Page 101 - 2025-2026 Travel Guide to California

TOBKATRINA/SHUTTERSTOCK
City & Town
Connected by gondola to the Heavenly ski
resort, the bustling town of South Lake
Tahoe, located on the lakeshore and the
Nevada border, has seen an injection of
energy and interest in recent years. With a
large inventory of hotel rooms and a clu-
ster of hotel-casinos just a few steps over
the border, it’s a good bet for inexpensive
lodging. In Truckee, a handsome old rail-
road and lumber town between Donner
Pass and Squaw Valley, a collection of Old
West historic buildings along Commer-
cial Row houses busy restaurants and
bars, some adorned with portraits of
gunslingers and desperadoes. Farther
south, sprawling Bishop sports the Owens
Valley’s most extensive collection of lod-
ging, dining and resupply outlets.
outdoor playground almost since the
arrival of the original 49ers. In Yosemite
Valley, spectators with telescopes watch the
progress of climbers inching their way up
the impossibly sheer granite walls. The
High Sierra is a hiker’s paradise, from easy
day walks in the Desolation Wilderness to
challenging, multi-week journeys through
Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks.
Skiers have their choice of world-class
venues, from beginner-friendly Granli-
bakken to the double-diamond chutes of
Squaw Valley and Heavenly. In summer,
many of the resorts—particularly Northstar
and Mammoth—convert their lifts and gon-
dolas to carry mountain bikes.
The Great Outdoors
The Sierra Nevada has been California’s
Heritage & Culture
Native Americans, pioneer emigrants and
gold miners all left their mark on the High
Sierra. At Grinding Rock State Historic Park,
Miwok Indians once ground acorns on an
SPECIAL EVENTS 2025
TRI-COUNTY FAIR An annual fair featuring livestock shows, carnival rides, live entertain-
ment and traditional fair food. Mar. 14-15, Bishop tricountyfair.com
AMERICAN CENTURY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP It has been called the “Super Bowl of
Celebrity Sports,” with pro athletes and Hollywood celebrities competing for their share of a
$600,000 purse. July 9-13, South Lake Tahoe americancenturychampionship.com
OAKHURST FALL FESTIVAL A community festival featuring live music, local crafts, food
vendors and family-friendly activities. Oct. 10-12, Oakhurst oakhurstchamber.com/Fall-Festival
MUST
SEE,
DO
• OLDEST TREES Bristlecone pines growing
high in the White Mountains are the world’s
oldest trees, some surviving nearly 5,000 years.
To visit them, follow Highway 168 east from the
town of Big Pine. An easy, mile-long trail winds
through the Schulman Grove.
• bishopvisitor.com/activities/bristlecone-forest
• CLIMBING “CALIFORNIA’S EVEREST”
At 14,505 feet, Mount Whitney is the highest
summit in the contiguous U.S. It is also, surpris-
ingly, the most frequently climbed peak in
California—thanks to a well-graded, 11-mile trail to
the top. Very fit hikers make it up and down in
one long, arduous day. Sounds tough, but it’s so
popular there’s a lottery for the coveted permits.
• nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/whitney.htm
• MOUNTAIN HAMLET The picturesque
town of Markleeville (pop. 187) is the largest
metropolis in Alpine County, California’s least
populated county. It makes a great base for
fishing excursions and for soaking up the Sierra’s
version of fall colors—the turning of the aspens.
• alpinecounty.com
• THE WILD, WILD WEST Possibly one of
the Old West's most notorious mining towns,
Bodie now exists in a state of “arrested decay” on
a high, windswept plain northeast of Yosemite. It’s
one of America’s most extensive ghost towns.
• www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509
• LAKE TAHOE SALMON RUN Salmon in
Lake Tahoe? Yes, every autumn the kokanee
salmon congregate by the thousands at the mouth
of Taylor Creek on the south shore to make their
spawning run upstream, drawing bears and mer-
gansers to dine, and people to look on in awe. The
site also has interpretive paths and a sunken
aquarium that suggests you’ve descended
beneath the surface of the creek itself.
• facebook.com/TaylorCreekVisitorCenter
CANOEING BENEATH THE SIERRA RAMPARTS,
above; Yosemite Valley, opposite.
2025-26 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 99