My family enjoys outdoor activities. There’s nothing like spending time together, breathing in the fresh air, and getting some much-needed exercise. Because we all take pleasure in hiking, my friend gave us a trail guide-book for Christmas, Day Hiking, Mount Shasta, Lassen and Trinity Alps Regions, by John Soares. Since the weather is nice and the kids are home from school, we decided that this Easter Break would be a perfect time to try out some of the trails.

Flannigan Trail to the Chamise Peak Trail

Because of the restrictions of COVID-19, I used the guide-book to reference hikes near where we live in Northern California. I chose the trail to Chamise Peak as our first to try this spring mainly because my husband loves views. Let me assure you that the vistas did not disappoint. The trek meanders around the mountain providing visual encounters with Mount Shasta, Mount Lassen, and the Sacramento River. It definitely has the Awe Effect.

First Things First:

To begin, my husband and I loaded up our 16-year-old son who needs practice driving and our nine-month-old puppy who needs additional training in manners. Our son took his place behind the wheel with my husband at his side giving the directions. Meanwhile, our dog, Moses, climbed into the backseat with me. We brought plenty of water because it was about 80 degrees outside and also packed a few snacks in a backpack in case we got hungry.

We found the trailhead easily.

Directions to the Flanagan Trailhead: Take the I-5, exit at Pine Grove Avenue. Drive West on Pine Grove Avenue to Lake Blvd and turn right. Drive a little over 1.5 miles and turn left on Flannigan Street. At the end of the road is the trailhead on the right with some additional parking on the left.

I am a city girl by birth and tend to get lost in the woods easily. I was pleased that this dirt trail was well maintained and well marked.

After starting at the trailhead, we walked about 1.2 miles to a fork in the road. We stayed right for the Chamise Peak trail. The roundtrip hike is about 5 miles and took us just a little over 2 hours. It is a moderately easy trail but does have an elevation gain of about 950 feet from bottom to top.

On the Trail

Along the way, we saw several other hikers (adults and children), four runners, and one dirt bike rider. Although there were several people using the trail, It wasn’t too crowded to forgo social distancing. The trail is not wide, but people moved to the side and turned their heads away, so as not to transfer any germs.

Plant-life along the way included manzanita, oaks, and ponderosa pine trees. We saw a few wildflowers. We kept our dog on a leash to keep him from brushing against the poison oak.

The beginning of the trail boasted shade, but we also had sunshine later on up the road. We enjoyed it all! We walked a leisurely pace, stopping along the way to admire the views.

Vistas

Take time to savor the sights, but make sure you leave enough energy to forge all the way to the top. The pinnacle is definitely the climax of the climb. The 360-degree panorama literally took my breath away. My son summed it up with the word, “Stunning.” My husband used the word, “Intense”.