Three Sierra Byways to Drive Before the Snow Flies

Hit the High Sierra before the back roads close for winter. John Muir said of the range, ‘You will top arise and need the tongues of angels to tell what you see.’ Indeed, few other locales in the world can compare with the sheer magnificence of the Sierra—and they’re only four hours away. Above treeline, the granite faces of the jagged, saw-toothed peaks—some of the highest in the continental US—positively glitter in the sunlight; hence the nickname, the Range of Light. The eastern escarpment drops a whopping 5000 feet to the Great Basin, which extends all the way to Utah and the western front of the Rockies. In between stand Nevada’s highest peaks. From on high, you’ll lose perspective on distance and apprehend space in new ways.

See the Sierra now. The weather is perfect—sunny and warm enough to hike shirtless midday, but chilly enough by night to snuggle beneath a down comforter. And you can score great deals on lodging during the shoulder-season. But hurry: you’ve got till the end of October before the snow flies.

The Essential Element: A good map that shows elevation. Benchmark Maps’ California Road & Recreation Atlas—my hands-down favorite atlas—shows every single road in the entire state. Each page is a work of art.

Trip One: Hwy 4 toward Monitor Pass
The Payoff: Fall colors. Stands of quaking aspen turn brilliant yellow-orange in late September and early October.
The Route: Hwy 4 ascends the Sierra from Angels Camp (aka Frogtown), the Gold Country town famous for its Jumping Frog Jubilee. The road twists and turns past tiny Lake Alpine (7350ft), location of the winter gate. Near Ebbets Pass (8732ft), the road is just over one-lane wide—ideal for motorcyclists, hell for RV drivers. At road’s end, turn south on Hwy 89 to reach Monitor Pass and the aspens. Cut your engine by the side of the road to hear the wind shimmering through the leaves. (To reach Hwy 4 from the Bay Area, take I-580 into I-205 to I-5 north; turn north on I-5 to Stockton, then east on Hwy 4.)
The Place to Stay: Located in one of the Sierra’s prettiest Alpine valleys, Sorensen’s Resort has oh-so-cute cabins (most with wood-burning fireplaces), including one from the now-defunct Santa’s Village in Santa Cruz. They’re not fancy (think futon sofas), but they’re long on charm. And because they’re far from South Lake Tahoe, the night skies blaze with a zillion stars. Choose a cabin with a kitchen, or be dependent on the hit-or-miss dining room for dinner. Alternatively, stay in South Lake Tahoe.

Trip Two: Hwy 120 over Yosemite’s High Country
The Payoff: Majestic granite peaks that inspired John Muir and Ansel Adams.
The Route: The main route to Yosemite from the Bay Area, Hwy 120 climbs high above the valley into Yosemite’s high country, where titanic granite domes lord above Tuolumne Meadows, the Sierra’s largest sub-alpine valley. From Tioga Pass (9943ft)—California’s highest vehicular pass—the tortuous road drops an ear-popping 3500ft, in about ten miles, to Mono Lake, that giant and eerie saline desert lake famous for its tufa towers, giant minarets of calcium carbonate. Bring your binocs: Mono Lake is a major stopover for millions of migratory birds, many of which arrive in late summer. Tack on a side trip to Bodie State Historic Park, the best-preserved ghost town in all California. (To reach Hwy 120 from the Bay Area, take I-580 into I-205 to I-5 north; turn north on I-5 to Stockton, then east on Hwy 120.)
The Place to Stay: Across from Mono Lake, Tioga Lodge has rustic cabins beneath towering cottonwood trees. They’re not fancy, but loving owners have fixed them up with simple, attractive furnishings that manage not to be tacky. Note: The lodge lies right next to Hwy 395, but traffic dies at sunset. Time your trip to coincide with the full moon, and have dinner overlooking the lake at the Mono Inn at Lake Mono, which is owned by Ansel Adams’ granddaughter; the master’s work hangs on the walls. The dining room’s giant picture windows overlook the lake, smack dab in line with the rising moon. The comfort food menu hits the spot on a cold night. Make reservations.

Trip Three: Hwy 89 to Mount Lassen
The Payoff: Hiking a 10,457ft volcano that erupted 92 years ago, leaving a lunar-like landscape in its wake.
The Route: Hwy 89 runs the spine of the Sierra to the range’s convergence zone with the Cascades. The centerpiece of the route’s northern end is Lassen Volcanic National Park, where steam vents open to the Earth’s innards. The mountain’s eruption dramatically changed the landscape, leaving ink-black volcanic boulders in its wake, between dense pine forests and vast alpine meadows dotted with little lakes. Roadside panels tell the story. Hike Mt Lassen (moderately strenuous, with a 2000ft elevation gain) and be rewarded with top-of-the-world vistas, with Mount Shasta looming on the northern horizon. (To reach Lassen, take I-5 north to Red Bluff. Turn east on Hwy 36 to Hwy 89 north.)
The Place to Stay: At the end of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, secluded Drakesbad Guest Ranch is a century-old rustic resort surrounded by marshy meadows on the southeastern side of Lassen park. Spend the day riding horses from the resort’s stables, hiking the lesser-known side of Lassen, or lazing by the hot-spring fed swimming pool. All meals are included, and there are plenty of old-fashioned activities to keep kids busy, like ping pong in the grass and backgammon by a roaring hearth. There are no TVs and—best of all—no electricity: at night the lodge and cabins glow with the light of oil lamps. It’s next to impossible to get a reservation in summer, but you can often luck out in fall—especially mid-week. The lodge closes for winter in mid-October.