Page 25 - 2020 Travel Guide to California

Wilderness; taking to the lake waters to
enjoy paddle-boarding in the gorgeous
Mammoth Lakes Basin is another popular
must-do, as is walking in alpine meadows
speckled with wildflowers. In the fastness
of winter, skiing comes into its own;
indeed, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area,
averaging 400 inches of snowfall a year,
boasts some of the West’s best skiing and
snowboarding. If taking it easy amid out-
door splendors is more to your liking, take
in 360-degree views of the eastern Sierra
from a gondola on your way to the 11,053-
foot summit of Mammoth Mountain. For a
community of just 8,100 residents, Mam-
moth Lakes offers plenty of urban
pleasures, too. Among them: partying to
blues music and sampling some of the 50
craft beers at the annual summer Mam-
moth Festival of Beers and Bluesapalooza.
GILROY: Garlic, Outlet Shopping
& a Historic Paseo
Billing itself as the Garlic Capital of the
World, Gilroy celebrates every imaginable
edible aspect of the “stinking rose,” from
garlic-flavored ice cream and wine to irre-
sistible garlic-speckled fries, never more so
than at the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival
(July 24-26). Gilroy, a city of 58,000 at the
southern end of the Santa Clara Valley, both
honors the valley’s agricultural roots and
offers visitors a wide range of activities.
Gilroy Premium Outlets, 1.6 miles north of
downtown on the east side of US Route 101,
hosts 145 factory outlet stores selling
famous brands at steeply discounted prices.
City-owned Gilroy Gardens combines well-
kept landscaping with water features and
charmingly old-school theme park rides
such as paddleboats and a carousel on 530
engaging acres. Downtown Gilroy is the
city’s traditional core. A Welcome to Gilroy
kiosk at Monterey and Fifth streets offers
free maps to the Gilroy Historic Paseo,
which winds past the restaurants and shops
on lively Monterey Street.
EUREKA: Redwoods & Victorians
Tucked into the northwestern corner of
California, 270 miles north of San Francisco
on Humboldt Bay, Eureka has the largest
deep-water port between San Francisco Bay
and Washington’s Puget Sound. The city of
27,000 also serves as the unofficial capital
of the state’s Redwood Empire. Once famed
for its timber, mines and fisheries, today’s
Eureka is a leading West Coast purveyor of
succulent farmed oysters. Most signifi-
cantly for visitors, Eureka nurtures an
attractive preserve of Victorian architecture
such as the grand 1886 Carson Mansion at
2nd and M streets. Shops, restaurants and
B&Bs occupy some of the staggering 1,500
Eureka buildings listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. One million-
acre Six Rivers National Forest is a near
neighbor. Tall conifers grow in the forest’s
mountainous terrain. The Trinity, Klamath
and Smith rivers, among others, offer
whitewater rafting, fishing and kayaking.
Camping is available, usually by reserva-
tion, on terra firma.
» FIND YOUR
CITY FUN
Palm Springs
visitpalmsprings.com
Pasadena
visitpasadena.com
Yountville
yountville.com
Berkeley
visitberkeley.com
Ontario
gocvb.org
Mammoth Lakes
visitmammoth.com
Gilroy
visitgilroy.com
Eureka
visiteureka.com
2020 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 23