Yosemite & The Gold Country Trip Report
Click on the wheelchair icon at any point in the report for disbled access information
for that particular attraction or listing.
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The Route: from the Pasadena area, we took Interstate 210 north to Interstate 5 in Sylmar. Continued north on I-5 to Highway 99 south of Bakersfield. We took the 99 north to Highway 41 in Merced and continued east to Mariposa.
The Budget - 2 adults
(Click on the highlighted links to visit that attraction or business' home page)
Trip Dates - July 2 - July 5, 1997
The Budget (for 2 adults), includes taxes & tips:
Lodging, 3 nights - $277.52
Dinner, July 2, Kingsburg - $ 20.00
Dinner, July 3, Mariposa - $ 20.00
Late Snack, July 4, Mariposa -$ 9.75
Lunch, July 5, Fresno - $ 6.24
Dinner, July 5, Kernville - $ 44.61
Gas (30mpg@$1.35/gal) - $ 40.00
Admission to Yosemite - $ 20.00
Admission to mining museum -$ 3.50
Admission to fireworks show- $10.00
Sodas in ice chest - $ 3.49
Beer & wine in ice chest - $ 12.25
Total trip cost - $ 467.36
The Trip...click on picture for full-size photos!
Web Jr.'s playing Baywatch...sort of. He's away at camp, roughing it in that backward community of Malibu. Actually, he goes to camp there
every summer giving the Mrs. & I a break. We love the guy, but this is our time. We did promise him to check on accessibility for all items
listed below. (click on the icon when it appears below for access information)
Our trip this year is up to Yosemite. Specifically, to the nearby town of Mariposa. Actually, we're only planning on spending one day in Yosemite and the rest of the time enjoying California's historical Gold Country.
Of course, as usual, we don't have nearly enough time to see everything we'd like to on a trip like this (4 nights) so we don't try to cover all the bases. Just what we can really enjoy during that time.
The Mrs. Could only get one extra day off for the 4th of July weekend but since she gets off of work at 2:30, we could at least get an afternoon's head start.
It was hot at around 100 degrees in the San Gabriel Valley. Brush & forest fires burned out of control in the Angeles National Forest to the north. It seemed like a good time to get away. We ended up leaving at 3:00 on a hot, smoky Wednesday afternoon..
Traffic was light & we made good time out of the L.A. basin by going up the 210 freeway through La Canada & Sylmar. After the Grapvine, we took the fork up Highway 99 through Bakersfield enjoying the endless miles of farming country.
Three hours later found us just south of Fresno in the Swedish themed town of Kingsburg. It seemed like a good time to take a break from the road & to grab some dinner. Dinner this night would be at Kady's Cafe at the second Kingsburg offramp.
The food at Kady's, although wholesome & filling, is really unspectacular and rather bland. It did take much salt, pepper & tabasco to coax some flavor from it. Oh well, at least we're not hungry anymore...back on the road!
Just a few minutes later we hit the south end of Fresno & spot a brand new In-n-Out. Boy, we could have had a delicious Double-Double if we'd just waited five more minutes. Now I'm sorry...
When we hit Merced, we gas up where we can still get it relatively cheaply (gas in the mountains runs 20 to 30 cents a gallon more than down in the valley) and head east on Highwy 41 to Mariposa. It's a beautiful drive through rolling hills of oaks & grass.
Exactly 5 1/2 hours after we leave home, we arrive at our destination, the Restful Nest Bed & Breakfast located just south of Mariposa.
Upon arrival, we are greeted by the resident pet, a 6 month old labrador named Casey.
Casey is an exuburantly friendly pup who keeps everybody company here. After Casey comes the
owner, Lois Moroni, who greets us with an offer of a cold drink an shows us to our room.
The 3 rooms of the inn are just off of the great swimming pool & hot tub . All are large rooms with private bathrooms and private entrances. Each room is equipped with a tv, vcr, bar, refrigerator, and coffee machine.
The property of the inn encompasses 10 acres of rolling countryside complete with a stocked fishing pond (bring your gear). There are also horseshoe pits, a volleyball court, and tetherball. Near the pet pheasant's cage there's also a hammock if all of the above sounds just too tiring for you.
Wildlife abounds in the area. On top of the ever-present squirrels, rabbits and quail, we counted 5 deer sightings over the weekend. The Mrs., ever the bird watcher, catalogged 18 different species of birds just on the B&B property over our 3 days there.
Well, all the above is great, but after 5 hours on the road we were more concerned with getting some shuteye so off to bed we went. After a good night's sleep, we were ready when the breakfast bell rang at 9:00 the next morning (you can schedule breakfast at any time that's convenient for you).
