miles also includes ancient giant sequoias, deep valleys, majestic meadows and some of the best scenery in the world. It offers several lodges, campgrounds, snack bars and restaurants within the park. Yosemite has numerous special events planned in conjunction with the NPS Centennial this year. To find out which events you might be able to participate in, visit the Yosemite website and click on the Centennial portion at the top of the home page. The actual NPS anniversary is being celebrated on August 25. A Yosemite experience isn’t complete without a stay in Highway 120’s Groveland. Once named “Garrotte,� after the community’s swift and hard justice from a large oak tree in what is now Big Oak Flat, Groveland offered miners exceptional gold discoveries. Once the Gold Rush was over, Groveland was selected in 1914 to be the construction headquarters for the Hetch Hetchy Water Project – the water supply for San Francisco and much of the Bay Area. Today Groveland is a must-stop town where visitors find respite in historic hotels, B&Bs and vacation rentals. Pine Mountain Lake offers golfing, dining, horseback riding, camping and, of course, water sports. Within the nearby Stanislaus National Forest you can fish in over 800 miles of rivers and
streams; stay in a campground; or hike into the backcountry for solitude. If water is your preference, you can swim near a sandy beach or wade into cold clear streams, engage in whitewater rafting on the Tuolumne River, or canoe or kayak a gorgeous lake, but if you want to keep dry, you can ride a horse or a mountain bike or even a snowmobile. The Emigrant Wilderness within Stanislaus National Forest is a wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, bordered by Yosemite National Park on the south. The Emigrant Wilderness is a glaciated landscape of scenic beauty. The northeastern third consists of volcanic ridges and peaks, while the remaining areas feature sparsely vegetated, granite ridges along with numerous lakes and meadows. Kennedy Meadows Resort and Pack Station, located 60 miles east of Sonora, can provide cabin accommodations and supplies for those wanting to explore remote regions of Yosemite or the Emigrant Wilderness (where cars are not permitted). They also offer guided rides on horseback and even horseback pack trips into the vast national forest. Hikers of all skill levels can warm up for treks into more remote areas by practicing on the City of Sonora’s Dragoon Gulch Trail through
the oak woodlands above that city. Hikers can do up to a 2.5 mile loop and those who make it to the top are rewarded with a fantastic view of Sonora. Along the way they can enjoy seeing the creek, local flora and fauna, water insects, wild flowers and mine tailings left over from Sonora’s mining past, or they can relax under Manzanita canopies. ◗
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