California's Best Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

for making brambly
zinfandels and spicy
syrahs, which you
can sample at a dozen
wineries all crowded
together on a four-block
stretch downtown. It’s
best to arrive early if
you’re visiting on the
weekend. Start at Tanner
(www.tannervineyards.com;
202 Main St; h1-5pm Mon
& Thu-Fri, noon-5:30pm Sat,
noon-5pm Sun), whose
family was the first
to plant grapes and
pay an alcohol tax in
Calaveras County in the
1860s. Don’t miss the
‘Train Wreck’ red blend
at Newsome Harlowe
(www.nhvino.com; 403 Main
St; hnoon-5pm Mon-Thu,
11am-5:30pm Fri-Sun) or
the ‘%£&@’ (rhymes
with ‘duck’) Rhône red

blend at tongue-in-

cheek Twisted Oak (www.

twistedoak.com; 363 Main St;

h11:30am-5:30pm Sun-Fri,

10:30am-5:30pm Sat).

54 p243

The Drive » Hwy 4 ascends

through the workaday small

town of Arnold, which has a

few cafes and motels strung

along the roadside 12 miles

east of Murphys. After motoring

another 2.5 miles uphill, turn

right into Calaveras Big Trees

State Park.

2 Calaveras Big

Trees State Park

Truthfully named

Calaveras Big Trees

State Park (%209-795-

2334; http://www.parks.ca.gov; entry

per car $8; hsunrise-sunset;

c) is home to giant

sequoias. The most

massive trees on earth,

they grow only in the

western Sierra Nevada

range. Reaching over

300ft tall and with trunk

diameters over 55ft,

these leftovers from the

Mesozoic era are thought

to weigh upwards of

3000 tons, or more than

20 blue whales. Close to

the park entrance, the

North Grove Big Trees

Trail is a 1.5-mile self-

guided loop, where the

air is scented with fresh

pine, fir and incense

cedar. To escape some

of the crowds, drive 8.5

miles along the curving

park road to the start

of the South Grove

Trail. This 3.5-mile loop

ascends to a peaceful

grove that protects 10

times as many giant

sequoias; a 1.5-mile

round-trip spur trail

leads to the Agassiz Tree,

the big daddy of them all.

Afterward, cool off with

a summertime dip in

Beaver Creek below the

trail’s footbridge or in the

Stanislaus River along

the main park road.

4 p243

The Drive » Back at Hwy

4, turn right and drive uphill

past Dorrington, a 19th-

century stagecoach stop and

toll-road station, stopping at

Hell’s Kitchen Vista Point for

panoramas of the glaciated

volcanic landscape. About 22

miles northeast of the state park

lies Bear Valley.

3 Bear Valley

It’s all about outdoor

family fun here. Sniff

out anything from rock

climbing to mountain

biking and hiking all

within a short distance

of Bear Valley Village,

which has a gas station,

shops and casual

restaurants. In winter,

Bear Valley Mountain

(%209-753-2301; http://www.

bearvalley.com; lift ticket

adult/child $67/49; husually

Dec-Mar) ski area will get

your brain buzzing with

2000ft of vertical rise

and 12 lifts. The resort’s

somewhat off-the-beaten-

track location gives it

a beginner-friendly,

locals-only feel. On

your left as you pull

TRIP HIGHLIGHT

i

Lake Tahoe

Loop

From Hope Valley, it’s a
20-mile drive northwest
on Hwy 89 past stream-
fed meadows to South
Lake Tahoe’s beaches
and ski resorts.

l

Highway
49 Through
Gold Country

From Murphys, mosey
13 miles along Hwy 4
and Parrots Ferry Rd to
old-time Columbia State
Historic Park.

LINK

YOUR

TRIP

CENTRAL.CALIFORNIA.

22

.EBBETTS PASS SCENIC BYWAY