Great Places — On Your Own
There are so many great places to visit and only so much time to travel. At Green Concierge Travel, we can help you find where you want to go and set up a trip that will allow you to explore these places in a way that is in tune with your values. See some of our special itineraries to learn more about how you can travel in style while supporting local economies and the environment.
Giant Redwoods and the Sierra Foothills
Whether you are looking for a classic gold rush town complete with boardwalks, wine tasting or viewing some of the country's most amazing scenery, this is a trip to put on your to do list. Ideas for things to do and places to stay can be found below. This should provide a start for creating a personalized itinerary for your trip to the Mother Lode!
Plan for a minimum of five nights to take in this region of CA. Winter can be quiet and the animals descend from the high country. Cross country skiing and snow shoeing provide intimate access to Yosemite Valley or the Giant Sequoia groves. Some of the roads can be closed in winter and winter travelers should plan on carrying chains. Spring brings green to the hills and water to the waterfalls. In summer you will find hot days tempered by cool evenings in the mountains. And in the fall, the weather and temperature are the best but water levels will be lower and the hills will be brown.
Linger at wineries and stroll amongst the giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum). These immense trees live in groves in the narrow band of foothills of Sierras from the American River to southern Tulare County and Visalia. While not the tallest trees, these trees tower at heights over 200 feet with impressive girths of 200 inches. It may be difficult to visualize the true size of these giants without going into your backyard or park and measuring the largest tree.
Scenery and Sites
California Indian State Museum
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=486
Sacramento, CA
(916) 324-0971
The Museum is open daily except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The State Indian Museum portrays the cultures of the state's first inhabitants through exhibits and artifacts. Museum artifacts include basketry, beadwork, clothing and exhibits about the ongoing traditions of various California Indian tribes. A section of the museum features a hands-on area, where visitors can try their hand at using traditional Indian tools.
Calaveras Big Trees State Park
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=551
Arnold, CA off of Route 4
Calaveras became a State Park in 1931 to preserve the North Grove of giant sequoias. This grove includes the "Discovery Tree", the first Sierra redwood noted by Augustus T. Dowd in 1852. This area has been a major tourist attraction ever since, and is considered the longest continuously operated tourist facility in California.
Crocker Art Museum
http://www.crockerartmuseum.org/
Sacramento, CA
The Crocker Art Museum, located near Old Sacramento, house some interesting collections including early and contemporary California art and photographs from Carleton Watkins and Ansel Adams. Both of these photographers, Watkins in the 1800s and Ansel Adams in the 1900s, documented the splendid scenery of the Sierra Nevada mountains and foothills, Yosemite and the redwoods.
Historic Gold Rush Towns – the Mother Lode
The foothills provide a wonderful expose into early California settlers and dreamers. When gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill just north and east of Sacramento, the people rushed in to seek their fortune. A string of small towns, artifacts and historical sites can be found along Historic Highway 49 which winds its way through the foothills.
Key stops for exploring the gold rush include Coloma where gold was discovered, Angels Camp, Mariposa gateway to Yosemite, and Columbia a designated historic state park. The town's old Gold Rush era business district has been preserved and with living history enactors and proprietors visitors experience a bygone era. You can ride a 100 year-old stagecoach, pan for gold, and explore the businesses.
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=484
Coloma, CA on Highway 49 between Placerville and Auburn)
Gold was discovered at this site in 1848, sparking the largest migration in Western history and changing California forever. Visit the museum and historic buildings, picnic along the river, hike the Monroe Ridge Trail or along the South Fork American River, and get up close to wildlife in the foothills. Open seasonally from Labor Day to Memorial Day weekend. And of course, you can try your hand panning for gold.
Mercer Caverns
http://www.mercercaverns.com/index.html
Murphys, California
(209) 728-2101
The Caverns are open all year round from 10 AM to 4:30 PM. This living limestone cave contains a variety of mineral deposits. Open to the public for over 100 years, the managers of the site have updated the exhibit taking care to present the caverns in their original beauty. Protected and preserved these ancient formations means this gift of nature will be there to share with all who visit this area.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park
http://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm
This is California's oldest National Park. Most of the Park is wilderness area with limited accessibility. However, there is road access from the west via Highways 198 and 180. There are great vistas, high sierra scenery, waterfalls and trails. And of course big trees.
Please call 559-565-3341 (dial 1, 4) for the most up-to-date road and construction info. To plan your visit and for more information about the park: http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/index.htm
Sutter's Fort State Historic Park
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=485
Sacramento, CA
(916) 445-4422
This is the oldest restored fort in the West. Construction on the adobe fort began in
1840 by Captain Johann Augustus Sutter. The fort includes the grounds and historic relics' museum. The collections include writings and photographs in additional to other objects from early CA life. The fort is used for many educational operations.
Yosemite National Park
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/index.htm
Visiting Yosemite could be the focal point of your trip. You can spend several days taking in all the scenery from the valley floor to the high country. Try one or more of the numerous day hikes in Yosemite Valley of varying length and intensity. Check the web site http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/valleyhikes.htm . Drive to the Valley floor, park and use the Valley shuttle if that works with your plans.
