Top things to do

With their massive stature and multi-millennium maturity, the chunky high-rise sequoias of Mariposa Grove will make you feel rather insignificant. The largest grove of giant sequoias in the park, Mariposa is home to…

If you drove, the views from 7214ft Glacier Point might make you feel like you cheated – superstar sights present themselves to you without your having made hardly any physical effort. A quick mosey up from the park…

At Bodie State Historic Park, a gold-rush ghost town is preserved in a state of 'arrested decay.' Weathered buildings sit frozen in time on a dusty, windswept plain. To get there, head east for 13 miles (the last th…

The warm colors and rounded contours of the Alabama Hills, located on Whitney Portal Rd, stand in contrast to the jagged, snowy Sierras just behind. The setting for countless ride-‘em-out movies, the popular Lone Ra…

North America’s second-oldest lake is a quiet and mysterious expanse of deep blue water whose glassy surface reflects jagged Sierra peaks, young volcanic cones and the unearthly tufa (too-fah) towers that make the l…

A stark wooden guard tower alerts drivers to one of US history's darkest chapters, which unfolded on a barren, windy sweep of land some 5 miles south of Independence. Little remains of the infamous war concentration…

With wall tapestries, oil paintings and ornate chandeliers, the Californian-French restaurant at Château du Sureau could be a castle. But you don't have to be royalty to eat here (and the service is notably unstuffy…

Equally popular with tourists and locals dining out for special occasions, Convict Lake is widely considered to be the best restaurant within a 100-mile radius. Expertly prepared fish and meat dishes like Scottish s…

A restored 1922 lodge owned by the family of photographer Ansel Adams, this elegant yet casual lakefront restaurant makes everything from scratch and has correspondingly delectable views. Stop in for the occasional …

Railroad and Old West aficionados should make a detour off Hwy 6 to this museum. It recreates the village of Laws, an important stop on the route of the Slim Princess, a narrow-gauge train that hauled freight and pa…