Adam Blauert: Picture perfect
COLUMNIST'S NOTE:Thanks for all the comments and feedback in regard to last Saturday's column. I got a lot of questions about the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway, so this week I'm going to provide some more information about the route.
The Sierra Vista Scenic Byway is a 100-mile loop that winds through the heart of the Central Sierra, between Yosemite National Park to the north and Kings Canyon National Park to the south.
Compared to all the major Sierra passes, the Byway gets very little traffic. It's a great spot to take the family, your spouse, or your friends over the Labor Day weekend. With the holiday weekend crowds, Yosemite will look like Disneyland in comparison.
The Byway has some excellent vistas and a lot of unusual and interesting places to stop and explore. It also has an abundance of campgrounds, some good locations to fish and some excellent short hikes. You can explore the byway in a single day, or you can camp along the way and find plenty of things to do to occupy more than one day. Lodging is easily available in Bass Lake or Oakhurst.
To find the Byway, drive to the town of North Fork and follow the signs to South Fork. Follow Road 225 south towards Redinger Lake. In four miles, turn left on Forest Route 81 (Minarets Road). Here begins the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway.
Get an early start and take a picnic lunch if you plan to do this trip in a single day. If you've got a lot of time, drive five miles beyond the Route 81 turnoff towards Redinger to see the exact geographic center of California.
Once you turn on the Byway, your first stop is an overlook view of Redinger and the San Joaquin River. Not too much further is the Ross Cabin, one of the most beautiful and best-preserved pioneer cabins in the Sierra. It was built in the 1860s and is open during daylight hours.
The Mile High Vista is your next stop, with an overlook of Mammoth Pool Reservoir and a clear view of the crest of the Sierras to your east. There are some helpful signs that help you identify the mountain peaks. You can drive down to the reservoir and fish if you have a boat. The lake is stocked early in the season.
Beyond the reservoir is Arch Rock. Arch formations are extremely rare in granite and it's worth the short walk down the hill to see the arch.
At the turnoff to Clover Meadow Ranger Station, the pavement disintegrates into dirt. There are a few rough spots, but nothing your average passenger car can't handle if you drive it carefully. At this point, the road turns west and starts heading back toward Bass Lake.
There are some nice meadows along the route and one of the best is Jackass, which has a wooden walkway for visitors.
Beyond Jackass Meadow is Globe Rock, an enormous granite boulder balanced on smaller rocks. Freezing water over thousands of years helped shape it into its current form. Stop your car when you see a remarkably crude sign that reads "Globe Rock" and shows an image that looks somewhat like a mushroom cloud. The rock is on the left side of the road. The road is partially paved after this point.
The next stopping points are the Jones Store and Cold Springs Summit. At Cold Springs Summit, you can continue on paved Beasore Road to Bass Lake or you can turn right towards Fresno Dome. The dome is an excellent short hike to the top of a 7,540-foot granite formation. The top of the dome is a great place to be in the late afternoon or evening, as the summer sun starts to sink towards the western horizon. You can see for many miles in every direction.
Return to Highway 41 on paved Sky Ranch Road. If you have the time, take the Nelder Grove turnoff and walk through the giant sequoias. This is one of the nicest and least-visited groves of these magnificent trees. The "Bull Buck Tree" is just slightly smaller than the General Sherman Tree in Kings Canyon and both trees are about 2,700 years old.
If you don't go this weekend, this drive can be enjoyed until the first snowfall. The last time I drove it was on a crisp autumn day. The dogwood, the oaks, and the aspen were all in the middle of putting on their annual show of stunning colors. Whenever you go, don't forget your camera!
Adam Blauert is an avid outdoorsman and local historian who enjoys fishing, backpacking and exploring the Western states. He can be reached at adamblauert@yahoo.com.
This story was originally published September 5, 2009 at 3:03 AM with the headline "Adam Blauert: Picture perfect."