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Great Parks

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National Geographic Driving Guide: California

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This loop from Fresno around the southern Sierra Nevada mountains roams through a world of wonders, beginning with Yosemite and its sublime granite walls, alpine meadows, and rainbow-misted waterfalls. After a stop at North America’s oldest lake, there’s a side trip to Bodie, the West’s biggest (and once baddest) ghost town. The drive heads down the eastern scarp of the mountains to the recreation lands around Mammoth Lakes and Mount Whitney. A side trip to Death Valley explores an immensity of grit and blue skies. Finally, it visits the towering forests and uplifting backcountry of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. CONTINUED

- Fresno
- Yosemite National Park
- Bodie State Historic Park
- Mammoth Lakes
- Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
- Death Valley National Park
- Isabella Lake
- Sequoia National Park

(Continued From Top)

Fresno
The butt of countless jokes on late-night television shows, the monumentally nondescript agricultural city of Fresno (Visitors Bureau +1 559 233 0836 or 800 788 0836) is the gateway to Yosemite. But before you head for the exit, see the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of History, Science, and Art (1555 Van Ness Ave. +1 559 441 1444. Closed Mon.; Adm. fee), which has an interesting exhibit on native son and author William Saroyan. Also pop into the more contemporary Fresno Art Museum (2233 N. 1st St. +1 209 441 4220. Closed Mon.; Adm. fee), focused on American, Mexican, and Peruvian art. The city’s finest Victorian house, the Meux Home Museum (Tulare and R Sts. +1 559 233 8007. Fri.-Sun.; Adm. fee), was built with towers and gables in 1889 by a Civil War doctor. About 7 miles [11 kilometers] west of downtown, California’s “raisin king,” Theodore Kearney, built the 1903 French Renaissance château now restored as the M. Theodore Kearney Mansion Museum (7160 W. Kearney Blvd. +1 559 441 0862. Fri.-Sun.; Adm. fee), with art nouveau and Victorian furnishings.

Yosemite National Park
Head north on California 41 to the south entrance of one of the world’s natural shrines, Yosemite National Park (+1 209 372 0200. Adm. fee). Named for the Native Americans who once inhabited the valley, Yosemite encompasses almost 1,200 square miles [3,108 square kilometers] of the Sierra Nevada. Visit Mariposa Grove (Mid-May–mid-Oct.; Fee for tram), whose giant sequoias may live for nearly 3,000 years and weigh two million pounds [907,185 kilograms]. Biggest, and oldest at 2,700 years, is the Grizzly Giant, so lofty that lightning struck it six times during one storm.

Ahead on Wawona Road (California 41) are the historic cabins and covered bridge (1875) of the Pioneer Yosemite History Center. Farther ahead, turn onto Glacier Point Road (closed in winter), which climbs through red firs and lodgepole pines to one of the park’s—and America’s—most exhilarating, profound vistas, Glacier Point. Before you unfolds a view that makes your knees wobbly: High Sierra peaks in levitation beyond an airy chasm, granite Half Dome, and the Yosemite Valley down a 3,200-foot [975.4-meter] cliff. Arrive early and find a quiet spot.
Back on Wawona Road, emerge from the Wawona Tunnel to a timeless view of Yosemite Valley from El Capitan to Cloud’s Rest. Just ahead is Bridalveil Fall, which drops 620 feet [189 meters] from a “hanging valley,” a testament to the power of plate tectonics, glaciers, and running water.
Continue straight on one-way Southside Drive past Sentinel Rock to the heart of the park and Curry Village (Lodging reservations +1 559 252 4848). Road access continues to Pines Campground and Yosemite Valley Stables, while a hiking trail leads to postcard-perfect Vernal and Nevada Falls. On ahead is the trail to much-photographed Mirror Lake and Meadow. (One tip: To capture the lake reflecting nearby cliffs, go on a windless early morning or moonlit evening. The lake has water only in spring and early summer.) Nearby looms Half Dome, a thundering mass of granite; its summit soars 4,748 feet [1,447.2 meters] above the valley.
Looping west on Northside Drive, pause to learn about natural and human history at the Valley Visitor Center in Yosemite Village. Also peek into the nearby Ahwahnee Hotel (+1 559 252 4848), a classic 1927 lodge whose rustic design incorporates 5,000 tons [5,080.2 metric tons] of stone. The dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows and log pillars.
Drive on and spend s ome quality time at one of the world’s highest cascades, Yosemite Falls (Via short trail), which tumbles 2,425 feet [739.1 meters] down three drops. Farther ahead, forces of nature have eroded away most of the surrounding terrain, leaving the seemingly unbroken granite surface of El Capitan. Sweeping 3,245 feet [989.1 meters] above its base, this is one of the largest exposed monoliths on earth. (Those tiny specks moving slowly are climbers.)
Bear right on Big Oak Flat Road to Crane Flat, where you turn right on the Tioga Road (closed in winter). After a half mile [0.8 kilometer], you can make a side trip to the Tuolumne Grove of Big Trees, where a pedestrian-only road passes among impressive giant sequoias and through Yosemite’s last walk-through tree trunk.
Proceed up Tioga Road toward Yosemite’s high country. After 14 miles [22.5 kilometers] the mixed evergreen forest begins to thin. At Olmsted Point walk the quarter-mile [0.4-kilometer] trail to a spectacular viewpoint down to Half Dome and up to Tenaya Lake. Under a thin blue sky at 8,575 feet [2,613.7 meters] lies Tuolumne Meadows, where the Tuolumne River flows among wildflowers in midsummer. You’ll find a Visitor Center and access to trails (including the John Muir and Pacific Crest trails).
Leave the park via Tioga Pass (9,945 feet; 3,031.2 meters), the highest automobile pass in California. Once past glacial Ellery Lake the road begins a tortuous descent of the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada through Lee Vining Canyon (Beware of sheer drops and a distinct lack of guardrails).

