Sierra Nevada Travel Guide
Mountain range in the Western United States, with the vast majority of the range lies in California, features include Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, twenty-six wilderness areas, ten national forests, and two national monuments
Places to See in the Sierra Nevada
Yosemite National Park
Park in the western Sierra Nevada of Central California, internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity
Kings Canyon National Park
Rugged, glacier-carved valley more than a mile deep. Other natural features include multiple 14,000-foot peaks, high mountain meadows, swift-flowing rivers, and some of the world's largest stands of giant sequoia treesPark in the western Sierra Nevada of Central California, internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity
Sequoia National Park
Known for its giant sequoia trees, including the General Sherman tree, the largest tree on Earth by volume, the Giant Forest, which contains five of the ten largest trees in the world, and the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney
Lake Tahoe
Largest alpine lake in North America, Lake Tahoe is a major tourist attraction and home to winter sports, summer outdoor recreation, and scenery enjoyed throughout the year
U.S. Route 395
557-mile route that serves as a connection to the Los Angeles area for the communities of the Owens Valley, Mammoth Lakes and Mono Lake.
Overview
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin, and it is home to some of the country’s most famous scenery. Visitors come for Yosemite Valley, giant sequoias, alpine lakes, and granite peaks, as well as skiing, hiking, climbing, and backpacking.
The range includes Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon national parks, as well as Lake Tahoe, Mount Whitney, historic Gold Rush towns, and the scenic drive along U.S. 395.
Geography
The Sierra runs about 400 miles north to south and is 50 to 80 miles wide. The western slope rises gradually from the foothills, while the eastern side drops steeply in a high escarpment above the Owens Valley and Great Basin. Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet, is the highest peak in the contiguous United States. The range is mostly granite that formed deep underground more than 100 million years ago, then was lifted and carved by glaciers into valleys, domes, and cliffs.
History
The Miwok, Paiute, Washoe, Mono, and Yokuts peoples lived in and around the mountains for thousands of years. The Donner Party was trapped by snow in the Sierra in the winter of 1846–47, and gold discovered at Coloma in 1848 started the California Gold Rush in the western foothills. The transcontinental railroad crossed the range over Donner Summit in 1869. Naturalist John Muir helped make the Sierra famous and founded the Sierra Club in 1892, and Yosemite Valley was first protected by the federal government in 1864.
Cities and Towns
Gateway towns include Truckee and South Lake Tahoe in the north, Mariposa and Oakhurst near Yosemite, Three Rivers at the entrance to Sequoia, and Mammoth Lakes, Bishop, and Lone Pine on the east side. Gold Rush towns such as Nevada City, Placerville, and Sonora preserve historic downtowns.
National Protected Areas
Yosemite National Park is known for Yosemite Valley, El Capitan, Half Dome, and its waterfalls. Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park protect giant sequoias such as the General Sherman Tree and deep glacial canyons. Devils Postpile National Monument has a wall of basalt columns, Manzanar National Historic Site preserves a World War II incarceration site, and the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail and John Muir Trail run along the crest.
State Parks and Historic Sites
Calaveras Big Trees State Park protects giant sequoia groves, Emerald Bay and Donner Memorial state parks sit near Lake Tahoe, and Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve has the lake’s tufa towers. History is preserved at Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma, Columbia State Historic Park, Empire Mine State Historic Park, and the ghost town of Bodie State Historic Park.
Seasons and Best Time to Visit
Summer is the main season for hiking, camping, and climbing, with high mountain roads such as Tioga Road in Yosemite usually open from late May or June until the first big snow in the fall. Spring is the time for peak waterfalls in Yosemite and wildflowers in the foothills, and fall brings golden aspens along the eastern Sierra in October. Winter is ski season at Tahoe, Mammoth, and other resorts, and chains are often required on mountain roads. Many high-elevation roads and trails close from November until early summer.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sierra Nevada", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Additional information is from the National Park Service pages for Yosemite National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Devils Postpile National Monument, and Manzanar National Historic Site, and California State Parks.