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 153
Heritage & Culture
Native Americans, pioneer emigrants and
gold miners all left their marks on the
High Sierra—often literally. At Grinding
Rock State Historic Park near the town of
Twain Harte, Miwok Indians once ground
acorns on an outcrop of marbleized lime-
stone. The 1,185 mortar holes they left
behind constitute the largest such collec-
tion in North America. In the Hope Valley,
just south of Lake Tahoe, you can still see
ruts in the rocks left by the covered
wagons of settlers on the Emigrant Trail.
The shafts of thousands of abandoned
mines pockmark the High Sierra. One of
the best places to see one is the Great
Sierra Mine, a short but steep hike from
Tioga Pass in Yosemite. You'll find the
remains of old miners' cabins, but exercise
care around the shafts, several of which
remain open and unfenced.
Family Fun
If the kids aren't yet ready for full-on
camping, Lake Tahoe has two old-timey
resorts with knotty-pine cabins scattered in
the trees near the lakeshore, bike and
paddleboat rentals and ice cream parlors.
Camp Richardson is on the west shore, near
Tahoe City; Zephyr Cove is on the south
shore, just over the border in Nevada.
camprichardson.com zephyrcove.com
INSIDER'S
TIP
»
The food choices at the
TIOGA
GAS MART MOBILE STATION
outside Lee Vining go far
beyond Corn Nuts and
SLIM
JIMS
. Lobster taquitos, wild
buffalo meatloaf and jambalaya,
among other things, feature on
the rotating menu at one of the
most celebrated eateries in this
part of California.
whoanelliedeli.com
OVERLOOKING THE VALLEY toward Half
Dome, Yosemite National Park, opposite;
Zephyr Cove, Lake Tahoe, above; fishing among
Mono Lake's autumn colors, leV; classic ski
mural in Truckee, below.
