Mount Konocti County park is Lake County's largest park, covering an area of 1,520 acres. We decided to take the hike up Mount Konocti to Wright's Peak and we are so happy that we did! The panaramic and breathtaking views from the top are absolutely incredible and well worth the hike up!
You will drive approximately 3 miles on a gravel road to get to the parking area. There is plenty of parking, which is really nice. There were also three different bathrooms along the trail and several trash cans so you leave no trace behind. There are picnic tables and benches along the way if you want to stop, rest, and take in the beautiful views or have a bite to eat.
The first 1/2 mile of the trail is actually through private property and the owners were nice enough to let hikers go through their property. After that, it's public land and a steady incline to the top.
There is a place along the trail where you can hike down and see a cabin of a woman named Mary Downen that lived here alone. She was a widow and fell in love with the gorgeous views, majestic oaks, and good soil so she began homesteading there. She seemed like an incredible woman so that was a cool part of history that I am glad they perserved!
I would recommend bringing hiking shoes if you have them since there is loose gravel along the way. If you are going in the summer, I would bring sun screen and a hat since most of the trail is not shaded, although the first part is. I would bring plenty of water and snacks/lunch since you will get thirsty and work up an appetite. I definitely recommend spending time at the top taking in the views because they are truly...
Read moreBack in the 1950’s probably 57, my two brothers and I went with a neighbor to spend a 4th of July at a cabin they owned on Clear Lake. While there us boys, ages 11 to 16 decided we would cross the lake in a boat and climb Mt. Kenocti and spend the night up there. I’m a little vague on details as I’m 76 now and have not thought about this for years, maybe decades. Nothing really happened that memorable as I remember, and I was about the youngest of the boys. There wasn’t much development 66 years ago probably. I don’t remember any roads or trails up the mountain either. Looking at photos people have taken kind of brings back memories of the terrain. I never went to Clear Lake ever again. At the time I lived in Castro Valley, and over the preceding years I’ve retired and live in a tiny town called Hiddenite, North Carolina. I do love to use Google Earth; so fascinating. I’m a map lover and this is the ultimate map; especially the...
Read moreWonderful scenic mountaintop hike next to Clear Lake. Hike is mostly along fireroads, which are easy to follow and well signed. Nice new benches, interpretive signs, and bathrooms all along main route to top. Vegetation ranges from drier brush and pines, to moist laurel and mossy oaks, to orchards around homestead. Nice details included homestead structures and airplane crash site. Only improvements I could wish for is for additional "narrower" more intimate hiking trails, instead of the broad fireroads, and to clear some brush along summits, especially at Buckingham Peak, to be able to enjoy views better (so maybe 4.5 stars, but rounded to 5). Main route to Wright Peak, does have square foundations, so it looks like the county park is planning on adding more hiker friendly facilities (maybe a shaded...
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