Above the valley, don't miss the Wawona and Mariposa redwood groves on the south entrance Wawona Road (Highway 41). Take a tram or day hike to visit the Wawona or Mariposa Grove of redwoods. Trails leave from the Wawona Hotel area and from a limited parking lot below the Mariposa Grove. During peak visiting times (summer), shuttles can take you to the Mariposa Grove where you can ride or walk as you choose. (http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wawonahikes.htm). The Mariposa Grove Road is closed from November or December until sometime in April, depending on conditions. When the road is closed, visitors may still walk, ski, or snowshoe on the road.
Transportation
Getting There
To get to the Sacramento area and the Sierra foothills, you need to fly, ride or drive into the area. Buses serve the area as does Amtrak and local rail service.
Rail/Amtrak: The Capital Corridor route runs between San Jose and Auburn connecting the Bay Area with Sacramento and foothill communities. Sacramento is also a stop on the California Zephyr which runs between Chicago and Oakland via Denver and Salt Lake City. And the Coast Starlight stops in Sacramento en route between Los Angeles and Seattle serving Santa Barbara, Oakland/San Francisco, Eugene, and Portland. Connecting bus service may be available to Yosemite.
Getting Around
Biking: Biking in this area is not for the timid. Climbs into the foothills mean large elevation changes and some smaller roads. Bike riders should take note that the foothills area has been a stage feature on the Tour de California – and not because it's a sprinter stage! However, this does not mean that biking locally with the National Parks or the historic communities along the way is out of the question.
Yosemite National Park and Wawona-Mariposa Groves
Yosemite Valley Shuttle System: Yosemite Valley shuttle provides service around eastern Yosemite Valley, including stops at or near all overnight accommodations, stores, and major vistas. This shuttle operates all year from 7 am to 10 pm.
El Capitan Shuttle: This bus stops at El Capitan, Four Mile trailhead, and the Valley Visitor Center. This shuttle operates from mid-June through early September from 9 am to 6 pm.
Wawona-Mariposa Grove Shuttle: The free Wawona-Mariposa Grove shuttle bus shuttles passengers between Wawona and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias spring through fall. The bus picks up and drops off passengers at the Wawona Store, South Entrance, and at the Mariposa Grove Gift Shop. The Mariposa Grove Road closes several times each day from spring through fall when the parking lot becomes full. Visitors arriving on the shuttle bus are guaranteed access into the Mariposa Grove even when the parking lot is closed.
Wawona to Yosemite Valley Shuttle: This free bus departs daily from the Wawona Hotel at 8:30 am and from the Wawona Store at 8:35 am. Return trip departs from Yosemite Lodge at 3:30 pm. Operates approximately Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park
Inside the park: Three interlinking shuttle routes within the park (green, gray, and purple). Three routes run May 26 through September 25, 2011.
City of Visalia to the Park – The Sequoia Shuttle: Runs from the City of Visalia, through Three Rivers, and up to the Giant Forest Museum, where you can transfer to a park shuttle. A round-trip ride costs $15, and covers the park entrance fee.
Lodging
Sequoia National Park:
Wuksachi Lodge
http://www.visitsequoia.com/lodging.aspx
(866) 807-3598
Located inside Sequoia National Park, the Lodge is located at 7,000 feet surrounded by the mountains and forest. The Lodge is located 78 miles east of Fresno and conveniently located in the Giant Forest area of the National Park.
Outside Yosemite:
Evergreen Lodge at Yosemite
http://www.evergreenlodge.com/index.html
209-379-2606 / 800-935-6343
Located just outside Yosemite off RTE 120 (.5 mile on Rte 120 and then 7 miles up Evergreen Rd), the Evergreen Lodge includes cabins, restaurant, tavern, recreation center and a general store. Pack lunches are available for order. The lodge is rustic and family friendly. The lodge provides a true mountain experience located at 4600'. The drive to Yosemite Valley floor takes about 45 min to an hour.
Columbia:
Harlan House
http://www.harlan-house.com/index.htm
(209) 533-4862
Located in the Historic town of Columbia, the Harlan House Bed and Breakfast offers several room options including the wine cellar suite. A handsome Victorian, the Harlan House is located on a small hill opposite the School House vintage 1860s. Innkeeper Samantha will welcome you and make sure you have a pleasant stay in Columbia.
Sacramento:
Sacramento Hostel
http://www.norcalhostels.org/sac/
Sacramento, CA
(916) 443-1691
Why not stay in a gold rush mansion in the middle of the capitol? Located in the 1885 Llewellyn Williams mansion, the Sacramento hostel offers several different room arrangements. A variety of room choices exist from private rooms with twin beds to single sex bunk rooms. Some of the rooms come with a private bath. Not a hostel member? A $3 fee is added per night for non-members.
If you want help putting together your trip to the Giant Sequoias and the Sierra Foothills, contact Green Concierge Travel at 1877.200.2844 or info@greenconciergetravel.com. We look forward to planning your trip to the Mother Lode!
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