Friday

We left San Jose at noon on Friday for a mid August weekend away. Destination: Sierra City, a tiny town in the northern Sierras, north of Lake Tahoe. Once a mining settlement, today it is stopover for those hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and those seeking solitude in the mountains.

Traffic around Sacramento was heavy, as always. We bypassed it by driving north through Yuba City. From there, the road climbed into pine forests, following the Yuba River. We passed Oregon City – we stayed there before and loved it! – and drove through Downieville on highway 49. It was a mining town in California, famous in the 1850s during the gold rush. The town sits where the Yuba River meets the Downie River. Its woooden storefronts are preserved like a time capsule. Cute and charming.

By later afternoon, we reached our campsite in Loganville just before Sierra City. We set up tent, lit a fire, and heated the meal we had prepared earlier that morning: red lentils cooked with mustard seeds and fennel, served with rice. Simple, filling, and deeply satisfying after the long drive. We sat by the fire, watched the stars emerge in the dark sky, and slept warm in our tent.

Saturday: Sierra Buttes

Saturday morning began with an early breakfast of banana bread, baked the morning before departure. We drove a few minutes to Sierra City to reach the trailhead for the Sierra Buttes. The Buttes are the iconic jagged peaks that dominate the region. They are volcanic in origin and rise more than 8,500 feet. The trail we took was an old mining road, only passable with high-clearance vehicles. We chose to hike. Instead of speed, we prefer the slow reward of the ascent.

The road climbed steadily through pine forests. We were alone. Silence around us. But the sun was intense, and little flies harassed us. We marched on. The road then reached a clearing and turned sharply to the right. We soon crossed another road, more heavily trafficked. The surface of the road became soft, like snow, but it was dirt made into powder. ATVs and trucks were passing us, often at top speed. We had to stop a few times to avoid the dust. How human-made artifacts can ruin nature instantly…

But the views soon opened: valleys below, ridge lines stretching away in waves, lakes sparkling in the distance. The Buttes themselves came into view. They are sheer, jagged cliffs. The road became a narrower trail not accessible to vehicles; finally! At the top, metal staircases were clinging improbably to the almost vertical rocks. They lead to an old fire lookout cabin. From there, the views were breathtaking. Upper and lower Sardine lakes were sitting below like blue mirrors. Patches of snow were still there in midsummer.

We ate lunch at the summit: a salad of fresh tomatoes, sardines, and eggs, while bees harassed us and fellow hikers crowded the platform. Still, the vastness of the panorama outweighed the annoyances. Fourteen miles round-trip. Near the end of our trip back, we stopped at a brook along the trail and dipped our feet in the frigid water. A shock of cold, pure and invigorating.

We bought a couple of beers from the Sierra City store and relaxed at the campsite. A bit tipsy, we searched for the Yuba river. We found a path and plunged into the cold water. This was our shower, our renewal.

Dinner was simple again: lentils, potatoes, and a salad of avocados and tomatoes we had picked the week before in a vegetable garden in Stockton. These were tomatoes as they were meant to taste: sun-warmed, bursting with taste. We lingered by the fire, watched the stars, and soon fell asleep.

Sunday: Sardine Lakes

Sunday morning we drove to Sardine Lakes, one of the most dramatic spots in the northern Sierras. They lie beneath the towering cliffs of the Sierra Buttes. We could see from below the lookout cabin we climbed the day before. The lakes form a natural amphitheater, and the Buttes rise like jagged teeth behind them. The water was a piercing alpine blue. It was like being in the Dolomites in Italy: sharp ridges, sheer rock, magically framed by the blue sky and water.

A family paddled across the lake with their dog. It was quiet, as though the grandeur was too vast for crowds. California is beautiful—we thought. Alas, it was time to return. We stopped in Downieville for ice cream. It was expensive, but a nice treat. We had it by the river. Back in the car, the windy road widened as the mountains gave way to the farmland of Central California. Then, we were back to San Jose, after a few hours of driving in intermittent traffic.

A weekend simple and essential. The mountains offered what they always do: silence, beauty, renewal. We are grateful for these gifts of life. We should not take them for granted!

Our budget

It was a wonderful weekend, and reasonably priced:

• Campsite: $60 total (though typically ~$20/night without advance reservation)
• Gas: about $100 (for about 440 miles roundtrip from San Jose, ~$4.50/gal and ~20 mpg)
• Food: $60 (groceries and prep before leaving)
• Beer: $10 (local store in Sierra City)
• Ice cream in Downieville: $10 (expensive treat)
• Miscellaneous (firewood, snacks, trail mix, small supplies): $20

Estimated total: around $260 for two people, or about $130 each.