On reaching US 395 at Lee Vining, detour a mile [1.6 kilometers] north to 730,000-year-old Mono Lake (Visitor Center +1 619 647 3044. Daily May-Oct., call for off-season schedule), where towers of white tufa (calcium carbonate) rise from startlingly blue water. Although Mark Twain called it the “Dead Sea of the West,” Mono Lake’s alkaline water supports alkali flies and four trillion brine shrimp that help lure 98 species of waterbirds, including 60,000 California gulls (March-Aug.). October brings some 800,000 eared grebes, so many that they look like pepper sprinkled on the lake. Near the southern shore stands 600-year-old Panum Crater, one of 21 volcanic cones that make up the continent’s youngest mountain range. For a rare contrast, look up from this sagebrush desert to the perennial snows of the Sierra Nevada.

Bodie State Historic Park
A side trip now takes you to the largest unrestored ghost town in the West, at Bodie State Historic Park (18 miles [29 kilometers] N via US 395, then 13 miles [20.9 kilometers] E on California 270; the last 3 miles [4.8 kilometers] are unpaved and difficult in muddy conditions, and closed by snow in winter. +1 619 647 6445. Adm. fee). Here the Methodist church, houses, livery stable, and 170 other buildings look as if people just wandered away, leaving pots on the stoves and aces on the gambling hall tables. In fact Bodie folded its hand more than 50 years ago. In 1880 this gold boomtown boasted 10,000 people, 30 mining companies, 65 watering holes, and a well-deserved reputation for violence. A little girl on her way there wrote a famous diary entry: “Goodbye God, I’m going to Bodie.” In the Miners’ Union Hall, a museum displays mining equipment and household belongings.
Heading south on US 395, consider a 15-mile [24.1-kilometer] detour along the June Lake Loop (Also known as California 158; 4 miles [6.4 kilometers] S of Lee Vining. Call Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center +1 619 647 3044. Northern portion of road closed in winter). On this scenic drive, you’ll visit four lakes set amid raw, rocky mountains, softened in late September by the gold of aspens. Oh! Ridge is named for its outstanding view of June Lake and Carson Peak (10,909 feet; 3,325.1 meters). The road leading to the Oh! Ridge Campground winds to June Lake’s sandy swimming beach.

Mule deer

Photograph © Steve Raymer

Driving south on US 395, you’re surrounded by Inyo National Forest (Call Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center +1 619 647 3044), enjoyed by all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts. Hikers traipse along trails frequented by bear and mule deer, while fishermen try their luck in the region’s trout-filled lakes. Boating and camping are also popular.

Mammoth Lakes
One of the forest’s busiest sections is the Mammoth Lakes area, the heart of which is Mammoth Lakes (Turn off at California 203. Visitors Bureau +1 888 367 6572. A bustling town, Mammoth Lakes is also the name for the surrounding region of mountains and small glacial lakes. The dormant volcano Mammoth Mountain (11,053 feet; 3,369 meters) is a popular ski resort and summer mountain-biking hub. For a god’s-eye view, ride up in the gondola (+1 760 934 2571. Adm. fee).
A top area attraction is 798-acre [322.9-hectare] Devils Postpile National Monument (+1 760 934 2289. June-Oct. Shuttle bus mandatory; Fare), where 60-foot-high [18.3-meter-high] columns of basalt appear to have been driven like pilings into the ground. Actually, they resulted when extruded lava flows cooled, then cracked. A short hike leads to the top, where you see what one ranger calls “nature’s tile floor,” created about 10,000 years ago when a glacier cleanly sheared off the column tops.
Continuing south on US 395, cross over the 7,000-foot [2,133.6-meter] Sherwin Summit, all rocks and evergreens. Then at Bishop, detour to the Laws Railroad Museum and Historical Site (4.5 miles [7.2 kilometers] N on US 6, then 0.5 mile [0.8 kilometer] on Silver Canyon Rd. +1 760 873 5950) to see the Slim Princess steam locomotive, vintage railroad cars, 1883 depot museum, and exhibit-filled historic buildings on 11 acres [4.5 hectares].

