BLM Dispatch #7 - Cache Creek Natural Area
Welcome to the Cache Creek Natural Area.
The sheer abundance of greenery, spanning every imaginable shade, is reason enough to visit. The grasslands have patches of emerald, lime, and neon. The blue oaks are starting to leaf out, their new growth a darker, foresty kind of green. Wavy-leaf soap plants stretch up in pale pistachio stalks. Hillsides dotted with gray pines soften the view with their muted sage and gray undertones — earning them their nickname, Ghost Pines, for their spectral, ethereal presence in early light.
For the walkers, this place is paradise. While there are dozens of miles of developed trails, you can also have a field day choosing your own route up and down the foothills, weaving between the gnarled bark of the blue oaks, stopping to inspect whatever catches your eye…
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BLM Dispatch #6 - Point Arena-Stornetta
Point Arena-Stornetta can be moody as hell.
I experienced the full spectrum of weather along California’s rugged north coast: heavy fog, fleeting sun, and wind strong enough to push you around — all before 10 a.m. It was the kind of day where you find yourself in a t-shirt one moment and reaching for a winter hat the next.
My windbreaker snapped and hollered along with the mighty waves, and all notions of quiet quickly vanished.
I followed a narrow trail through damp golden fields to the mouth of the Garcia River, where the 44-mile waterway meets its inevitable end. The area was alive with sound: the guttural barking of sea lions, the chatter of ravens, the flapping wings of cormorants, oystercatchers, and gulls. Even a few otters bobbed in the surf, making their presence known with casual nods toward shore.
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BLM Dispatch #5 - BLM Campgrounds In the Eastern Sierra
One of the questions I hear most frequently from my Instagram community is whether there are actual campgrounds on BLM land.
It’s a great question because most people associate camping on BLM land with dispersed camping, the self-sufficient, rugged style usually done along roadside pullouts. Nearly all BLM land is open to this kind of camping, but I'll save those details for another newsletter.
But yes, there are hundreds of developed BLM campgrounds across the American West! And some of my absolute favorites are tucked in and along the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, just a short detour off famed Highway 395.
So, let’s dive into my favorite Eastern Sierra BLM campgrounds — with images, links, descriptions, and a beautiful illustrated map from my book…
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