Page 146 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

INSIDER’S
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TIP
Just south of Yosemite, a stretch
of the Sierra Nevada is so
irresistibly picturesque that
they named it the “Ansel Adams
Wilderness” in honor of
America’s premier landscape
photographer. From the
gateway town of MAMMOTH
LAKES, it’s also one the range’s
most accessible areas.
sierrawild.gov/wilderness/
ansel-adams
144 2014 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
The range is home to three national
parks, 15 state parks, two national monu-
ments and 20 officially designated
wilderness areas. Hikers get itchy feet at the
mere mention of its celebrated walking
paths: the John Muir Trail; the Tahoe Rim
Trail; the Pacific Crest Trail; the Tahoe-
Yosemite Trail. At the drop of winter’s first
snowflake, skiers begin making plans for
the three premier ski resorts on America’s
West Coast: Squaw Valley (site of the 1960
Winter Olympics), Heavenly and Mam-
moth Mountain. Streams rushing down the
range’s sheer east slope into the Owens
Valley are renowned for their fly fishing.
Geologically speaking, the mountain
range is pretty much one big chunk of granite
tilted like a badly placed brick in a cobble-
CYCLING IS ANOTHER GREAT way to
get around Mammoth Lakes, above;
a visitor reads about the giant sequoias
in Sequoia National Park, left.
stone street: It’s gently sloped on the west
side and quite steep on the east, lower in the
north and higher in the south. Keep that in
mind when choosing a hiking trail: for an
easier amble, look to the north and west; for
a challenging ascent, head south and east.
City & Town
Now connected by gondola to the Heav-
enly ski resort, the bustling town of South
Lake Tahoe, located on the lakeshore and
the Nevada border, has seen an injection of
energy and interest in recent years, with
new restaurants, shops and galleries. With
a large inventory of hotel rooms and a
cluster of hotel-casinos just a few steps
over the border, it’s a good bet for inexpen-
sive lodging. In Truckee, a handsome old
railroad and lumber town between Donner
Pass and Squaw Valley, a collection of Old
West historic buildings along Commercial
Row now houses busy restaurants and
bars, some adorned with portraits of gun-
slingers and desperadoes. Farther south,
sprawling Bishop sports the Owens Valley’s
most extensive collection of lodging,
dining and resupply outlets.
ROB VAN ESCH/SHUTTERSTOCK. REBECCA GARRETT/MAMMOTH LAKES TOURISM