150 2 0 1 7 T R A V E L G U I D E T O C A L I F O R N I A
B Y J O H N F L I N N
"
T
he Range of Light" was John Muir's pet name for his
beloved Sierra Nevada. It's not just the ethereal lumi-
nosity of the glacially polished granite that drew the
renowned naturalist—and continues to draw people—to the Sierra
again and again. It's the pristine lakes and rivers, the dramatic
hiking and biking trails, the contrast between the green meadows
and stony battlements.
The Sierra Nevada may be one of the highest and most majestic
mountain ranges in North America, but it's also one of the most
accessible and user-friendly. Stretching 400 miles from north to
south, and about 70 from east to west, it's crossed by seven high-
ways—four of them open all year—and encompasses everything
from Lake Tahoe—where you might find yourself crowding
shoulder-to-shoulder around a boisterous craps table—to remote
canyons in Yosemite or Kings Canyon national parks where you can
spend a silent and solitary afternoon watching Muir's favorite bird,
the water ouzel, plunge into waterfalls and cascades.
In a state with no shortage of superlatives, the region has more
than its share: It can boast the world's oldest tree, the world's most
massive tree, the Old West's largest ghost town, the nation's highest
waterfall and—until Alaska came along and rewrote the record
books—the nation's highest peak.
TOBKATRINA/SHUTTERSTOCK
.
OPPOSITE:
DELAWARE
NORTH
HIGH
SIERRA
TOP CITIES
South Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Tahoe City, Bishop,
Mammoth Lakes, Oakhurst, Madera
INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY
Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO),
3 miles from Reno, Nevada city center
TOURISM WEBSITES
travelyosemite.com
visitinglaketahoe.com
tahoesouth.com
yosemitethisyear.com
visitmammoth.com
POPULATION
600,000
HIGH SIERRA
Living the high life in the Range of Light