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
Out of Big Pine, make a side trip to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (12 miles [19.3 kilometers] via California 168 and 8 miles [12.9 kilometers] on White Mountain Rd. +1 760 873 2500. Paved to Schulman Grove. No gas, water, or services). Here, above 10,000 feet [3,048 meters] in the White Mountains, grow the world’s most ancient trees, bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva). Meeting a 4,000-year-old tree has an undeniable emotional impact. Here is an elder of the earth, bent by time and polished by wind, ice, and sand. Yet on a summer day the tree exudes youthful life, as surely as its bristled cones drip scented resin. At Schulman Grove, a Visitor Center (Daily mid-June—Sept., weekends early June and Oct.) has exhibits on the pines and tree rings, plus an interpretive trail. A 4.5-mile [7.2-kilometer] trail loops through Methuselah Grove, home of the Methuselah Tree, which has been growing for 4,723 years. Bow your head: This is the oldest tree on earth, growing here when pharaohs ruled ancient Egypt.
Take US 395 south to Independence and the Eastern California Museum (155 Grant. St. +1 619 878 0258. Closed Tues.). Artifacts from nearby Manzanar, the World War II relocation center, include a model train fashioned from tin cans and other items made by internees. Also on exhibit are Paiute and Shoshone baskets and beadwork.

Manzanar National Historic Site

Photograph © Michael S. Yamashita

Five miles [8 kilometers] south lies the Manzanar National Historic Site. You can’t make out much of the relocation camp, which housed 10,000 Japanese-Americans shamefully interred by the U.S. government along with Japanese aliens from 1942 to 1945. Just a few foundations and two stone guardhouses with pagoda roofs remain, but its desolation provokes thought.
When you reach Lone Pine, turn right at the town’s only traffic light onto Whitney Portal Road (closed mid-Nov.–April).On this side trip you’ll pass through the Alabama Hills, a movie and television location where the ghost of Hopalong Cassidy still chases bandits hiding behind the rocks. Ahead are the camping, picnic, and fishing areas of Whitney Portal. This is the base of Mount Whitney (Lone Pine Ranger Station +1 760 876 6200. Day and overnight hikes by permit only, late May–mid-Oct.; reservations highly recommended). The summit, at 14,494 feet [4,417.8 meters] the highest real estate in the lower 48 states, can be reached by a very strenuous 11-mile [17.7-kilometer] climb at the end of Whitney Portal Road (8,367 feet; 2,550.3 meters); allow two to three days.

Death Valley National Park

Afternoon storm, Death Valley National Park

Photograph © Craig Aurness/Corbis

It’s a quirk of nature that the most elevated point in the contiguous United States is situated so close to the lowest. You can “bottom out” on a side trip to Death Valley National Park (+1 760 786 2331. Adm. fee). From Lone Pine take California 136 past the Owens Lake Bed, which went dry after Los Angeles shunted Owens Valley streams into its aqueduct in 1913. Pick up California 190, crossing through the Panamint Range into Death Valley. This stripped-down kingdom of bent mountains, hammering heat, and big lonesomeness got its name in 1849 from pioneers desperately glad to be leaving. The basin’s record temperature is 134°F [56.7°C], exceeded only in the Sahara, and the desert sands may reach 200°F [93.3°C]. The average rainfall here is only 1.7 inches [4.3 centimeters] a year.
Just past Stovepipe Wells are 14 square miles [36.3 square kilometers] of sand dunes, a “lifeless” desert where kangaroo rats eat mesquite seeds and coyotes roam. At the junction where California 190 turns south, you can turn north for 35 miles [56.3 kilometers] to Scotty’s Castle (+1 760 786 2392. Food and gas available. Adm. fee), a complex of 1920s buildings in Spanish style, built with the deep pockets of a Chicago businessman and the grandiose dreams of a charming hustler known as Death Valley Scotty. Nearby is 500-foot-deep [152.4-meter-deep] Ubehebe Crater, caused by a volcanic steam explosion.
Go south on California 190 to Furnace Creek, where natural springs create a welcome oasis of date palms and even a golf course. This is a hub of visitor facilities and accommodations such as the elegant 1927 Furnace Creek Inn (+1 760 786 2345), whose swimming pool is fed by thermal water at 84°F [28.9°C]. The Borax Museum (Furnace Creek Ranch) shows wagons and a 1914 steam train from the Death Valley Railroad.
Badwater Road leads south to the Devil’s Golf Course, a jumble of crystal blocks that are 95 percent pure table salt. Ahead is the salty pool called Badwater at 279.8 feet [85 meters] below sea level. The Western Hemisphere’s low point lies a few miles west, at 282 feet [86 meters] below sea level. As you return north, detour on Artist’s Drive, named for its palette of reds and yellows (iron oxides), greens and violets (volcanic minerals).
Continue north to California 190 and turn southeast to Zabriskie Point, a lookout over ancient lake beds tilted into weird badlands. Continue to Dante’s View, where the classic scenery of Death Valley sweeps from salt flats up to the 11,049-foot [3,367.7-meter] summit of Telescope Peak.

