For the latest on COVID-19 (Coronavirus) click here
Thomas H. Story/ Sunset Publishing
Northern California
Northern California
Discover the High Sierra
More Ideas
Snow-covered peaks in winter, gushing waterfalls in spring, wildflower meadows and glistening lakes in summer, vibrant colors in fall—this is a land of dramatic and wild beauty. World-class mountain resorts circling turquoise-blue Lake Tahoe, and at Mammoth Lakes cater to all, with scenic ski trails in winter and trails and vistas in summer.
Yosemite Valley…is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and gold and wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.” --photographer Ansel Adams
Yosemite National Park, a World Heritage Site, is here, roughly 3½ hours east of San Francisco. Whether you hike a mountain, ski the steeps, or lounge in a hot tub beneath a canopy of stars, you’ll find your perfect getaway.
More Ideas
Credit: Deb Snelson/Getty Images
Highway 395 Road Trip
Cruise through mind-boggling beauty on this desert-and-mountain drive
On the Sierra Nevada’s eastern side, U.S. Highway 395 skirts the intersection of arid desert and alpine mountains, their chiseled summits soaring...
Danita Delimont/Alamy
Spotlight: Pacific Crest Trail
How to hike (a part of) the spectacular trail in California
The Pacific Crest Trail extends for a whopping 2,650 miles from Mexico to...
Room/Getty Images
Lone Pine
Discover the natural beauty and another side of California in a historic Owens Valley small town
Head to Lone Pine to see a different side of California—one that is less connected to...
USOC/NBC Olympics
California Questionnaire: Jamie Anderson
The first-ever Olympic slopestyle gold medalist is a proud product of Lake Tahoe
Jamie Anderson has already won gold in South Korea and the 2018 Winter Games haven't even begun yet. At the official Olympic...
SPECIAL FEATURE
Find whitewater rafting fun for all—from newbies to nerves-of-steel experts
Think of a river, and chances are you’ve got your own daydream. Maybe you want to float on inner tubes, or maybe your style is to careen through raucous rapids in an eight-person inflatable raft....
Groveb/Getty Images
John Dickey/TandemStock.com
CALIFORNIA QUESTIONNAIRE: Alex Honnold
The El Capitan free-solo rock climber explains his love for Yosemite and more California favorites
On June 3, 2017, Honnold became the first person to ever ascend El Capitan, the 3,000-foot granite wall in...
In Yosemite Valley, the Merced River drops over 594-foot Nevada Fall and then 317-foot Vernal Fall, creating what is known as the Giant
Staircase.
![Discover the High Sierra IMG_3821[1]](https://www.visitcalifornia.com/sites/visitcalifornia.com/files/styles/welcome_image/public/IMG_3821%5B1%5D.jpg)
At 14,505 ft. above sea level, Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous United States.
Colby Brown
Spotlight: Yosemite National Park
Visit a natural wonder framed by towering cliffs, polished granite, and free-leaping waterfalls
Famous for its plunging cataracts and massive granite formations, this unparalleled...
CLIF Bar/Mason Mashon
California Questionnaire: Jeremy Jones
The professional snowboarder’s biggest conundrum is deciding which Sierra Nevada adventure to tackle next
As a pioneer of big mountain snowboarding, professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones has climbed treacherous backcountry peaks all over the world just...
December
Enter Yosemite Valley to travel back in time to Christmas Past. Heraldic horns sound throughout Yosemite National Park's elegant...
Lana Spicer
Toni Zernik
Truckee
This charming mountain town is the central hub for North Shore destinations
Up and over the hill from Lake Tahoe’s north shore, Truckee offers an easy base for an...
SPECIAL FEATURE
family-friendly resorts, snowy escapes
High Sierra peaks, deep drifts on a Mammoth volcano, family-friendly resorts, snowy escapes on the edge of Yosemite and more—California has enough alpine destinations to keep any skier or boarder...
SPECIAL FEATURE
Relax after a day on the slopes
Kicking back after you kick off your boots is a snow-country tradition, and there’s plenty of post-slopes fun at California’s top alpine resorts. Have a beer or warm up with an Irish coffee, dance...