Breakfast this morning was a huge affair that started off with platters of fresh cantaloupe, honey dew melons, water melons, grapefruit, & oranges. We polished that off with help from our fresh coffee & juice when Lois brought out more...much more. Next came banana muffins, omelettes, pancakes, homemade sausages, and ham. The crowning touch was Lois' homemade brioche.
We then waddled off to the car for the drive to Yosemite. From the inn, Yosemite is a 50 mile drive up the Merced River canyon. We went on July 3 mostly to avoid the Independence Day crowds.
First up on our list was Bridalveil Falls.
We grabbed the last spot in the parking lot and walked up the 1/2 mile trail to the base of the falls. The mist felt refreshing as we came up upon the falls. There was no shortage of water going over the precipice. The view is spectacular but the best spot for a photo was back at the parking lot. The crowd was not too bad but I dread to think what it would be like the next day with that small parking lot.
Next was a jaunt across the valley to see Yosemite Falls, the nation's tallest. At over 1400 feet for the first drop, Yosemite Falls is the 5th tallest fall in the world and stands at about 9 times the height of Niagra Falls. They can literally be seen for many miles away.
We grabbed the second to the last spot in the lot this time. The crowd was much thicker here and many people lined up for the restrooms here. Again, I could only imagine what the crowds would be like the next day as everybody had the day off to visit.
Another 1/2 mile trail led up to the base of the falls. There, you are at the bottom of the 3rd drop of the falls and cannot see the first large drop. You can feel the wind that the falls generate however and it's a very refreshing feeling.
The third must-see of our day in the park was Glacier Point. The 30 mile or so road to the point takes you to the rim of the valley. The view from there is what you really want to see when you come to Yosemite.
You can see all the major waterfalls including Yosemite, Nevada, Vernal, and another fall way up the valley that I don't know the name of. It is heartstopping to see the kids running around the edge with it's thousands of feet vertical drop to the valley below.
Going back from Glacier Point, we pull into the lot for Sentinel Dome trail. We had planned to hike there but a ranger was about to lead a hike to nearby Taft Point so we decided to tag along. The 1.1 mile hike to Taft Point wound through forests, streams, and meadows before reaching the most famous feature, the fissures.
The fissures are cracks in the rocks that have expanded into 2 foot wide, canyons that reach down hundreds of feet. They are spectacular to look down but beware if you are afraid of heights.
At the end of the trail is Taft Point, named after our heaviest president. Here is a real edge-of-your-seat experience as you look over the edge straight down to the valley thousands of feet below you. At the point there is a small pipe fence to give you some security as you look and there is a whole lot more of unprotected cliff-edge to look over.
Again, you really get the willies as you see kids running around very unconcerned here. See just how high it is in the photo above. I commented on one particular kid to the woman standing next to me on the point. "Oh, that's my son. He's been here lots of times. He won't fall over..." Yeah, right. (NOTE: the trail to Taft Point is not accessible.)
Below is a picture of Yosemite Falls as seen from Taft Point.
Throughout all of this, we never got hungry. That breakfast was big enough to carry us through the entire day.
Toward evening we headed back to Mariposa and had appetizers at the Meadows Ranch Cafe . Here we had some delicious jalapeno poppers & chicken quesadilla rolls, all washed down with some Yosemite Brewery (located next door) amber ale. The brewery & restaurant are located at 5008 Highway 140 in downtown Mariposa.
Back at the inn, we took a dip in the pool and soaked in the hot tub to cut the day's trail dust. The inn's other owner, Lois' husband Jon Pierre, had returned from a business trip and prepared some homemade french onion soup.
Jon is an affable french man from the Provencal region of France. Along with his wife, he bought this inn as a retirement income booster. Jon & Lois both really enjoy it here & love chatting with the guests.
This evening the soup was marvelous. Along with the bread, cheese & wine, it made a perfect cap to the day.
Having been to Yosemite yesterday & not wanting to wade into the crowds, we decided to see what the town of Mariposa had in store for us.
After another giant breakfast, we headed to the state Mining & Mineral Museum located 2 miles south of town at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds. Jon & Lois had provided us with a 2 for 1 admission coupon (also available at the visitor's center at the north end of town) so the price was right.
It's your basic museum but loaded with gems & precious metals. You follow exhibits that explain the history of gold mining in the region. This is the heart of Mother Lode country so a trip here must include some gold mining related activities.
There is a recreated mine shaft to wander down and many displays of the various minerals & gems that are mined in California. There is even a display that explains how you can file a mining claim yourself.
The crowning jewel of the museum is the largest gold nugget found in California. This 13 pound giant is very spectacular. About a foot long and 6 inches high. Just off the top of our head we figured just by weight is must be worth close to $100,000.
Next, we headed to the north side of town and went to the Mariposa County History Museum, located right behind the Bank of America. This admission-free museum is full of the history of the region.
