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SIGHTSEEING
Yosemite National Park has enough awe-inspiring sights to fill your entire vacation. Take, for example, the postcard-perfect vista of the Yosemite Valley and its famous waterfalls from Tunnel View, a roadside pullout near the park's western Arch Rock entrance.
More scenic drives up to Glacier Point and the Sierra Nevada high country off Tioga Road grant even more impressive views of the valley and its landmark Half Dome rock formation.
Other scenic drives in nearby, including the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway and the Generals Highway that winds between Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, are equally unforgettable. But why stop there?
The Yosemite region is a great jumping-off point for exploring California's wealth of other national parklands, monuments, and historical sites, stretching from the Mojave Desert of Southern California to the redwood forests of Northern California, and even the beautifully remote Channel Islands offshore.
Don't leave Yosemite National Park without at least taking in the vista from Glacier Point. Walking up to the base of the valley's mammoth waterfalls and giant sequoia trees elsewhere are also must-dos. The Sierra Nevada high country, which blooms with wildflowers during summer, is full of eye-popping sights, including Tenaya Lake and Tuolumne Meadows. Nearby in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, soak up views of the Great Western Divide and more giant sequoia trees. Mono Lake is an otherworldly sight on the east side of the Sierra Nevada. To the west, the San Francisco Bay Area boasts redwoods and a wild, rugged national seashore. > See MoreIn Yosemite National Park, the classic scenic drive along Tioga Road leads over high-elevation Tioga Pass, winding beside Sierra Nevada peaks and alpine lakes. Not far away, the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway plummets into the USA's deepest canyon, offering some epic glacially carved scenery. The Generals Highway winding through Sequoia National Park passes by giant sequoia groves, while the twisted old mining road up to Mineral King delivers you into the heart of alpine country. Even more scenic drives await on the east side of the Sierra Nevada, including around Lake Tahoe, and in California's Gold Country, in the deserts and along the coast. > See MoreYosemite National Park may be the biggest prize in the Sierra Nevada. But just a short drive south, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks share some of the same majestic mountain scenery, glacially carved river canyons, and giant sequoia forests. In Southern California, desert landscapes abound in Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Mojave National Preserve. West off the coast lie the Channel Islands, aka "California's Galapagos." Heading north, Lassen Volcanic National Park showcases powerful volcanism, while Redwoods National and State Parks protect swathes of old-growth redwood forests along the dramatic Pacific Coast. > See MoreMore than a dozen national monuments, national recreation areas, and national historical sites are found in California. Many are conveniently clustered in the San Francisco Bay Area. There you can stroll along Point Reyes National Seashore, walk through Muir Woods National Monument and across the Golden Gate Bridge, and then ferry over to Alcatraz Island, aka "The Rock." Farther inland you can spy California condors at Pinnacles National Monument, go spelunking in Lava Beds National Monument, or take time to explore the scenic eastern Sierra Nevada, stopping at Devils Postpile National Monument and heart-breaking Manzanar National Historic Site. > See More > See More > See More > See More
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