Isabella Lake
Leave Death Valley on California 190 west. At US 395 head south through rocks and scrub to California 14, which you take to California 178. Go west alongside the South Fork Kern River to Isabella Lake(+1 760 379 5646), a popular fishing spot for trout, bass, and catfish.
Take Califoria 155 west to California 65, then head north until you reach California 198. Go east to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (+1 559 565 3341. Adm. fees), which cover an area the size of Rhode Island. The parks preserve a swath of the southern Sierra Nevada, a 400-mile-long [643.7-kilometer-long] mountain range that is basically one gigantic uplifted block, mostly granite. During the last ice age, it was sculptured by the grinding passage of glaciers into U-shaped canyons, sawtooth ridges, and lakes. Here on the western flank grow giant sequoias, the largest living things on earth.

Sequoia National Park
After entering Sequoia National Park on the Generals Highway, stop for information at the Foothills Visitor Center (+1 559 565 3341. Obtain tickets for Crystal Cave if you plan to visit; Fee for cave). Then zigzag up through rugged foothills of chaparral and oak, keeping an eye out for the Hospital Rock picnic area, where there are bedrock mortars and pictographs (probably made for religious purposes) left on an overhanging rock by ancient Yokuts; the rock got its name because early settlers with illnesses or broken bones would rest here in its shelter.
Ahead, Crystal Cave Road leads to Crystal Cave (Daily mid-June–Labor Day; Fri.-Mon. May, early June, and Sept. Obtain advance tickets at Foothills Visitor Center; Adm. fee). Stone formations resemble curtains, a rank of organ pipes, and other curious creations of cavedom. Drive on, perhaps taking the side road (turn off at Giant Forest Village; closed in winter) to Crescent Meadow, where spring wildflowers grow in a marshy clearing amid giant sequoias. You pass granite Moro Rock, where steps lead to a spectacular view of the southern Sierra Nevada.
As you travel through the Giant Forest, stop at the General Sherman Tree, in volume the world’s biggest living thing—274.9 feet [83.8 meters] tall and 102.5 feet [31.2 meters] around, with a trunk weighing about 2.8 million pounds [1.3 million kilograms]. Nearby, the Congress Trail loops past giant sequoias that writer-naturalist John Muir described as “heaving their massive crowns into the sky from every ridge and slope.”

Generals Highway leads on to Kings Canyon National Park (+1 559 335 2856 or +1 559 565 3341. Road closed in winter past Hume Lake), where you turn north onto California 180. Stop for park information at the Grant Grove Visitor Center. In the hushed cathedral of Grant Grove stands the world’s third largest tree, a rust-colored archbishop about 2,000 years old.
Ahead, you leave the park for a while. Past the side road to Hume Lake, stop at Junction Overlook, where rough peaks frame the confluence of the South and Middle Forks of the Kings River. This is one of North America’s deepest gorges, making a 7,800-foot [2,377.4-meter] rise from the river to the top of Spanish Mountain—greater than Arizona’s Grand Canyon. Tours are offered at Boyden Cavern (+1 209 736 2708. Adm. fee), which features your typical caveitems, such as stalactites and stalagmites.
After re-entering the national park, the stream-carved V-shaped canyon changes to a magnificent U-shaped valley, created by moving, debris-laden glaciers that cut through during the ice age like immense rasps. Shaggy incense cedars give their name to Cedar Grove, a hiking hub. Consider a stop at Zumwalt Meadow where a nature trail leads to a view of the Kings River, marshes, and granite monoliths. At Road’s End, trails wander into the pristine backcountry that makes up more than 85 percent of the park.
To finish the drive, take California 180 back downhill and continue west to Fresno.