Destinations

Crossing the Sonora Pass

Crossing the Sonora Pass

Have you driven or ventured across the Sonora pass? The Sonora pass is believed to have been established in 1841 from the Walker river on the Nevada side, to Clark Fork on the Stanislaus river on the California side, travelers followed the rivers into California and the San Joaquin Valley. Today’s Highway 108 follows a similar route and is also part of the original trails of Bret Harte and Mark Twain. The peak of the pass on hwy 108 is approximately 9,624 ft just over 1800 ft below the Sonora pass mountain peaks. Highway 108 passes through the Sierra Mountain Range on highly scenic route of National Forest. The Pass is closed during winter months and open to vehicles in the summer only. From Sonora to the Sonora Pass, is approximately 45 miles and takes a little over an hour to reach the peak. The views and scenery are...

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Day Trips- Sonora, Columbia, & Yosemite

Day Trips- Sonora, Columbia, & Yosemite

Looking for a a little more California experience to add to your Yosemite vacation? How about a 1 hour day trip to historical Columbia and the town of Sonora. Not far from the northern side of Yosemite are a few Gold Country towns that can add a little variety to the natural and majestic beauty of Yosemite. Yosemite is an incredible place to visit and the wildlife and natural surroundings can keep you entertained for a number of days, but there are also a number of other nearby sites to see. The Sonora area is the largest local town above Yosemite and has a number of large and smaller retail stores for shopping. Sonora is also home to a couple of quality theaters where the talent might just surprise you and productions take place year round.  There are a number of food choices and restaurants but make sure to...

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Hotels and Lodging

Hotels and Lodging

The Motherlode area is full of quaint and unique accommodations, as many of the small towns offer at least one hotel and some offer offer a wide range of services that include dry cleaning, banquet facilities, 24-hour room service, medical assistance, and even translation services.  Every community is unique in what they have to offer. Sonora With Sonora being the largest community and most diverse town visitors can find a variety of option including   Best Western Plus The Gunn house Sonora Inn Alladin Inn The Heritage Inn and numerous other smaller hotels and BnB offerings. Tuolumne The Black Oak Casino hotel is located in Tuolumne and is located close to the Westside pavilion and Black Oak casino. Groveland The Cub Inn Yosemite Ridge Resort Berkshire Inn Yosemite Rose BnB BlackBerry inn Hotel Charlotte Jamestown The Jamestown Hotel Railtown Motel Country Inn Miners Motel Twain Harte Lazy Z resort...

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Fun Things To Do in Murphys

Fun Things To Do in Murphys

Wine Tasting Take a stroll along Murphy’s downtown streets and you will surely appreciate the beautiful scenery and variety of wine tasting options. This is a good way to jumpstart your visit or enjoy an afternoon with plenty of selections to choose from the wine tasting options at Murphy’s are well worth adding to your list of things to enjoy. Iron Stone Although we could just include Iron Stone as a winery to visit for wine tasting there is much more to this location than just the wine. Iron stone is the largest venue in the area for concerts, expos, exhibits and a museum. The grounds and gardens open to the public offer and amazing combination of trails, streams and ponds with picnic areas and plenty of locations for some amazing photos. If you happen to be in the area when a concert is at Iron stone this is...

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