Page 31 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

BASKING IN THE WINTER SUN and the
view of Half Dome at Glacier Point,
Yosemite National Park, right; Squaw
Valley Ski Resort and Lake Tahoe, bottom.
marshmallows and hot cocoa for dessert.
Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing
courses dot the Tahoe area, offering a brisk
aerobic workout amidst pine forests and
sweeping mountain scenery.
South of Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain
boasts a world-class ski resort, while Big
Bear Mountain offers skiing within a rea-
sonable commute from Los Angeles,
enabling the highly motivated to surf and
ski in a single day. Outside of the ski resorts,
snowmobiling provides high-octane motor
sport fun, while dogsledding is a way to
enjoy a different sort of ride with some furry
friends. For the adventurous, remote back-
country skiing, the increasingly popular
“sidecountry” Alpine Touring connected to
the ski resorts, ice climbing and hut-to-hut
hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains can
feed one’s winter hunger for adrenaline.
The Great Outdoors
Step away from organized resort sports and
there’s still a wealth of winter outdoor
activities in California. The bears may be
hibernating but that doesn’t mean you have
to as well. Avoiding the hot summer
months means visitors can enjoy temperate
winter hiking and camping opportunities
in desert parks such as Death Valley, Joshua
Tree and around Palm Springs (but be fore-
warned that the nights can still get frigid).
Prior to snowfall, the Sierra Nevada moun-
tain forests are ablaze with colorful fall
foliage, making a hike through the hills a
prime “shoulder season” activity.
Wintertime provides an escape from the
summer crowds often found in Yosemite
National Park. Visit the near-empty wilder-
ness to enjoy a quiet blanket of snow
covering towering cliffs, the sun glistening
off frozen waterfalls and the muffled
clomping sound of guided snowshoe tours—
and then retire to one of their lodges for
special winter food and wine events. Hot
springs around Mammoth Lakes provide
toasty outdoor relaxation with a view of
snowcapped mountains. Or, perhaps bundle
up and climb a mountain for prime star-
gazing opportunities in the crisp and clear
mountain air, then add a few more layers and
try some ice fishing on a high alpine lake.
Winter also is the time when visitors can
spot many animals migrating south to
follow the sun. From massive gray whales
to miniature monarch butterflies, flocks of
birds in the central wetlands and pods of
seals come to mate on the shores of the
Pacific, the world’s wildlife also seems to
think that California’s outdoors is a great
place to visit in winter.
» FIND YOUR
SPORT
Skiing
onthesnow.com/california/skireport.html
xcskiresorts.com/western-us/
Hiking/Camping
travelyosemite.com
nps.gov/state/ca
www.parks.ca.gov
Wildlife
whalewatching.com/california
audubon.org/news/birding-california
wildlife.ca.gov
2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 29