COUNTY VISITTUOLUMNE.COM 2023 Tuolumne County Travel Guide 40th Anniversary Edition!2 / 2023 TUOLUMNE COUNTY TRAVEL GUIDEVISITTUOLUMNE.COM / 3All Roads Lead to Tuolumne County. TUOLUMNE COUNTY VISITORS CENTER Our friendly staff is here to help plan your visit and provide area information, maps, directions, brochures and souvenirs. Visitors Center: Sonora, CA 209-533-4420 ◆ 1-800-446-1333 193 S Washington St Sonora, CA 95370 VisitTuolumne.com Embrace every moment in wide-open spaces and fresh air with endless outdoor recreation opportunities for every type of nature enthusiast. Explore historic towns with unique shopping, dining, wine, cider, and brewery tasting options. See the arts come alive in quaint galleries and live entertainment venues. It’s all just 2½ hours east of the San Francisco Bay Area. All-season roads allow for year-round access to fun adventure and selfie-taking, memory- making moments! Rest your head in a variety of lodging options, from campgrounds to modern lodges and resorts or anything in between. Lodging for any budget is available throughout the County near Yosemite National Park, next to scenic High Sierra lakes, and in the heart of historic Gold Rush towns. Find and reserve lodging at VisitTuolumne.com. Thank you for adventuring safely and responsibly in Tuolumne County. Experience uncrowded Yosemite Discover authentic Gold Country Explore the scenic High Sierra Find more inspiration for your next trip on our social media: Facebook.com/TuolumneCounty Instagram.com/TravelTuolumneCounty Twitter.com/VisitTuolumneCo Pinterest.com/tuolumnecounty tiktok.com/visittuolumnecounty Tag us on social media or use #VisitTuolumneCounty #MyTuolumneCounty for a chance to be featured! Welcome to Tuolumne County! Sacramento San Francisco Tuolumne County 4 / 2023 TUOLUMNE COUNTY TRAVEL GUIDETwain Harte Mini Golf Credit: Jennifer Rapoza Yosemite Valley Lookout Credit: Evergreen Lodge, Kim Carroll Photography Inner Sanctum Cellars Credit: Jennifer Rapoza City Hotel Columbia Credit: Preethi Chandrasekhar On the cover: Kennedy Meadows Credit: Maddie Maney Photography The 2023 Tuolumne County Travel Guide is copyright ©2023 by Visit Tuolumne County, which has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, but assumes no responsibility for errors, changes or omissions. Design & Production: Heather Jing Design, heatherjing.com = Advertisers Contents 06 Explore Local Towns 08 Yosemite National Park 10 Stanislaus National Forest 11 Top Hikes 12 State Historic Parks 14 40th Anniversary 16 Museums & History 18 Get Adventurous 21 Lakes, Rivers, & Fishing 22 Shopping & Farmers’ Markets 24 Wineries, Distilleries, & Breweries 26 Events, Arts, & Entertainment 28 Meetings & Event Venues 32 Top Seasonal Activities & Winter Driving 34 Places to Eat & Drink 36 Where to Stay 51 Relocation 52 Transportation 53 Road Trips 54 Love Tuolumne County Like a Local 55 What’s New in Tuolumne County 56 Services & Resources 58 Family Activity Page VISITTUOLUMNE.COM / 5Sonora has a charming historic downtown with an energetic vibe. Rich in Gold Rush history, it has been touted “Queen of the Southern Mines.” Today, visitors enjoy one-of-a-kind boutiques and eateries, locally produced products, live theatre, seasonal farmers’ markets, along with hiking, golfing, and other fun activities in and around town. Sonora is accessible year-round and is a great, centralized place to stay with many options for lodging. Annual events like the Mother Lode Round-Up Parade and Rodeo, the Sonora Christmas Parade, 2nd Saturday Art Nights, and Summer Concerts in Coffill Park bring visitors back time and time again. -Sonora Chamber of Commerce. See page 56 Sonora Columbia was founded as a Gold Rush boom town in 1850. Today, the town’s past is preserved at Columbia State Historic Park – an authentic living history town. Columbia traditionally celebrates its history with re-enactments, a statehood parade, holiday events and many more year-round festivities. Historic hotels, restaurants, a 4th generation handmade candy store, blacksmith shop, stagecoach, old-fashioned bowling alley, theatre, modernly-appointed mercantile grocery store and shops supplied with treats and trinkets add to the ambiance of the town where a new