Get Out! was created shortly after the pandemic lockdown, in Spring 2020, to encourage people to literally get out in nature—for their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health; and to foster a sense of wonderment and appreciation for the natural world in which we live. We sought to inspire curiosity and a desire to engage with and learn more about nature through botany.
After nearly six years of writing Get Out! articles for Shasta Chapter CNPS’ blog, we find ourselves with fewer and fewer opportunities to write. Not because we have quit hiking. Mostly because we are doing a lot of repeat hikes, for which we don’t really have much new to say beyond what has already been written, despite the fact that we may have seen something that could be of interest to others.
Time for a change! We’ll try a little compromise in the coming months. We will continue to write up new hikes or trails, as per usual. However, repeat hikes will now get a mention. Instead of being ignored, we will note them and highlight any trail changes and/or cool blooms that might inspire you to go see for yourself. For example, two of our four January hikes were “repeat” hikes—trails and areas already written up. We will mention them below. Check them out!
Kum Bay Xerel
January 4, 2026
After three solid weeks of holiday festivities and overindulgence, inclement weather was not about to keep us from getting out of the house, even if it meant just a short, quick walk. Kum Bay Xerel Open Space Area, between I-5 and the Sacramento River, perfectly fit our needs. This wide, paved trail right along the river is just a lovely walk, especially popular with dog-walkers, but today we had it pretty much to ourselves. It is also quite short—not even a mile long—but a dirt path where the pavement ends is worth exploring for the more adventurous. We did exactly that and ended up putting on ~4.5 miles, and counted nine species in bloom. A fabulous first-of-the-year walk . . . and we hardly got rained on at all! Check it out! Especially if you have never been.
Photo taken January 4, 2026, by Don Burk.
Mule Mountain from Stoney Gulch Trailhead
January 25, 2026
The trails on the western edge of Swasey Recreation Area are always a great place to find early bloomers in abundance, and this particular hike did not disappoint. We found nearly 30 species in bloom—the showiest and most abundant being Henderson’s shooting-star (Primula hendersonii) and Pacific hound’s-tongue (Adelinia grandis). We took our normal route, as recounted in the article, Mule Mountain from Stoney Gulch, February 7, 2021, except we added a quick trip to the summit of Mule Mountain. The trail to the summit from Black Bear Pass is ~1.25 miles, and a bit of a slog in my opinion, but the view at the top is always cool and somewhat rewarding. (Note that adding this trail puts this particular hike at over 10 miles, with ~1,400 feet in elevation gain.)
Besides finding so many beautiful wildflowers in bloom, we were excited to see some trail changes. The lower trail where Princess Ditch Trail “splits” has been cleared and made wonderfully easy to hike. It also now has a name: Soggy Bottom! In addition, we were quite surprised to find two brand new trails intersecting with Princess Ditch Trail before its junction with Cosmos Way. A little research reveals that Ono Trail is ~1 mile long and very steeply runs from Princess Ditch up to the trail that circumscribes Mule Mountain (recently renamed Boheh Sas). Igo Trail, on the other hand, runs much more gently for ~2 miles from Mule Ridge Trail to Princess Ditch Trail, providing a more enjoyable ascent/descent than Cosmos Way. Can’t wait to check them out firsthand! And when we do, we promise to report back.
We hope we piqued your interest in the above trails, or at least simply in taking a hike somewhere—anywhere! Don’t forget that we have an index (which needs updating!) of many, many local hikes that you might want to check out. But whatever you choose to do, do choose to get out! Happy hiking! ~Laurie & Don Burk