Gateway To Yosemite

The foothills of the central Sierra Nevada region feature well-preserved gold-rush-era towns, and consequently, movie history. We'll take a trip back in time in Columbia State Historic Park, Sonora, and Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown. We'll drive to the funky town of Groveland on our way to Yosemite National Park, where we'll visit the giant sequoia trees and the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir nestled in the now-flooded "Little Yosemite Valley." Lastly, we'll discovered several "locals only" waterfalls on the road into Yosemite. This is an excellent companion to the Yosemite Valley tour.

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Chapters in this tour:
     Gateway Into Yosemite
     Columbia Preserved
     Jamestown: Railtown
     Groovin’ in Groveland
     North Yosemite
     Waterfall Side Adventures

Transportation:

By Car

Specialty:

Historical/Heritage, Highway/Countryside, Off the Beaten Path

Category:

Guided Tour - play before & while you tour

Tips in this Tour:

	Pan for gold at Columbia State Historic Park. Call (209)532-0150 or go to www.parks.ca.gov for more information. Jamestown also offers private tours; visitors learn how to pan for gold, and then are taken out to the rivers so they may try their luck.
	Tuolumne County is 133 miles east of San Francisco. The main roads on this picturesque drive are Highways 108 and 120 from the west and Highway 49 from the north. Highway 120 traverses a pristine expanse reaching into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The road is considered to be the most scenic and direct route to Yosemite National Park. Take your time getting to Yosemite; the drive is half the adventure!
	Other historic sites and museums not covered in this tour but also worth a visit:
	Tuolumne County Museum and History Center, Sonora (209)532-1317
	Tuolumne City Memorial Museum, Tuolumne City (209)928-3516 Sonora Fire Department Museum, Sonora (209)532-7432
	Groveland Yosemite Gateway Museum, Groveland (209)962-0300
	www.grovelandmuseum.org
	Veterans Memorial Hall and Military Museum, Sonora (209)533-0923
	Other recreation areas worth a visit:
	Yosemite National Park (209)372-0200 www.nps.gov/yose
	Emigrant Wilderness (209)532-3671
	Stanislaus National Forest (209)532-3671 www.fs.fed.us/r5/stanislaus/
	Don Pedro Lake (209)852-2396 http://www.donpedrolake.com/
	New Melones Lake (209)785-3300
	Lake Tulloch (209)881-0107
	Tuolumne River www.tuolumne-river.com

Click to see how our tours display--tons of images with either text or narration--much better than any audio tour because you can see the sites. It's like having a friend show you around, with priceless advice and insider information, to enjoy at your own pace. Our samples feature different locations throughout the year.

Provider: Brad Olsen

Brad Olsen is a Contributing Editor for World Explorer magazine and has written several guide books. His seventh, “Sacred Places Europe: 108 Destinations,” was released in March, 2007. The second edition of "Sacred Places North America: 108 Destinations" was released in 2008 and won the "Best Travel Guide for Planet Earth" Award in 2010. Brad's commentaries have appeared on National Public Radio, CNN and the Travel Channel. He enjoys extended global travel (particularly to exotic locations), and public speaking on the subject of sacred places.

Other Tours by this Provider

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	Archaeological Sites Of Sedona, AZ
	Aspen And Snowmass In The Winter
	Breathtaking Yosemite Valley
	Brunei: The Last Malay Kingdom
	Burning Man: Nevada's Annual Instant City
	California's Point Reyes National Seashore
	Chicago's Front Yard: Grant Park
	Chicago's Lakefront Navy Pier
	Chicago's Lincoln Park

Other Tours in this Area

	Breathtaking Yosemite Valley
	Bodie, California: Mining Town In Pristine Preservation