California Road Trips - 2020 - 24

ROAD TRIPS 2020

Hetch Hetchy

DISTANCE: 168 MILES * STARTS: SACRAMENTO

Hanford
House Inn

Knight Foundry
Kennedy Gold Mine Tours

Rosebud's Cafe

Moaning Caverns
Adventure Park

Gold Rush history and Yosemite's expansive wilderness await
n Hetch Hetchy Valley
in Yosemite National
Park, sheer granite
cliffs and domes frame an eightmile-long lake, its edges graced
by gushing cataracts. Hetch
Hetchy Reservoir's most important job is supplying 2.7 million
Californians with drinking water,
but nature lovers are drawn to
its pristine meadows and quiet
backcountry trails.
Take advantage of the
flourishing coffee scene in
Sacramento and fuel up with
a Temple Coffee pour-over or a
Chocolate Fish nitro flash brew
to start your journey. Sweep
through Highway 16's rolling
grasslands to join Highway 49
winding south to Sutter Creek.
Browse Fine Eye Gallery for
one-of-a-kind jewelry, and watch
artists transform molten glass
into vases at Chaos Glassworks.
Get a blacksmithing lesson at
Knight Foundry, a relic from mining days. Rest up at the elegant
Hanford House Inn, then move
on to Jackson in the morning.
Tour the Kennedy Gold Mine

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24 | VISITCALIFORNIA.COM

to learn how 1800s miners
extracted gold from hard rock.
Lunch on a goat cheese salad
or lamb burger at farm-to-fork
Rosebud's Cafe, then push
south on 49, slowing down for
the Mokelumne River canyon's
tight curves.
East of Angels Camp,
stretch your legs with a walk to
Natural Bridges, a limestone
cave you can swim through, or
explore the magnificent underground world at Moaning Caverns. Proceed to Jamestown,
where Railtown 1897 State Historic Park offers excursion rides
on steam locomotives. A long,
zig-zagging ascent up Highway
120 brings you to Groveland.
Poke into the Iron Door Saloon,
California's oldest continuously
operating bar, its ceiling covered
in crumpled dollar bills. Then
drive out to Rainbow Pool for
a dip in the Tuolumne River's
chilly waters.
Cruise north to Yosemite's
Hetch Hetchy entrance and
stroll across O'Shaughnessy
Dam's concrete crest. On the

Evergreen
Lodge

Railtown 1897 State
Historic Park

Groveland

Hetch
Hetchy
Reservoir

YOSEMITE
NATIONAL
PARK

WORTH A DETOUR
Photo opp: Capture an inspiring
mountain landscape at Minaret Vista
in Mammoth Lakes.
More adventure: Kayak or canoe
around the strange tufa towers in the
high-alkaline waters of Mono Lake in
the Eastern Sierra.
AREA OF DETAIL

San Francisco
Los
Angeles

San
Diego

Sip side trip: Tiny
Plymouth overflows with vineyards: Try Scott
Harvey Wines,
Helwig Vineyards,
and Sobon Estate.

dam's far side, a two-mile trail
traces the shoreline to boisterous Wapama Falls, roaring with
spring snowmelt.
After a hike in Hetch Hetchy,
a microbrew will hit the spot, so
backtrack to Evergreen Lodge.
With a cabin here or at sister
property Rush Creek Lodge, you
can roast s'mores and stay up
late to admire the stars.

ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

Sacramento to
Hetch Hetchy Valley

SACRAMENTO
http://www.VISITCALIFORNIA.COM
California Road Trips - 2020

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