lakes that you can reach with an SUV with 4-wheel-drive or car with high clearance. With a canoe, kayak or inner tube, you can create your own paradise at many of them. Many have campsites. Here are the prettiest: 1. Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park; 2. Faucherie Lake, Tahoe National Forest; 3. Castle Lake, Shasta-Trinity National Forest; 4. Gerle Creek Reservoir, Eldorado National Forest; 5. Tamarack Lake, Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Note: Many of these 190 can provide outstanding car-top boating, camping and fishing, and dozens are set near trailheads.
  • Lake in wilderness: California has roughly 800 wilderness lakes large enough to provide habitat for trout, and of these, about half provide lakeside campsites, good fishing and stellar destinations. These are sprinkled across about 60 major wilderness areas. Here are the prettiest: 1. Rae Lakes, John Muir Trail, Kings Canyon National Park; 2. Marie Lake, John Muir Trail, Selden Pass; 3. Kearsage Lakes, Inyo National Forest out of Independence; 3. Spirit Lake, Marble Mountain Wilderness; 5. Velma Lake, Desolation Wilderness.

Never get stuck again for a camp: The 2013 edition of  Moon California Camping.

What sets you free? Hike. Bike. Camp. Fish. Boat. Wildlife watch. Explore.

Profiled by Peter Gauvin for Adventure Sports Journal

My new book and first mystery novel: The Sweet Redemption, An Inspector Korg Mystery . . . Music, Money, Mystery and Murder!

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Released for 2013

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“The Sweet Redemption is probably the best mystery I’ve read in a while . . . a fast-paced, good narrative, with a solid, non-transparent plot that keeps the pages turning. Stienstra has a very good grasp on the music business and how it works, and all of the characters in this story are believable. Long enough to be satisfyingly complete, and short enough for a good weekend read, “Sweet Redemption” is an all around winner.” K. Abel, National Book Diva, Kansas

I read books all the time, hundreds every year. This is the one with the ending I’ll never forget. One of the few books that comes along every now and then that leaves an imprint when you finish. Pretty special.” – –Shelly Lewis, reviewer

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Kindle eBook edition available now exclusively at Amazon.com, $9.99

Tom Stienstra Outdoors:

What sets you free?  Hike. Bike. Camp. Fish. Boat. Wildlife watch. Explore.

All the answers are in my books below.

$5.99 eBook — Sierra Crossing “$5.99? How can you go wrong?” Bob Simms, KFBK-1530/Sacramento

The epic trek you can do in a week – E-book, all formats. Special version for the iPad.

California Camping. The complete guide to more than 1400 campgrounds.

1,000 hikes from every region of CA, the only complete hiking guide BRAND NEW

The Complete Guide to Fishing on Lakes, Streams, Rivers, and the Coast

Pacific Northwest Camping

Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes Camping and Hiking

Tahoe Camping and Hiking

Shasta and Lassen Camping and Hiking

Sequoia and Kings Canyon Camping and Hiking

California Deserts Camping and Hiking

Northern California Camping

Also: West Coast RV, Washington Camping, Oregon Camping, Olympic Peninsula Camping & Hiking, Oregon Coast Camping & Hiking, Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge Camping & Hiking, Oregon’s Southern Cascades Camping & Hiking, Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge Camping & Hiking, Washington’s Northern Cascades Camping & Hiking. Others available.

 

Sierra conditions now!

by theauthor May 18, 2012

SIERRA CONDITIONS NOW Because of the low snowpack, this will be a great year to cross the Sierra. Your trip should start by reading the sensational new eBook, Sierra Crossing. Get yours at http://tomstienstra.com/books/sierra-crossing/ Spring and early-summer conditions have arrived from Yosemite Valley up to 13,053-foot Mount Dana above Tioga Pass. Last week’s temperature tantrum unleashed [...]

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Defy “The Tunnel Syndrome”

by theauthor May 15, 2012

Many lose sight of the vast scope of the outdoors because of what I call “The Tunnel Syndrome.” It occurs when heavy traffic becomes a daily routine. On Bay Area roads, I’ve seen people get fixated on the traffic to the point that their world consists of the cars ahead, blocking the way, and the [...]

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Waterfall mystery: Ever seen these? (video)

by theauthor April 24, 2012

Above is a video I shot Tuesday afternoon of a mystery set of waterfalls. Where is this? How difficult are they to reach? Can anybody get there? Yes, about anybody can get there. I’ll answer 10 questions below my family has asked me about them. By the end, you’ll know the spot; that is, if you [...]

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Five best outdoor gear bargains

by theauthor April 4, 2012

1. $60 “Sensei Stix” premium saltwater fishing rod This is the best $60 saltwater rod I’ve ever seen. It is designed for halibut and works for rockfish, lingcod, sturgeon, albacore and salmon trolling. It’s a one-piece, six-foot rod, composite graphite/fiberglass, with top-quality guides, gimbal for fighting belt (for those with back problems), triangular and hand-shaped fore [...]

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Crystal Spring’s first bald eagle nest in century

by theauthor March 27, 2012

The first active bald eagle nest in a century at Crystal Springs Watershed on the Peninsula gives hope that chicks could be born by mid-April. To help visitors see the phenomenon, the Sequoia Chapter of the Audubon Society said it would post volunteers with spotting scopes on weekends during the nesting season. Several Chronicle field [...]

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Video: Bay Area’s No. 1 hike destination

by theauthor February 27, 2012

The first glimpse of Berry Creek Falls is framed by redwoods in deep forest. Courtesy Ryan Commons / Walkifornia.com. For short video of Berry Creek Falls, click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmAbr_u32ss Berry Creek Falls is the No. 1 hiking destination of any park in the greater Bay Area’s nine counties. It’s one of my favorite spots in the world. [...]

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