California Visitors Guide 2014 - (Page 16)

PLAY Hearst Castle S. Fork American River 14,776 feet W WINTER inter is California's extreme season, with snow piling deep at ski and snowboard meccas like Mammoth Mountain, Big Bear, and Lake Tahoe resorts, while California's desert parks, like Anza-Borrego and Death Valley, start to put on raucous wildflower shows. Fandom hits a fever pitch as the awards season sweeps in, with exciting events includ16 | VISITCALIFORNIA.COM F SPRING rom cascades of creamy blossoms atop Joshua Tree National Park's namesake giant yuccas to bright pink rhododendrons at the Mendocino Botanical Gardens, California's spring beckons. Look for wildflowers among volcanic outcrops at Pinnacles National Park (the country's newest) inland from Monterey, or Squaw Valley along scenic Highway 49 snaking through the Gold Country foothills, as green as Ireland, but flecked with California's namesake poppies. Spring means snowmelt, and that means waterfalls. Standouts include Yosemite's rainbow- and mist-cloaked plumes tumbling thousands of feet down granite walls. Another showstopper: the 129-foot, fern-trimmed Burney Falls-not California's biggest or highest falls, but one of its most beautiful- in the state's northeast corner. Sierra snowmelt also swells the Kern, Tuolumne, and American Rivers, creating epic white-water rafting and paddling adventures. Want less adrenaline, more Zen? Stroll flower-lined paths in San Marino's magical Huntington Botanical Gardens (near Los Angeles), or sip green tea amidst springtime cherry blossoms in San Francisco's Japanese Tea Garden. Sometimes it's good to relax after all that play. -MATT JAFFE KODIAK GREENWOOD (2); KEOKKI FLAGG California's mountains take on an unforgettable autumn beauty. Eastern Sierra aspen groves paint slopes gold near Mammoth Lakes and east of Difference between 14,494-ft. Mount Whitney (tallest peak in the lower 48) and the lowest spot in Lake Tahoe. In the Cascade Range North America, Badwater Basin, 131 miles east northwest of Redding, drive uncrowded in Death Valley (282 feet below sea level) roads through a riot of fall color. Autumn is also harvest time, and top farmers' markets, like the ones in Davis, ing the celeb-magnet Palm Springs International Film Festival in January, culminating Santa Monica, and Ojai overflow with fall's with the Academy Awards in March. bounty. It's crush time at vineyards stateWintry weather is a perfect time to visit wide, with places like iconic Napa Valley, California's outstanding museums, like the Paso Robles, and Temecula Valley staging events and activities during September (Cal- de Young and Legion of Honor in San Francisco, the Broad Contemporary and other ifornia Wine Month). Beer fans get seasonal museums in the Los Angeles County Mulove too, thanks to celebrations like Firesseum of Art complex, the Haggin Museum tone Walker Brewing Co.'s "Oaktoberfest" (Stockton's secret gem), San Jose Museum on the Central Coast, craft brews like spicy of Art and nearby Tech Museum, Oakland Autumn Maple from Orange County's celebrated The Bruery, or Decadence by San Museum of California's new natural science wing, and the nearly 20 museums and culDiego's Alesmith Brewing Company. tural sites within San Diego's Balboa Park. http://www.VISITCALIFORNIA.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of California Visitors Guide 2014

California Vacation Guide 2014
Table of Contents
Travel Planning Info & Extras
Insider
The Years of Living Playfully
Down on the Farm
Califashionistas
Chef's Favorites
Live Tv Shows
Three Dream Days
Why We Love California Snow Resorts
Good Sports
Wine Country Discoveries
Theme Parks at Night
Urban Base Camp
Parks With Perks
Statewide Resources & California Welcome Centerssm
Free Advertisers’ Info
California City Index

California Visitors Guide 2014