Page 26 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

SUMMER SPORTS
BY BILL FINK
The Outdoors Are Calling
Mountains, lakes, rivers and seashores present a glorious summer playground
CLIMBING CAPITAL
Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan
might be the world’s most famous
granite face, but California has
countless other sites that draw
climbers from around the world,
including Joshua Tree National
Park, Pinnacles National Park and
Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows. For
scenic views, it’s hard to beat Twin
Crags in Tahoe City, with Lake
Tahoe in the distance, above.
The California ideal of sun, surf and sand
has been popularized in decades of film
and TV shows, from Beach Blanket Bingo to
Baywatch. But visitors to California in the
summer can discover even more of the
state’s natural beauty heading inland to
majestic national parks.
Sports
Take a walk to the pier in Manhattan Beach
in Southern California on any given day and
you’ll see surfers whipping around the
waves, volleyball players diving in the sand,
and bikers and skateboarders rolling along
the Strand. Drive the hills near San Francisco
on a sunny weekend afternoon, and in a
matter of minutes you’ll pass pelotons of
road bikers, and hikers, horseback riders and
mountain bikers launching onto trailheads.
In the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge,
fleets of sailboats ride ocean breezes, while
the wind powers kiteboarders and wind-
surfers into acrobatics as mellow joggers
and their dogs enjoy the spectacle from
shoreline pathways. North and south, young
and old, Californians love their sports, and
the state provides limitless opportunities to
ply your favorite or try a new one.
24 2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
PLACER COUNTY/ERIK BERGEN. OPPOSITE: VISIT SANTA CRUZ COUNTY; MORRO BAY CVB; LARRY HABEGGER