Page 145 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

DRIVE
»
TOUR
»
MUST
SEE,
DO
» Hiking Half Dome Walking to the top of
Yosemite’s Half Dome, a strenuous, all-day
journey with almost a mile of vertical elevation
gain, has become one of California’s most sought-
after adventures. The last 400 feet are via an airy
set of metal cables attached to the rock as hand-
railings. Permits are required, and advance
reservations (via lottery) are essential.
› nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/halfdome
Highway 120 is a magical mystery tour through the heart of Yosemite
National Park’s exquisite high country. From the handsome old mining
town of GROVELAND, follow 120 east into the park (HETCH HETCHY, the
fraternal twin of Yosemite Valley that was dammed to provide San
Francisco’s water supply, is a short side trip) past the TUOLUMNE GROVE of
giant sequoias and up into the rarified alpine world. Pull over at OLMSTEAD
POINT to view HALF DOME from an angle you’ve never seen before. You’ll
traverse TUOLUMNE MEADOWS, the jumping-off point for some of
Yosemite’s finest hiking trails, and cross 9,943-foot TIOGA PASS before
descending three-quarters of a vertical mile to shimmering MONO LAKE.
» Biggest Tree Tree-huggers, don’t bother
trying to wrap your arms around the General
Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park. With a cir-
cumference of 102 feet, the giant sequoia is the
largest known tree on the planet. While not quite
as tall as its coastal cousins, its staggering girth
more than makes up for it.
› nps.gov/seki/naturescience/sherman.htm
» Long Live Mono Set in a brooding, volcanic,
Mordoresque landscape, Mono Lake is one of the
most otherworldly sights in California, with spiky
tufa towers rising out of an alkaline lake. Explore it
by kayak or canoe, or take a guided naturalist walk
along the shoreline.
› monolake.org
› calderakayak.com
» The Wild, Wild West Bodie, possibly the Old
West’s most notorious mining town, now exists in a
state of “arrested decay” on a high, windswept plain
northeast of Yosemite. It’s one of America’s most
extensive ghost towns.
› parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509
» On the Lake Take a tour across Lake
Tahoe into mesmerizing Emerald Bay aboard an
authentic Mississippi River paddlewheeler. They
depart several times a day from Zephyr Cove and
South Lake Tahoe.
› zephyrcove.com/cruises.aspx
THERE’S LOTS OF ROOM to ride around
Mammoth Lakes, left; sunset on El Capitan
in Yosemite National Park, opposite.
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