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»CA.SPORTS & OUTDOORS MUIR BEACH and nearby hills are popular spots for winter hikes and campfires, left; coyotes like this one are a common sight in Death Valley, below. forests and sweeping mountain scenery. South of Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain is a world-class ski resort, while still farther south, Big Bear offers up skiing within a reasonable commute from Los Angeles, enabling the highly motivated to surf and ski in a single day. Outside of the ski resorts, snowmobiling gives the opportunity for high-speed motor sport fun, while at a slightly slower pace (and sometimes equally noisy) dogsledding is a way to share a winter sport with some furry friends. For the adventurous, remote backcountry skiing, ice climbing and hut-to-hut hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains can feed one's hunger for adrenaline. The Great Outdoors Step away from organized resort sports and there's still a wealth of winter outdoor activities in California. The bears may be hibernating but that doesn't mean you have to as well Avoiding the hot summer months means visitors can enjoy temperate winter hiking and camping opportu-nities in desert parks such as Death Valley, Joshua Tree and around Palm Springs (but be forewarned that the nights can still get frigid). Prior to snowfall, the Sierra Nevada mountain forests are ablaze with colorful fall foliage, making a drive through the hills a prime "shoulder season" activity. Wintertime means an escape from the summer crowds in famed Yosemite National Park. Visit the near-empty wilderness to enjoy a quiet blanket of snow covering towering cliffs, the sun glistening off frozen waterfalls and the muffled clomping sound of guided snowshoe tours. Hot springs around Mammoth Lakes provide some toasty outdoor relaxation with a view of snowcapped mountains. Or, perhaps bundle up and climb a mountain for some prime star-gazing opportunities in the crisp mountain air, then add a few more layers and try some ice fishing in a high alpine lake. Winter also is the time when visitors can spot many animals migrating south to follow the sun. From massive gray whales to miniature monarch butterflies, flocks of birds in the central wetlands and pods of seals come to mate on the shores of the Pacific, the world's wildlife also seems to think that California's outdoors is a great place to visit in winter. CA » FIND YOUR SPORT Winter Sports Skiing skilaketahoe.com mammothmountain.com bearmountain.com sugarbowl.com xcski.org Hiking/Camping yosemitepark.com deathvalley.nationalparks.org nps.gov/state/ca parks.ca.gov Wildlife whalewatching.com/california birding.com/wheretobird/california.asp dfg.ca.gov/wildlife 2 0 1 3 t r av e l g u i d e to c a l i f o rnia 5 3