Author Archives: Helena Guglielmino

Helena Guglielmino is a Reno-based writer and backpacker. Her stories on environment, adventure, and culture have been published by Roadtrippers, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Reno News & Review, Outdoors Unlimited, and more.

Bottle brush regrowth on redwoods recovering from fire

Post-fire Big Basin offers visitors a “forest of hope”

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Nearly five years have passed since the CZU Lightning Complex fires devastated Big Basin Redwoods State Park, but many people are still keeping their distance from the park. “A lot of locals are hesitant to come here,” says Debra Martwick, …

Woman in a pink jacket walks down a fern-lined hiking trail in a misty redwood forest

5 wonderful winter hikes in the redwood forest

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Something magical happens to California’s redwood forests during winter. Clouds insulate the trees from the outside world, making a walk among these giants feel cozy and nostalgic. The rains conjure up the earthy smell of the soil and the brisk …

A hiker wearing a bright red jacket and a gray backpack walks through a redwood forest carpeted with giant ferns.

Redwoods backpacking, the antidote to stress

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Sometimes modern life can feel like a daunting list of deadlines, debt, and difficult decisions. But all it takes to unzip from these everyday stresses is to walk deep into a redwood forest to live for a weekend, sustained by …

Yosemite cabins: Getaways to the giant sequoias

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For those who long to wake up and head out for a hike among towering giant sequoias (and who doesn’t?), Yosemite is an evergreen dream come true. The national park is home to three unique groves of giant sequoias—Mariposa Grove, …

A large giant sequoia is surrounded by a wooden fence along a snowy path

Magical winter backpacking in Mariposa Grove

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Camping among Yosemite’s giant sequoias reveals wonders off the beaten path. Camping in Yosemite in wintertime when everything is wrapped in a blanket of snow can be especially magical.