historic surprise is around every corner. -Columbia Chamber of Commerce. See page 56 Columbia Downtown Jamestown is home to specialty and antique shops, restaurants, micro- brewery, wine tasting and historic hotels. Woods Creek attracts modern-day gold prospectors while Chicken Ranch Casino offers table games, slot machines and Bingo. Rocca Park features a replica blacksmith shop, historic jail, playground and year-round events with live music, artists and craft vendors. Railtown 1897 State Historic Park is just a few blocks from Main Street and is a must-see! Take a stroll along the Walk of Fame, and see how many movies you recognize that were filmed in Tuolumne County! -Jamestown Promotion Club. See page 56 Jamestown Sonora, California Credit: Menka Belgal Columbia, California Tuolumne County is rich with colorful and authentic Gold Rush and nostalgic Main Street towns where friendly folks are full of information and tips. Your treasure, new or old, is waiting to be discovered in unique specialty shops or fine art galleries that line historic sidewalks. Enjoy a meal in a quaint historic inn and take in a top- notch live theatre performance in a venue where shows have entertained guests for over a century. Dance or laugh the night away to the sounds of favorite local bands. Find locally-produced food and goods at farmers’ markets throughout the summer months. Jamestown, California Credit: Menka Belgal Westside Tribute Band Brew Fest Credit: Maddie Maney Tuolumne is steeped in logging history. Remnants of logging days gone by can best be seen on the West Side Trail. Perfect for all skill levels of hikers and mountain bikers, this local-favorite trail is well-known for its spring and summer wildflowers and Tuolumne River canyon vistas. Black Oak Casino Resort offers exciting nightlife, restaurants, a family floor with bowling alley and arcade, plus hotel and RV park. Cover’s Apple Ranch is a delightful family stop with a petting zoo, train rides and restaurant (Mile High Apple Pie is a must!). Visitors can pay tribute and honor veterans at the 9/11 and War on Terrorism Memorial at the Tuolumne Memorial Hall. Annual events include the Tuolumne Lumber Jubilee, Westside Tribute Band Brew Fest and the Me-Wuk Acorn Festival. Tuolumne Explore Local Towns 6 / 2023 TUOLUMNE COUNTY TRAVEL GUIDETwain Harte–the “Harte” of the Sierra–is tucked away in the pines and is the closest “Four Season Resort Community” to the Bay Area. Wander through the charming downtown to experience wine tasting, boutiques, and art galleries. The bocce ball court, playground, skate park, mini-golf, and executive golf course offer activities for the entire family and are a short stroll from restaurants and cafes. Indulge in snowy winters at Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort, experience bountiful wildflowers and dogwood blooms in spring, fish and swim in numerous lakes and streams in summer, and explore abundant hiking and biking trails during fall. See you soon! -Twain Harte Area Chamber of Commerce. See page 56 Twain Harte A destination all its own, Pinecrest has been offering iconic family vacations for generations. Located just off Highway 108, this picturesque destination offers summer fun on the water, disc golf courses, and hiking, horseback riding and biking trails. In winter, Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort provides ski runs, snowboarding and lessons for beginners to experts, while nearby Leland High Sierra Snowplay offers tubing fun for all ages. Vacation cabins, resorts and campgrounds are plentiful and conveniently located near fascinating High Country destinations like Columns of the Giants, the Trail of the Gargoyles, Donnell Vista, the Bennett Juniper, Kennedy Meadows and scenic Sonora Pass. Hike, bike, horseback ride, fish, swim and stargaze. Here, the outdoors is yours to explore. Pinecrest Sonora Christmas Parade Credit: Menka Belgal Twain Harte, California Credit: Menka Belgal Groveland, California Credit: Menka Belgal Pinecrest, California Credit: @stormchasers22 on Instagram Groveland, “The North Gateway to Yosemite”, is located on Highway 120, the most direct route to Yosemite National Park from San Francisco and Northern California. In the 1800s, Groveland