Summit Rock Loop

This 2.5 mile loop is a beautiful scenic hike off skyline boulevard. This trail is one of the more popular and crowded trails, especially on weekends. The deep woods and pretty rock formations make for a relaxing hike that is relatively moderate. Parking is probably the only real challenge of this hike because the space for cars is limited. The park is near a shooting range so it can be loud at times and dogs are welcome but must be on leash. The trail is mostly shaded and can get hilly at parts so its important to bring water in case you get tired on the uphill sections. The trails is very woodsy and has everything a hiker could ask for except a view of the valley. It gets dark quickly under the thickness of the trees so its best to hike this trail earlier in the day1 Great beginners hike and well worth the drive.

Garden of Eden

The Garden of Eden trail is pretty short and easy hike, its a mile there and a mile back.  This trail is almost completely shaded, so you can hike this no matter what the weathers like. On this trail you are surrounded by all sorts of trees and plants.  The trail leads to a big swimming hole where a lot of people like to go swimming and picnic.  This is a good trail to take with your friends or family because its an easy fun trail and you can go swimming. Be careful because this trail does not allow dogs, they can fine you up to $300. Overall this was a really fun hike.

Moving Along: 4th Blog Post

It's been difficult to find time for 20 time. With spring break and these busy school weeks Taylor and I have had little time for 20 time. We have continued to hike and collect data but haven't transferred much new information onto our blog. Overall this hasn't affected us much though and we expect to pick up more steam as we get into the back into things. The next step for us is to continue compiling information and begin preparations for our TED talk. With 20 time winding down its important to finish up strong and continue to work towards our goal of a thorough polished hiking blog. It's a little stressful knowing that the TED talk will act as our final but I believe we have done good enough work to create and solid presentation. We are beginning to organize our clean up and have recruited a few school mates who are interested in helping out. We hope to expand and get more volunteers and promote the clean up more in the upcoming weeks.

Castle Rock State Park

The Castle Rock State Park Loop is approximately 6.5 miles around and could be considered a moderate or medium to high intensity hike depending on your experience. Their are varying types of gorgeous scenery to observe like beautiful trees, lookouts, and rocks. This trail is shaded in many areas and some parts of the trail is open. The trail is lengthy and has swells of hills so proper footwear is recommended. The trail becomes very narrow in some areas so make sure to watch your footing! Many animals can be seen as well as many different kinds of birds. You can climb on many of the rocks and enjoy the view but be careful its not all as easy as it looks. This trail is great in spring because it isn't too hot and the shade makes it very easy to rest and cool off at some of the more challenging parts of the hike. Castle rock itself is a massive state part with many different trails, this is just to Park Loop, so if you wish to go on a shorter excursion then there are countless other trails to explore.

Trash Awareness

Litter on parks and trails is not only unappealing to look at, it is also dangerous for the environment and wildfire. Although almost every trail head has one or two trash cans, lot's of the trails Sophie and I hike are spotted with litter. It's hard to understand why people feel the need to leave there harmful trash on such beautiful trails. Research shows that, "Litter in the streets and parks can travel through storm drains to bays and oceans, where it harms wildlife" (Green Ecoservices). Litter on California trails is particularly harmful because it can act as a fire hazard. Animals consume and get tangled in trash and it can be very detrimental to their digestive tracks. The environment is very negatively effected and so is the economy. According to, Litter It Costs You, "$11.5 billion is spent every year to clean up litter". It is up to us to start finding solutions to this problem and California is on the right track. California is in the process of creating litter and waste laws to help correct to issues humans have created. People need to fight to urge to litter due to its convenience and respect wildlife by throwing trash away in designated trash cans and recycling when possible.