2024-25 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 101
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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.
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bishopvisitor.com/activities/bristlecone-forest
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CLIMBING "CALIFORNIA'S EVEREST"
At 14,495-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.
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nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/whitney.htm
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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.
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alpinecounty.com
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THE WILD, WILD WEST Possibly the Old
West's most notorious mining town, 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.
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www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509
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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.
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facebook.com/TaylorCreekVisitorCenter
OUTDOOR DINING IN SOUTH LAKE TAHOE,
above; hiking in Yosemite National Park with
Half Dome, opposite.
The range is home to three national
parks, 15 state parks, two national monu-
ments and more than two dozen officially
designated wilderness areas. Hikers get
itchy feet at the mere mention of its cele-
brated walking paths: the John Muir Trail;
the Tahoe Rim Trail; the Pacific Crest Trail;
and the Tahoe-Yosemite Trail. At the drop
of winter's first snowflake, skiers begin
making plans for the three premier ski
resorts on America's West Coast: Squaw
Valley (site of the 1960 Winter Olympics),
Heavenly and Mammoth Mountain.
Streams rushing down the range's sheer
east slope into the Owens Valley are
renowned for their fly fishing.
Geographically speaking, the mountain
range is pretty much one big chunk of gra-
nite tilted like a badly placed brick in a
cobblestone street. It's gently sloped on the
west side and quite steep on the east, lower
in the north and higher in the south. Keep
that in mind when choosing a hiking trail.
For an easier amble, look to the north and
west; for a challenging ascent, head south
and east.
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
"LIGHTS ON THE LAKE," Held each Fourth of July at South Lake Tahoe, it is the largest
synchronized fireworks show west of the Mississippi. July 4 visitlaketahoe.com/events/lights-on-
the-lake-fireworks-display
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 10-14, South Lake Tahoe americancenturychampionship.com
LONE PINE FILM FESTIVAL The hundreds of Hollywood westerns and other movies filmed
in and around Lone Pine, from 1925's Riders of the Purple Sage to 2008's Ironman, are cele-
brated here. Oct. 10-13, lonepinefilmfestival.org
MUST
DO
SEE,
SPECIAL EVENTS 2024
