This hike was all about the views and there were some dandies, not to mention getting in a good workout as I gained 3,415′ to see those magnificent views along the Pohono Trail. Where: Yosemite National ParkDistance: 8.79 MilesDifficulty: Moderate to StrenuousElevation Range: 4,384′ – 7,087′Elevation Gain: 3,415′Date: November 12, 2021CALTOPO: Pohono Trail from Tunnel View to Stanford and Crocker ...

By Sal Maccarone During the year 1990 I was just finishing up work for the grand opening of the Marriott Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp. I had signed up for a big scope of things to do, and that made the project exciting because of the art that I was allowed to create. The owners and design team of the ...

I was sneaking in a fall color hike in Yosemite Valley before a storm could blow the leaves off the trees, but where to go? I picked Mirror Lake to see delightful dogwoods, beautiful big leaf maples, wonderful willows and outstanding oaks. Oh, and those reflections of them all in magnificent Mirror Lake! Where: Yosemite National ParkDistance: 8.24 Miles (Depending ...

By Ron Allen, UC Master Gardener, Mariposa Fall is the time to plant California natives. The weather is cooler, the first soaking rains are imminent, and yet there is still plenty of good sunlight. These factors make for good initial foliage growth and root development. The motivation for adding native plants comes down to one thing: water. Mariposa County enjoys ...

I kept watching and watching. Every day I drove north on Hwy 49 I could see those oaks up on Pilot Peak and Silver Knob turning more yellow and I wondered what a walk up on those dirt roads might show me in the fall color arena. The north side of Pilot Peak has quite a few dogwoods at the ...

By Sal Maccarone Created for public areas, Street Art is usually quite thought provoking. Where some forms of defiant, and vandalistic graffiti are offensive, there are other forms of street art that can be very uplifting. As the most hybrid form of artistic expression in the world, street art can change the entire character of an otherwise drab, or dismal ...

Tioga Road had closed due to a storm but would it reopen before an even bigger storm was due to dump serious snow? The short answer is yes it did, for about 2 1/2 days, and I couldn’t wait to get up there to see if those Gaylor Basin lakes were icing up. Where: Hoover Wilderness, Inyo National ForestDistance: 3.06 ...

By Sal Maccarone There was a time when hotel lodgings were very basic, consisting only of a room with a bed, a nightstand and a common bathroom at the end of a long hallway. That all changed somewhere along the way as luxury hotels were conceived and then built. Here in America, that change happened as a direct result of ...

There is no need to travel far to see fall colors, just a drive or walk where you live will deliver. But I put in some extra miles because I just couldn’t resist heading over to the Sierra’s eastside to do some leaf peeping at Convict Lake, even more beautiful with a dusting of snow up high on those rugged ...

By Sal Maccarone Always on the lookout for art oriented historic hotels to visit, I was very fortunate to stumble upon a real jewel. Completely lost in Riverside, Ca. on my way to somewhere else, I turned a corner and there it was. At first, it appeared to be one of the California missions, but the Padres didn’t build a ...