Page 100 - 2025-2026 Travel Guide to California

HIGH SIERRA
The Range of Light provides peace, tranquility
and countless recreational activities
B Y J O H N F L I N N
TOP CITIES
South Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Tahoe City, Bishop,
Mammoth Lakes, Oakhurst, Madera
INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY
Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO),
3 miles from Reno, Nevada city center
TOURISM WEBSITES
Yosemite.com
travelyosemite.com
visitinglaketahoe.com
visitlaketahoe.com
yosemitethisyear.com
visitmammoth.com
gotahoenorth.com
bishopvisitor.com
POPULATION
192,233
HIGH
SIERRA
“Of all the mountain ranges I have climbed,” wrote John
Muir, “I like the Sierra Nevada the best.” It’s not just the
glacially polished granite that drew the renowned natu-
ralist—it’s the pristine lakes and rivers, and the contrast between
the green meadows and stony battlements.
The Sierra Nevada may be one of the most majestic mountain
ranges in North America, but it’s also one of the most accessible.
Stretching 400 miles from north to south, and about 70 miles
from east to west, it’s crossed by several highways. It encom-
passes everything from Lake Tahoe to remote canyons in
Yosemite or Kings Canyon national parks where you can spend a
solitary afternoon watching Muir’s favorite bird, the water ouzel,
diving into the cascades.
In a state with no shortage of superlatives, the region has more
than its share. It is home to the world’s oldest known tree, the Old
West’s largest ghost town, the nation’s highest waterfall and home to
the nation’s highest summit in the lower 48 states (Mount Whitney).
The range is home to three national parks, 15 state parks, two
national monuments and more than two dozen officially desig-
nated 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, and the Tahoe-Yosemite Trail.
98 2025-26 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA