Volcan Mountain

I hiked this one at the end of February, and I was lucky that it wasn’t too cold and there was no longer snow on the peak. About 1/3 mile from parking along the road, there is the gateway to the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve and, seriously, the nicest Johns ever. There were a TON of blooming manzanita on the trail, so later in the morning when it warmed up, there were a bunch of bees too.

I took the Five Oaks Trail detour about .8 miles up, which was a nice secluded trail with oak overage and farmland view. The trail overall was steep but steadily steep; it felt just right. There were incredible viewpoints on the way up in every direction with layered mountain vistas.

About a mile from the peak, I stopped to put on my hat and sunscreen and saw two coyotes about 100 yards off in a clearing. I clapped loudly to make my presence known, and they steered clear, luckily.

The true peak is a little hard to find. I went off of what The Hiking Guy points out in his guide. After finding the peak, I sat at a nearby memorial bench and enjoyed a quick break and snack before heading back down.