MOUNTAIN AREA — They are fast, tough, smart, sweet, sneaky, showy, social and definitely loud — they are Visit Yosemite | Madera County’s official Welcoming Committee, and they’re about to take Madera County, Bass Lake and Yosemite National Park by storm with a campaign starting Monday, April 1. “The Welcoming Committee campaign was designed to showcase attractions in Madera County, ...

We were driving home from hiking the Moss Creek Trail but the day was still young, so we swung through the Briceburg area to check out the poppies along the way. This is one of those adventures that you can drive, hike, or a combination of both to enjoy beautiful spring flowers. Where: Bureau of Land Management Distance: About 5 ...

RAYMOND — The 33rd annual Raymond Parade, sponsored by the Raymond Community Association, steps off on Saturday, Apr. 20 at high noon. Come rain or shine, this event promises great old-time fun, so bring the kids and set up your chairs to enjoy a day with family and friends. As always, the roads will be closed during the parade and ...

With the Hite Cove area trails closed, where could we go to check out the Merced River Canyon poppies and other colorful wildflowers? We found a nice trail with lots of yellow poppies and color combinations of all kinds represented by other wildflowers. We also discovered that the wildflowers are running a little later than they were in previous years ...

A little rain didn’t damper our enthusiasm as we learned about archeological sites, spotted Sierra Newts, said hello to cows, saw wildflowers galore and experienced an incredible view from on top of Table Mountain while hiking on a docent-led adventure on the Ruth McKenzie Preserve. We didn’t encounter any rattlesnakes, which was just fine with me, but they are out ...

Any day out on one of the Sierra Foothill Conservancy’s Preserves is a special adventure but when I attended a class to understand more about range management on the McKenzie Preserve with spring wildflowers painting the hills, I came away with a better appreciation for the complex relationship of the soil, sun and things in between. I will return soon ...

A dusting of new snow was the perfect backdrop for our hike to see gigantic Sequoias. Some of our hike was with snowshoes and some of it was without. That is the way it goes with springtime snow. Where: Yosemite National Park, Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias Distance: About 10 Miles but you can go shorter or farther Difficulty: Moderate ...

Rain, snow, clouds then the bluest of skies with pristine white snow greeted us while we snowshoed from Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area along the Merced Crest. We were treated to views of the snowy Clark Range, Liberty Cap, Mt. Broderick, Half Dome, the Quarter Domes and Clouds Rest as we got in a great workout. Where: Yosemite National Park ...

I needed a good workout hike and the trail out of Sky Harbor is a perfect spring hike. If I got lucky, I just might see some early blooming wildflowers and just maybe my first poppy of the spring. Maybe! Where: Millerton Lake State Recreation Area, San Joaquin River Gorge Special Management Area, Bureau of Land Management Distance: 7.88 Miles, ...

I needed a break from snow, ice and cold so I headed down the hill to warm up with a hike along Hensley Lake. A rolling hilly hike while walking through history, white puffy clouds and the first wildflowers of spring welcomed me. Where: Hensley Lake, Army Corps of Engineers Distance: 6.95 Miles Difficulty: Easy to Moderate, depending on how ...