The Sierra Nevada is a magical place in the summer, with generally great weather, snowy mountaintops, glistening lakes, and tumbling waterfalls.
Summer is also high time for road trips there since key mountain passes are open to motor vehicles.
One of them is Tioga Pass, which is critical to being able to hit all the stops on the epic road trip.
Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills
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Lone Pine is a town in the Owens Valley at the base of the Eastern Sierra. It has views of Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the Lower 48, and is the main gateway for people wanting to hike or climb the peak. Between the town and the peaks are the Alabama Hills, an area of large granite boulders popular with climbers and which also frames some classic Whitney views.
Onion Valley
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Onion Valley is a campground and trailhead in the Eastern Sierra west of Independence. It’s a scenic destination on its own, but it’s also an important access point for backcountry trips into Kings Canyon National Park. Several nice day hikes to lakes, waterfalls, and mountain passes are also available here.
South Lake
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A beautiful mountain lake outside Bishop, the biggest town in the Owens Valley, South Lake is a great place for a picnic or photography (just bring plenty of bug spray; the mosquitoes are terrible here). It’s also another key access point for Kings Canyon National Park. A trail climbs for 6.5 miles to Bishop Pass, which is on the park boundary. Along the way, the scenery just gets better and better as you get higher and higher. Any number of lakes make good day hike destinations, as does the pass.
Mono Lake
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This lake by Lee Vining isn’t technically in the Sierra Nevada, but this tour takes you right by it, so you should go have a look at one of its two beaches with fascinating tufa pinnacles rising from the waters. The deposits and the lake also frame great views of the High Sierra, especially at sunrise when the waters are calm and reflect the mountains.
Travertine Hot Springs
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Just outside Bridgeport, this destination is also not really in the High Sierra, but you’ll still be glad you visited. Hot springs have formed colorful pools here that are great to soak in as you admire the Sierra skyline.
Tioga Pass and Tuolumne Meadows
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Now head back to Lee Vining and then head west on CA 120 through Lee Vining Canyon and past several lakes and waterfalls to Tioga Pass, which is a summer entrance to Yosemite National Park. After you cross the crest of the High Sierra, you’ll roll into Tuolumne Meadows, an area of not just big mountain meadows but also granite domes and rushing streams.
Tenaya Lake
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Shortly after leaving the Meadows proper behind, you’ll reach Tenaya Lake. At around 10,000’ in elevation, the lake’s waters are always cold, but that doesn’t stop the lake from being a popular swimming spot in the summer. It also has great views of the surrounding mountains.
Yosemite Valley
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Any visit to Yosemite National Park should include a stop in Yosemite Valley even if you’ve been there before. If you don’t want to get out and hike, just drive the loop through the Valley and admire iconic features such as Bridalveil Fall, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and El Capitan.
Glacier Point
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After leaving the Valley, drive the road up to Glacier Point and enjoy Valley views from a dizzying height. The view of Half Dome from here is iconic and also includes Vernal and Nevada Falls, which you can’t see from the Valley drive.
General Grant Tree and Cedar Grove
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Exit Yosemite, preferably via Wawona, and start driving south to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. Shortly after entering Kings Canyon, take the spur to General Grant Grove, where the General Grant Tree is the largest sequoia in the park and the second-largest tree in the world, and then on to Cedar Grove and the road’s end in a valley of towering cliffs and domes.
General Sherman Tree
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Back on the main park road, continue into Sequoia National Park. Stop to see the General Sherman Tree, which is the largest known tree in the world. This tree in the Giant Forest is also around 1,650 years old.
Moro Rock
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The Giant Forest also has a trail to Moro Rock. It’s a pretty short and pretty easy hike to the top of a granite dome with excellent views of the High Sierra, which aren’t on display that much on this side of the parks.
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