was a booming gold miners’ town. You can still find the oldest Saloon in California, the Iron Door Saloon and Jailhouse Museum here. Attractions include local friendly ghosts, Yosemite Gateway Museum, and Pine Mountain Lake where visitors can golf, camp, dine, fish, horseback ride, mountain bike, and enjoy water activities including swimming, sailboat/paddle board rentals, and Groveland is just a short drive from Lake Don Pedro and Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort. Annual events include the 49er Festival and Chili Cook-off (49erfestival.org) and the “Where the Hell is Groveland?” Car Show. -Yosemite Highway 120 Chamber of Commerce. See page 57 Groveland From parades to plays and rodeos to fairs, the event calendar is full of activities every season of the year! In addition to a number of celebrated annual events, you will find recurring events too, like 2nd Saturday Art Nights in Downtown Sonora, farmers’ markets, car shows, and concerts. With schedules changing, find a full list of events with their most up-to- date information on VisitTuolumne.com/events or scan the QR code with your phone to take you there! Tuolumne County is Filled with Events! VISITTUOLUMNE.COM / 7Top 9 tips for visiting Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park 95% of visitors only see 5% of Yosemite. Explore the less visited and uncrowded areas outside the Valley Floor – like Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias. Go early in the morning avoid park entrance traffic between 10am and 12pm. Visit the park October through April when it is much less crowded, and you’ll get the best of fall colors and beautiful winter scenes. Take alternate transportation like Y.A.R.T.S., local transportation, or tour guide providers (see page 9) in the busy summer months. Purchase your Park Pass ahead of time from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Call the Tuolumne County Visitors Center for location: 209-533-4420 or purchase online at www.recreation.gov/sitepass/74296. Plan ahead and reserve area lodging for peak season and weekends early. While in Yosemite Valley, once parked, travel around by foot, free shuttle, or bike (bike rentals available seasonally). Dogs are allowed on paved trails, roads, in campgrounds (except walk-in campgrounds), and in parking lots where indicated. Dogs must be on a leash at all times and picked up after. Do not leave dogs unattended. GPS is unreliable in and around the park; utilize paper maps to get around. 8 / 2023 TUOLUMNE COUNTY TRAVEL GUIDETuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias, Yosemite Tuolumne Meadows Credit: Beth Holland Photography Lower Yosemite Falls Credit: Kim Carroll Photography/Evergreen Lodge Tuolumne Meadows Credit: @janemsnyder on Instagram Wapama Falls, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Yosemite Park Information & Roads: 209-372-0200 Lodging Reservations: 888-413-8869 Camping Reservations: 877-444-6777 TDD Device for the Deaf: 877-833-6777 PO Box 577, Yosemite nps.gov/yose Over half of Yosemite National Park is located in Tuolumne County—it’s the least crowded half too. Walk amongst majestic towering trees in the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias or explore the unmatched scenery of Tuolumne Meadows and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Highway 120 leading into the park is designated by the State of California as the Northern Yosemite Highway and is the shortest and most direct route to Yosemite from the San Francisco Bay Area and all points north. The route is open year-round into Yosemite Valley. As you head towards Yosemite, be sure to stop in Groveland at the Groveland Yosemite Gateway Museum. Open year-round, the museum is a great place to learn about the area’s cultural and natural history and to pick up some souvenirs. Accommodations are available along Highway 120 in Groveland and beyond. YARTS (YOSEMITE AREA REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM) 877-989-2787 369 W 18th St, Merced yarts.com YOSEMITE GATEWAYS Find out about traveling to Yosemite National Park through Yosemite’s four spectacular gateways. yosemitegateways.com Plan Your Trip! 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