California Official Visitor's Guide 2020 - 24

explore

TRANSPORT

Harmon
Guest House

SUSTAINABILITY

3 WAYS TO GO GREEN
IN THE GOLDEN STATE

rom the Yosemite Grant Act of 1864 to a
recent statewide goal of going 100 percent
carbon neutral by 2045, California has a
rich tradition of going green. Below are some
new eco-friendly ways to explore.
1. EXPLORE
Take a greener approach to getting around with
an eco-targeted tour. Trek Travel's Palm Springs
Yogascapes Bike Tour, new in 2020, combines
the natural beauty of Joshua Tree National Park
with the swanky vibes of Palm Springs. Get
a taste of van life by planning a road trip with
Escape Campervans. The newly released Santa
Cruz model is twice as fuel efficient as a traditional RV and features a double bed, kitchen,
and solar panel.
2. RESTORE
Maximize your give-back impact with a serviceoriented adventure. The Nature Corps Big Sur
volunteer vacation focuses on coastal restoration paired with hikes through Pfeiffer Big Sur
State Park. The Sierra Club also offers service
trips focused on land preservation across the
state: The February Service in Anza-Borrego
Desert State Park trip invites volunteers to

24 | VISITCALIFORNIA.COM

remove invasive plant species while enjoying
the height of California's wildflower bloom. For a
single-day adventure, head to Huntington Beach
where the Surfrider Foundation hosts monthly
Help Your Harbor days to clean up the ocean
aboard a kayak or paddleboard.
3. STAY
New and revamped hotels prove that luxury and
sustainability can go hand in hand. Healdsburg's
Harmon Guest House, which opened in 2018,
earned a LEED Gold certification thanks to its
visually arresting, eco-friendly design featuring glass, steel, and reclaimed wood, including
a lobby desk made from a fallen eucalyptus.
In San Francisco, the recently renovated Clift
Royal Sonesta Hotel updated guest rooms
with carbon-reduction controls. At the onsite
Redwood Room, try a seasonal cocktail sweetened with honey from rooftop bees. In Santa
Monica, stay at the beachfront LEED Gold-certified Shore Hotel, where a "green concierge"
team can tell you where to find eco-friendly
clothes or the best farmers markets. Further
north, the Brewery Gulch Inn in Mendocino offers Craftsman-style beauty made from timbers
eco-salvaged from the nearby Big River.

Planning a visit to the
Golden State's amazing
national parks or monuments? Take advantage
of new transit options designed to reduce driving
hassles and protect air
quality. Yosemite Area
Regional Transportation
System (YARTS) has
been escorting visitors
to Yosemite Valley from
Merced since 2000, but
now it offers summer
service from Fresno
Yosemite International
Airport, Oakhurst,
Sonora, Groveland, and
Mammoth Lakes. Bonus:
Riders don't pay the
$35 entrance fee and
on certain holidays, visitors ride for free (check
schedules on yarts.com).
Other parks have followed
Yosemite's lead: Take the
Sequoia Shuttle from
Visalia or Three Rivers
to see Sequoia National
Park's humongous trees
(from May through the
end of summer), or visit
Muir Woods' skyscraping
redwoods by hopping on
the Muir Woods Shuttle
from Sausalito. In Golden
Gate National Recreation
Area, the PresidiGo
shuttle offers free
year-round service from
San Francisco to The
Presidio, and the Marin
Headlands Shuttle takes
summertime riders on
an awe-inspiring coastal
drive north of the Golden
Gate Bridge.

COURTESY OF HARMON GUEST HOUSE; ILLUSTRATION BY RAYMOND BIESINGER

Along for
THE RIDE

http://www.yarts.com http://www.VISITCALIFORNIA.COM

California Official Visitor's Guide 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of California Official Visitor's Guide 2020