Outside is a large display of authentic gold mining equipment used in the region. The original office of the local newspaper is here along with a rebuilt gold ore stamping machine.
Inside are displays of local antiques along with stories of the region's schools, saloons, good guys and bad guys. Of particular interest are many of John Fremont's personal belongings. He, along with Kit Carson, explored much of the region and was instrumental in getting statehood for California.
After the museum we drove up the street to the cemetery to do some exploring. We tried, but by now the heat was just too much so we drove up highway 140 to the Merced River Recreation Area (12 miles north of town) to wade in the cool water.
There is a great little dirt road here that follows the course of the river south for several miles with plenty of great pools for a dip. Many outfitters also provide raft trips down the river here.
After this we headed back to the inn for a long, refreshing dip in the pool. As beautiful as this region is, it really gets hot.
Jon & Lois invited us up for a barbecue that evening and we had some delicous barbecued chicken tacos with a french flavor. Jon, ever the frenchman, pulled out some delicious wine to top it off.
After dinner, we headed back over to the fairgrounds for the local 4th of July celebration. After much singing by a local group...too much singing judging by the reactions of those around us...the fireworks began. It was a great show and after fighting a great traffic jam to get out, we headed back to the inn.
Our last morning at the Restful Nest. Breakfast again was a huge affair with an egg casserole, a variety of breakfast meats, fruit, muffins, and the ever-present brioches. It was sad to leave but leave we must and we proceded to head south down highway 41 through a Gold Country scenic drive.
For the first time on our trip we actually got hungry for lunch about the time we hit Fresno. Not wanting to make the same mistake again, this time we remembered about the new In-n-Out on the south end of town.
After a delicious Double-Double and a shake, we continued on to this day's destination.
Most people are under the assumption that giant sequoia trees can only be found in national parks such as Yosemite and Sequoia. Well, they're wrong!
There is a little known and out of the way area south of Sequoia National Park that has many groves of these giants. True, it is out of the way (the loop we made will take you about 4 hours out of the way) and most of the groves are hidden in the forest up old dirt logging roads. However, that being said there are some spectacular trees right along the main highway.
To get there, we headed south on Highway 99 to Highway 140 leading to Porterville. Then we headed east on 140 into the Sequoia National Forest. This is a really windy road that finally straightens out 44 miles up into the mountains at Quaking Aspen. Here, we continued on to mile marker 13 to the Trail of 100 Giants.
There is a picnic area and a campground across the street from the trailhead next to the beautiful Long Meadow. The trail itself is an easy 1/2 mile loop through a spectacular grove of giant trees. These trees are not fenced in and you can get right up to them and touch 'em. You can even walk through some of them. If you've never seen a sequoia up close, just check out this picture to see just how big they can get (click on it for the full effect).
After the trail, we did a little bird watching in Long Meadow, just off of the parking area. The meadow was filled with wild flowers and the Mrs. catalogged 4 different species of birds in the meadow.
Next, we continued down the highway through the Kern River canyon. Just before the Kern, we pulled over to view the large South River Falls. The hillsides really dried up when we hit the Kern River although the river itself was very full and roiling with whitewater...and no, we did not see any Clintons anywhere!
There were a lot of rafting guides leading groups through the river. We pulled over to watch some of the boats come around a bend in the river to get some photos for this report. If you look carefully at the picture below, you can see the result of a particularly nasty bump in the river. At the front of the boat you can see a woman holding on for dear life after she was thrown overboard in the rapids.
This was a truly scary moment as the guide let the raft go on uncontrolled while the woman held onto the guide's paddle. Luckily the raft drifted into some calm water and the overboard passenger was pulled to safety. Below is another picture of the whitewater activity at this point.
We continued on down the canyon to the nice little town of Kernville where the river empties into Lake Isabella. We had hoped to stay in the area this evening but everything was booked. We decided to spend some time here anyway, wading in the cool, refreshing water of the river and then having dinner before leaving.
From the numerous restaurants and snack bars around the town's Circle Park, we picked That's Italian. We were very glad we did.
That's Italian would be right at home with the better Italian restaurants of San Francisco or L.A. Dinner started off with a great, fresh green salad topped off with their delicious home-made Italian dressing...very creamy! The Mrs. had the Linguini with shrimp and I had their canneloni stuffed with ham, chicken, spinach, & cheese. The linguini came with an alfredo-like white sauce and the canneloni had a tomato cream sauce. Absolutely delicous!
The meal was accompanied by basketfuls of fresh bread & butter. The whole thing was topped off with some of the best desserts we've ever had. The Mrs. had a piece of their chocolate cake and I had a napoleon that was very, very flaky with custard & cream. All this was eaten on their outdoor porch dining area with great views of the town and fresh breeze.
