Here’s one of our favorite trails not too far from Fresno. We’ve base camped at Red Lake and took the day trip to Coyote Lake many times. Caught a lot of trout at Red Lake. No fear of not having enough to eat.
This is a class “A” jeep trail meaning it’s one of the easier ones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJrbDM9D3jk&feature=related
There used to be an old dilapidated homemade outhouse perched on a haughty angle near the beginning of the Coyote trail, but you had to be brave or foolish to try to use it. Many did though. I hear it finally caved in. There was also an old rusted out International Harvester Scout turned over in the rocks on the side of the Coyote trail. Was a bit disconcerting on your first trip up the trail.
I drove a Toyota Landcruiser for many years. Then traded it in for a Jeep. Sheila drove a 75 Silverado swb 4wd pickup. They say you can’t take pickups to Coyote Lake, but we did. With a little custom work to the quarter panels, it made it over the rocks and between the trees just fine. Scraped off a bit of paint and chrome here and there, but that old truck would go anywhere. Also did a nifty custom job to the tailgate when I backed into a tree with the tailgate down, leaving a perfectly half-round indention. Sheila had a hard time explaining it to the girls at the office the next week. They were asking how a tree fell on her pickup. Sheila loved that truck.
The lake is beautiful! Definitely a place to get away from city!
Here is one of my faves, the Lost Creek Wilderness. I go in from the South Park (yes there really is a South Park!) side instead of the Front Range side, which really cuts down the traffic. It's named for a spectacular creek that tumbles through a long boulder field and then gets "lost" under a huge rock.