Jeff Enegerbretson
Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.
Sierra Adventure
January-February
Experience one of California’s most magical winter settings, The Ahwahnee Hotel (formerly The Majestic Yosemite Hotel),...
Courtesy of DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite
Rachid Dahnoun/Aurora Photos
Spotlight: Lake Tahoe
At this High Sierra gem, brilliant blue water, alpine scenery, and four-season outdoor recreation beckon
Blue as a topaz and encircled by majestic peaks, the massive Lake Tahoe straddles the...
Rebecca Garrett
Spotlight: Mammoth Lakes
Discover high-alpine beauty and all-seasons adventure in this laidback mountain enclave
Surrounded by some of the highest peaks in the West, residents of this Eastern Sierra town know they’ve got a good thing going. It’s a place that...
As it lay there with the shadows of the mountains brilliantly photographed upon its still surface, I thought it must surely be the fairest picture the whole earth affords.
July - August
With a pine-and-peak alpine setting and a relaxed and friendly ambiance, this appealing event in Bear Valley, roughly halfway between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite, includes performances by outstanding...
Courtesy of Bear Valley Music Festival
Steve Calderaro
Spotlight: Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Side-by-side national parks celebrate the largest trees on earth, the highest point in the lower 48, and one of North America’s deepest canyons
Famous for their giant sequoias, soaring mountains, deep canyons, and roaring rivers, this tandem set of parks abound with astounding sights, but...
Amy Meredith/Flickr
Bass Lake
Visit a mini Tahoe south of Yosemite
Some think of Bass Lake, the pine-trimmed reservoir about a half-hour’s drive south of Yosemite National Park’s south entrance, as a smaller...
Kodiak Greenwood
Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve
Visit bizarre formations, cinder cones, and a super-salty lake
There are few places in California—and maybe on the planet—that can make you think you might just be on Mars. This is one of them. At this high-...
Kodiak Greenwood
Bodie
Tour the eerie remnants of a former boomtown
There's something eerily appropriate about bumping down the dusty desert road that winds the final few miles into Bodie State Historic Park. Round...
Courtesy of DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite
Bishop
Explore an outdoorsy adventure town with an artistic side
Bishop brims with outdoor activities. Situated at the north end of the Owens Valley, with close access to some of the Sierra’s most dramatic high...
Alex Farnum
Guided Adventures
Learn to climb, join a pack trip, and more
While there are plenty of ways to play on your own in the High Sierra, there’s a whole host of ways to learn a new activity, like how to catch and...
Lucas Himovitz
Calaveras Big Trees State Park
Look up at (and learn about) amazing giant sequoias
Established in 1931 to preserve a stunning stand of giant sequoias, this park...
SPECIAL FEATURE
From Gold Rush history to the 8th wonder of the world, visit these favorites
Amy Meredith/Flickr
The General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park is the largest (by volume) tree in the world.
SPECIAL FEATURE
Gold Rush history, epic high-country landscapes, hidden wine country, and charming country towns
Granite monoliths, waterfalls, alpine meadows—it’s no secret that Yosemite delivery some seriously big wow moments. But what is a secret is the bounty of awesome things you can see and do on your...
Kodiak Greenwood
Courtesy of Mammoth Chambers of Commerce
Manzanar National Historic Site
Learn about a sobering time in U.S. history
During World War II, thousands of Japanese-Americans were moved from their homes throughout the West and brought to internment camps like Manzanar...
Jeff Moser/ Flickr
Grover Hot Springs State Park
Soak in naturally heated mineral pools
Nestled in a notch of the High Sierra about an hour’s drive southeast of Lake Tahoe, mineral springs bubble up from the earth, a testament to the...
California
California’s northeast corner is an outdoor-lover’s paradise, with safe-to-explore volcanoes, hushed forests, and trout-filled rivers. This is the place for blue-ribbon...
California
Romance finds a home in this idyllic coastal land, where ocean fog rolls in from the ocean to blanket hushed redwood forests. Along more than 100 miles of coast, artists...
Spotlight: San Jose
So much of the magic of the modern era happens invisibly and at nano scale, but The Tech Interactive—or simply “The...