With that great dinner under our belt, we continued on down highway 138 which winds its way down the Kern River to Bakersfield. At this point it was 8:30pm and we were not really wanting to spend the night in Bakersfield so we just continued on the 2 hour drive back home.
HITS & MISSES
Just about everything was a hit on this trip. The only misses would be Kady's Cafe in Kingsburg and the length of the drive into Sequoia National Forest. That part of the trip would really be better as a day trip out of Kernville.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS IN THE AREA
SEQUOIA/KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK - The nation's deepest canyon is not the Grand Canyon, it's the King's River Canyon located in this national park. Sequoia is home to the world's largest living thing - the General Grant tree. A hike up Topokah falls, though not handicapped accessible, provides access to one of the Sierra's prettiest falls and a great swimming hole at the bottom.
GOLD COUNTRY TOWNS - Other Gold Country towns in the area include beatiful Jackson and tiny Volcano - home to Daffodil Hill with it's thousands of blooms in spring.
KIRKWOOD INN - Located at one of the best ski areas around, Kirkwood, this inn in the Carson Pass has been in business about 150 years. Sit at the same bar that John Fremont & Kit Carson sat at & have a beer in their memory. Especially good in winter when you can get cozy by the fire.
LAKE TAHOE - Enjoy all the activities this crystal-clear alpine lake can offer from boating & skiing to casinos and nightlife.
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Access Information for this trip
The Trail of 100 Giants really suprised us by being totally wheelchair accessible. The trail, although comprised of dirt, is packed down very flat and never exceeds a 6% slope. This is a very good trail, among the best we've ever seen for accessibility. There are also 13 signs along the trail providing interpretive information.
There are accessible restrooms in both the picnic area and the campground. We did not see any marked handicapped parking at either but there were plenty of areas that can accomodate handicapped parking. Even on July 4th weekend, there were hardly any people here.
River rafting guides in Kernville told us they can accomodate most disabled passengers. Decide for yourself keeping the information in the report above in mind. I would not feel comfortable letting my son on that raft but there are milder sections of the river I would consider. Basically, look at the pictures above and ask yourself if you would be confident you would be ok if you went overboard in those rapids. Prices start at $17.
That's Italian has a short, kinda steep ramp leading to the front door. All parts of the restaurant are accessible to wheelchairs and the bathrooms are fully ADA compliant and roomy. There were many handicapped parking spaces nearby and all the sidewalks were very nicely ramped.
Kady's Cafe in Kingsburg has two handicapped parking spots, accessible bathrooms and a few accessible tables. As you can see from above though, we didn't think too highly of their food. This would be a great place for some who needed a bland diet though.
The Restful Nest is not quite accessible but we spent much time with the owners telling them what they needed to do. They really want to go after the disabled market and have commited themselves to making the necessary improvements. We will be returning next winter with our son & wheelchair to see how they do.
Basically, you can access the guest rooms now via a flag-stone walkway that would cause some difficulty in navigation, especially for power chairs. The owners have told us that they plan on replacing this with a concrete walkway providing easy access to all 3 guestrooms which are on the lower floor. 4 steps now hinder your access to the deck, living room, & dining areas of the main house. A portable ramp is being also being soght after for access here.
The wood deck & steps around the pool area are being replaced to cut down on maintenance costs. At this time, a ramp will also be built there. The bathrooms are able to accomodate chairs and grab bars are being added for access. The show will be roll-in and tranferrable.
All other areas of the 10-acre property are currently accessable to wheelchairs.
The trail up to the Bridalveil Falls is paved and completely accessible. The last 20 feet of trail is a bit steep but not too much to overcome. There are 2 handicapped spots in the parking lot and accessible pit toilets adjacent to the parking lot.
The trail to the base of Yosemite Falls is paved and completely accessible. There are 2 handicapped spots in the parking lot and accessible toilets adjacent to the parking lot.
The short trail to Glacier Point is paved and completely accessible. Watch for signs pointing out the accessible route to the point. There are several handicapped spots in the parking lot and accessible toilets adjacent to the parking lot. Currently (July, 1997) there is much construction activity going on here as a new lodge and restrooms are being built. Some paths may be detoured into dirt areas.
The Meadows Ranch Cafe and the Yosemite Brewery are accessible. The sidewalks are about 3 feet above the street and you need to access them from the side street. Park around the corner to access the sidewalk and continue to the restaurant.
The Mining Museum is completely accessible with convenient adjacent handicapped parking and several accessible restrooms both in the museum and nearby in the fairgrounds.
The Mariposa History Museum is completely accessible. Handicapped parking available in front with accessible restrooms inside.
The Merced River Recreation area is not too accessible. There is an area close to the turn off from highway 140 that has a relatively flat parking area with a sandy natural ramp down to the river that can be negotiated by strong manual chair users. We wouldn't recommend it for power chairs. This is a primitive area with no restrooms.
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