Yosemite National Park
At 1600 ft, Ribbon Falls, only seen from the west side of El Capitan, is the highest single drop falls in North America. There's no signage and no real…
Must-see attractions in Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
Eastern Sierra
This museum contains one of the most complete collections of Paiute and Shoshone baskets in the country, as well as artifacts from the Manzanar National…
Yosemite National Park
Metal cables anchored to boulders on both ends of this 40 ft span over the South Fork of the Merced River keep the wobbling relatively light. Nice spot…
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
About 15 miles east of Groveland, in the Stanislaus National Forest, Rainbow Pool is a popular swimming hole with a small cascade; it's signed on the…
Yosemite National Park
An iconic spot, both as a perfect foreground structure for photos of Half Dome in the distance and for its simple, elegant single-arch stone design over…
Yosemite National Park
These falls, on the north side of the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, fall more than 1000ft and are a worthy destination for a 5-mile round-trip hike from the O…
Mammoth Lakes
Year round, a vertiginous gondola whisks sightseers to the apex of Mammoth Mountain for breathless views of snow-speckled mountaintops. Leaves from near…
Giant Sequoia National Monument
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Created in 2000 and administered by the US Forest service, the Giant Sequoia National Monument includes two sections of protected forest totaling over 328…
Yosemite National Park
On the way to Glacier Point, less than a mile away, this viewpoint faces east toward the Clark Range, so no sweeping view of Yosemite Valley. Still,…
Mono Lake Region
The best place for swimming in Mono Lake is at Navy Beach. It’s also the best place to put in canoes or kayaks.
Kings Canyon National Park
The base of these 80ft falls is a short walk from Hwy 180, about 4 miles west of Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon. There's a picnic area here with bathrooms.
Yosemite National Park
These falls, pronounced twee-lala, drop more than 1000ft over a sheer granite cliff on the north side of the Hetch Hetchy reservoir.
Yosemite National Park
This lovely canyon, which includes a section that is part of the John Muir Trail, follows the Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne River.
Yosemite National Park
Lush wildflower-strewn meadow with a historic log cabin. Makes for a nice, leisurely stroll.
Yosemite National Park
This bridge over the Merced River has fantastic views of Half Dome and Yosemite Falls.
Yosemite National Park
Views of El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall can be had from this valley-floor turnout.
Yosemite National Park
There are panoramic views of Yosemite Valley from this 7385ft ridge lookout.
Sequoia National Park
The Potwisha people, a band of Monache (also known as Western Mono), originally lived at this site. When the first white settler, Hale Tharp, arrived in…
Sequoia National Park
In the 1930s, no one anticipated the development of monster SUVs. About 1.5 miles north of the Foothills Visitor Center, a flat granite boulder on the…
Mono Lake Region
The Upside-Down House, a kooky tourist attraction created by silent-film actress Nellie Bly O’Bryan, is worth a quick look. Originally situated along…
Pioneer Yosemite History Center
Yosemite National Park
Off Wawona Rd, about 6 miles north of Mariposa Grove, you can take in the manicured grounds of the elegant Big Trees Lodge and cross a covered bridge to…
California State Mining & Mineral Museum
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
Rock hounds should drive to the Mariposa County Fairgrounds, 2 miles south of town on Hwy 49, to see the 13lb ‘Fricot Nugget’ (the largest crystallized…
Three Rivers Historical Museum
Sequoia National Park
Holds a small collection of local ranching, mining and domestic artifacts, as well as an archive of historical photographs and newspaper clippings. The…
Yosemite National Park
Built in 1879, this chapel is Yosemite’s oldest structure that still remains in use, including for weddings. In 1885, President Ulysses Grant's memorial…
Mono Lake Region
The gavel has been dropped since 1880 at this courthouse, an all-white Italianate dreamboat surrounded by a gracious lawn and a wrought-iron fence. On the…
Sequoia National Park
On the northern side of the Giant Forest, Wolverton Meadow is at an elevation of 7250ft. It has picnic tables, hiking trailheads and a winter snow-play…
Sequoia National Park
Founded by the utopian Kaweah Co-operative Colony, this is one of the USA's smallest and oldest still-operating post offices, now staffed by volunteers…
Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Cultural Center
Eastern Sierra
A mile west of Hwy 395, this underutilized tribal cultural center and museum, run by the local Paiute Shoshone tribe, includes exhibits on local basketry,…
Eastern Sierra
Fans of Mary Austin (1868–1934), renowned author of The Land of Little Rain and vocal foe of the desertification of the Owens Valley, can follow signs…
Mammoth Lakes
For a walk down memory lane, stop by this little museum inside the historic Hayden log cabin, with photographs and artifacts from its heyday as a hunting…
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
A small historical museum complex with a one-room, 1882 schoolhouse, a log-cabin jail and a tiny museum displaying Native American baskets and pioneer-era…
Mono Lake Region
In an 1880 schoolhouse, this museum has mining artifacts on display from all the local ghost towns, plus a room of fine Paiute baskets. Only open during…
