Page 106 - 2024/2025 Travel Guide to CALIFORNIA

KENNEDY MEADOWS HORSEBACK RIDING, above; skiing at Mammoth, right; zip lining at Lake Tahoe, below.
State Historic Park near the town of Twain Harte, Miwok Indians once ground acorns on an outcrop of marbleized limestone. Some 1,185 mortar holes they left behind constitute the largest such collection in North America. In the Hope Valley, just south of Lake Tahoe, you can still see ruts in the rocks left by the covered wagons of settlers on the Emigrant Trail. The shafts of thousands of abandoned mines pockmark the High Sierra. One of the best places to see one is the Great Sierra Mine, a short but steep hike from Tioga Pass in Yose- mite. You’ll find the remains of old miners’
cabins, but exercise care around the shafts, several of which remain open and unfenced.
Family Fun
If the kids aren’t yet ready for full-on camping, Lake Tahoe has two old-timey resorts with knotty-pine cabins scattered in the trees near the lakeshore, with bike, paddleboat rentals and ice cream parlors. Camp Richardson is on the west shore, near Tahoe City; Zephyr Cove is on the south shore, just over the border in Nevada. camprichardson.com zephyrcove.com
INSIDER’S TIP
For an intimate and unusual exploration of MONO LAKE, rent kayaks to paddle around the weirdly picturesque TUFA TOWERS and other landmarks.
calderakayak.com
MACKENZIE RODGERS; MAMMOTH LAKES TOURISM; RACHID DAHNOUN/LAKE TAHOE VISITORS AUTHORITY