Welcome to Travel Tuesday! I’m back with another hike, this time in California! We had a reunion trip recently with the group I went camping with in Death Valley recently and went up the Wright Peak Summit Trail! Early November was the perfect time to see all the fall colors from the wineries!
We booked a campsite in Cobb, which is about 30 minutes from this trail. Since there was projected rain, I didn’t feel like setting up my tent and put up my hammock instead. (I got a hammock stand a little while ago and it’s proved to be quite useful for car camping/when there are no suitable trees!)
My friend got a corn pinata for us since we were in Cobb. (There were a lot of corny jokes, heh heh heh.)
Wright Peak Summit Trail in Kelseyville, California
Distance: 7.6 miles (out + back) – additional 0.4 miles if you want to hit *** peak
Elevation: 1935 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Duration: ~4 hours
Trailhead Address: 38.96586,-122.79327
Parking: Free!
This isn’t necessarily a difficult trail, but there is a steady 1649 foot climb along a winding dirt road that takes you to the top of Wright Peak. (You end up at the top of Mount Konocti at 4299 feet.)
You’ll pass by ancient oak trees and walnut orchards along the way as well! We saw some wildlife, including a bald eagle, a raven, and some gophers (not pictured since I couldn’t get to my camera quickly enough).
There’s the fire tower in the distance! (Please note that the tower is permanently closed, but you can still sit on the rocks up at the top!)
There are still remnants of a plane wreck near the top of the mountain. The accident happened while a couple, Mervin and May Enzler, tragically crashed their plane on the north side of the mountain.
Up at the top of Mount Konocti on a super clear day, you can see views of a bunch of the surrounding peaks (e.g. Mount St. Helena, Mount Lassen).
- You can extend this hike by another ~0.4 miles by following a fork in the road on the way up (or after you come back down) to get to
- No dogs are allowed on this trail.
- I’d recommend bringing a snack/lunch to eat at the top while you enjoy the views! Please make sure to leave no trace though!
- If you’d like to check out hot springs nearby, it’s pretty close to Harbin Hot Springs Retreat Center, which several of my friends went to the following day! (Reservations are recommended.)
- If you drink alcohol, there are also a lot of wineries nearby that you can visit too!
- Have you been able to go on any fall hikes this year?
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Wow! This hike is the perfect find!! I would love to do this solo. It is the perfect length (for me) and I love all the fun things around (wineries, hot spring looks AMAZING)
I walk every single day. Unfortunately “hiking” is not so nearby to me, so its hit or miss. It has been a while since I got in a true hike.
Goign to start planning a CA trip soon!! Thank you for sharing!
It was a great find! :D Not completely empty but definitely not super-populated either.
I hope you have fun! Are you coming to northern CA or southern?
Farrah recently posted…Now & Then
I love your hammock set up with the stand. I have never seen a stand like that but it looks like it would be even faster to set up than a tent! Is it super comfy?
Autumn has been so pretty this year eh? We somehow skipped straight into winter, so we went on a few snow-filled hikes already but I did love the fall hikes we managed to sneak in! The views you got from the peak are fabulous.
p.s. There are hot springs and wine nearby too? That sounds like such a fab holiday. Hike + wine + hot springs!
The setup takes less than 10 minutes!! The longest part was actually the tarp, which I ended up giving up on (thankfully no bugs + clear skies so I just kept it as an open top so I could see the night sky + breathe the fresh air *-*).
I’m glad you got to sneak some fall hikes in!
I didn’t go to the hot springs this time around, but next time! :D
Great hike where you are rewarded with fabulous views. And I love your hammock set up – great idea to keep you off the ground if rain is coming! Where did you get it from?
hehe, it definitely helped out my laziness (in not wanting to have to deep clean my tent afterward..). It’s called the “Swiftlet” from Kammok + is definitely pricey but it’s super well-made/sturdy, set-up takes <5 minutes, and I've used it a bunch both indoors (when we didn't have a couch) and outdoors, so I like to think I'm getting my money's worth!
Farrah recently posted…Now & Then
Such an amazing views from the Wright Peak Summit Trail! Great idea to have a lunch with the views! Thanks for sharing your experience !
We got to see a bald eagle doing a fly-by while we were sitting and snacking! :]
Such a great Fall hike. The views are amazing and seeing Fall colors is always great. That plane crash site is strange and it looks like you can get pretty close to it.
I definitely didn’t expect to see the remnants of it still there. I guess they may have chosen to leave it there as a memorial(?) of sorts.
Farrah recently posted…Now & Then
I love the hammock on a stand! And the corn pinata! The trail looks pretty cool too ….
hehe, it was a lot of fun! :D I’m glad we didn’t end up getting rained out the first night!
Farrah recently posted…Now & Then
Looks like a fun hike with great views! Thanks for sharing!
Great views with awesome company = the best! :]
Looks like I need to add California to my hiking bucket list. Looks lovely!
Thank you! There are tons of beautiful hikes here! :D
We love when we find new spots to hike. Wright Peak Summit Trail looks like a great hike in California if we get near Kelseyville. Good to know there is a steady uphill climb on this hike. How fun to see the signs to all the different peaks at the top of Mount Konocti.
Yeah! This is only ~2 hrs away from me — I’ve been trying to slowly explore more of the places around me! :]