Thanks everyone
There are different routes to Yosemite, and each passes near different gold-rush-era towns:
highway 120:
- Knights Ferry (off highway; old buildings, covered bridge open to pedestrians but not cars)
- Jamestown (railroad museum), Sonora (perhaps the largest of the old gold-rush towns). These towns are a small detour from the direct driving route to Yosemite.
- Chinese Camp (off highway)
- Big Oak Flat
- Groveland
highway 132 (not the usual route to Yosemite)
- Coulterville
highway 140
- Mariposa
There_s a nice museum just a couple of miles south of Mariposa on highway 49 -- the California State Mining and Mineral Museum.
When are you going to Yosemite? If you go in the next few weeks, the waterfalls will be great, but the roads through the high country and to Glacier Point won_t yet be open. If you go late in the summer, the high country will be open but the falls will have lower volume (and Yosemite Falls will dry up completely).
Highlights of the park from now until fall are:
- Yosemite Valley. This is the most famous part of the park, and one of the most spectacular sights anywhere. There are flat trails along the valley floor. If you_re a good walker, the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall or Nevada Fall is fantastic. If you_re a really good walker, there_s a great trail to the top of Yosemite Falls -- well-maintained but strenuous. There are other trails also -- talk to the rangers or buy a map/guidebook.
- short trails in Yosemite Valley to Lower Yosemite Fall and Bridalveil Fall
- Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. This has beautiful giant sequoias in a grove near the southern entrance to the park. You can make a short trip to see some of the largest trees, or you can spend an entire day hiking through the grove. There are much smaller groves (Merced and Tuolumne) in other parts of the park.
- Tunnel View, at the lower end of the tunnel on the road from the Valley toward Wawona
If you_re there in the summer, additional highlights are:
- Glacier Point (on the south edge of Yosemite Valley)
- Tuolumne Meadows and the entire drive across the park on highway 120 to Tioga Pass (and continuing east to Lee Vining on highway 395). Lots of hiking trails take off from this road, particularly around Tuolumne Meadows. There_s also an incredible turnout (with a large parking lot) at Olmsted View.
Yosemite National Park is a big place, but you really shouldn_t miss the places listed above.
The other answer mentions Mono Lake, which is a good suggestion (provided you go after highway 120 is opened -- typically around Memorial Day). I could go on for more paragraphs about interesting things east of the Sierra, but that_s a whole different topic. There_s also more to see in the Sierra foothills (western Sierra) such as several caves open to the public, but they_re well out of the way of a drive to Yosemite.
---
one more tip:
If you belong to AAA, you should stop in an AAA office in San Francisco or the Bay Area before you leave, and pick up maps of Yosemite and the Gold Country. (They also have a map called _Mother Lode Guide Map_ that highlights points of interest in the gold country.) If you don_t belong to AAA, you might stop at a convenience store in the Sierra foothills and try to get a detailed local map. The typical statewide map of California that many tourists bring doesn_t have enough detail for real exploration.
If you have lots of extra time and a good map, almost any minor road through the Sierra foothills will take you through beautiful uncrowded country. (Not all are paved, however, and most have lots of curves.) They_re particularly nice in the spring, when everything is green. (examples: The roads through Merced Falls and Hornitos, or Ben Hur Road south of Mariposa.) The main highways to Yosemite have lots of traffic, and detouring onto the backroads gives you an entirely different way to experience the beauty of California.
in east yosemite, there is mono lake, very erotic style.
No comments:
Post a Comment