OAKHURST – Celebrating artists and artisans, fostering art education, bringing locals and visitors together for a weekend experience unlike any other in the region: these are the days of Sierra Art Trails open studio tour. Now in its 13th year, Sierra Art Trails (SAT) is set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 2, 3 and 4, from 10 a.m. to ...

YOSEMITE – Hundreds of black bears make their home in Yosemite and seeing a wild bear is often the highlight of a trip to the park. As the Yosemite Conservancy describes it, “bears remind us of ourselves, and the complex relationship between bears and humans has changed over time as we strive to keep bears wild.” Yosemite Conservancy sponsors a ...

By Scott Lange — The 2015 Perseid meteor shower is upon us, and this is a great year to view the show because it falls at the same time as the new moon, meaning the sky will be very dark so the meteors are easier to see.  At its peak, the Perseids can rain down up to 100 meteors per ...

YOSEMITE – All trails to Yosemite Falls are temporarily closed from the Valley and from various trailheads above Yosemite Creek due to fire suppression activity in the area. On Monday, Aug. 10 at 3:30 p.m., several visitors called 9-1-1 to report a fire at the top of Upper Yosemite Fall switchbacks. Yosemite Helicopter 551 responded with the park helitack crew ...

SACRAMENTO – California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith today announced the department is investigating a case of human plague in California, and conducting an environmental evaluation in the Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite National Park and the surrounding areas. The department began investigating this incident after a child from Los Angeles County became ...

FISH CAMP – Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite is holding a Career Day on Tuesday, Aug. 11, in the Tenaya Lodge Foyer from 5 – 7 p.m. “Tenaya Lodge is seeking qualified candidates to join our four-diamond hospitality team,” say organizers. Positions are opening at Tenaya in departments including restaurant, housekeeping, spa, concierge, guest rec, bell, kitchen, gift shop, and engineering ...

YOSEMITE – Hey, everybody! You are invited to an apple picking party in Yosemite on Wednesday, Aug. 5, from 9 a.m. til 4 p.m. This is an annual event that was started as part of efforts to help reduce bear-human contact in the park, and to “Help Keep Yosemite’s Bears Wild.” According to volunteers who help coordinate this event, the ...

Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: About 15 miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevational Range: 7,868′ – 10,000′ Date: July 26, 2015 Highlights: Riding horses in Yosemite’s beautiful high country is always a special treat. Taking them up to the 10,000′ elevation where we had the towering, jagged high points of Vogelsang, Fletcher and Rafferty Peaks along our side as we mosied up the trail to Boothe Lake was extra ...

SACRAMENTO – With wildfires burning across the state being continually exacerbated by severe drought conditions and extreme weather, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today declared a state of emergency in California to help mobilize additional firefighting and disaster response resources. “California’s severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox,” said Governor Brown. “Our courageous ...

EARTH – You know that phrase, “once in a blue moon,” that people say when something comes around infrequently? Well, do whatever it is you’ve been putting off, because that blue moon — the second full moon in a single month — is happening on Friday, July  31 at 3:44 a.m. PST. That’s basically tonight, or tomorrow morning, depending on ...