Mountain Trips

Visit with Nature in the Local Mountains

A drive of only 30 minutes will put you in the San Bernardino National Forest, a cool and green haven. One usually needs a permit to hike in the wilderness zones of the mountain areas.

For more information call 794-1123. The Mill Creek Ranger Station is located at the junction of Highway 38 and Bryant Avenue, the turnoff for Yucaipa. They're open at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday and by 8:00 a.m. on weekdays.

Note: An Adventure Pass is required to park in the San Bernardino National Forest

National Parks

Yosemite National Park
P.O. Box 577, Yosemite View map
209-372-0200
909-372-0265

Can Yosemite Valley live up to the praise heaped upon it by the likes of John Muir and Ansel Adams? You will not be disappointed—Yosemite provides some of the most spectacular views anywhere in the world. Visits can range from trips by car to horseback riding and backpacking. Yosemite is so popular that camping reservations are chosen by lottery six to nine months in advance.

May and June are great times to visit the valley. The waterfalls are beautiful cascades, swollen from snow runoff, and flowers are bursting into bloom. Accommodations in Yosemite are made through Yosemite Concession Services Corporation. Rates range from $37.00 per night for a basic tent cabin with nearby bathroom to over $200 per night for a room at the Ahwahnee Hotel, a grand 1920s style mountain lodge. Reservations can be made up to one year and one day in advance by calling 209-252-4848 or by writing Central Reservations, 5410 East Home, Fresno, CA 93727.

To get to Yosemite from Redlands, take the I-10 West into Los Angeles; from Los Angeles, take Highway 5 North up to the 99 North; take the 99 to the 41 North, which leads into Yosemite National Park. Cost for entry to the park is $20 per private, noncommercial vehicle for a seven-day stay.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
47050 Generals Highway, Three Rivers View map
209-365-3134
209 365-3341

This is an ideal weekend trip. Visit a unique part of California, home to big trees and spectacular alpine scenery. The giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is found here in abundance. They are some of the world's largest trees. The exhibits at the Visitors' Center and the interpretive booklets that you carry with you on the trails provide interesting details about the trees.

Sequoia National Park is adjacent to Kings Canyon National Park, and the two parks share the same administration and the same main highway. Most tourists visit both parks because of their proximity.

The parks are about 300 miles from Redlands. To get there, take the I-10 West from Redlands to the 101 North through Santa Barbara. Turn right (east) in San Lucas on the 198. This will take you into the park. The Visitors' Center for both parks is located seven miles north of Three Rivers on Highway 198. The 46-mile Generals Highway, which links the two parks, will reveal a number of beautiful views and interesting little spots. The General Sherman tree is (literally) one big attraction—it stands 272 feet high and is wider than two buses parked side-by-side.

Lodging is available throughout the park, but none of it is especially luxurious. There are hotel and motel accommodations at Giant Forest, Stoney Creek, and Cedar Grove. You can get rustic cabins with baths, as well as tent-cabins with rough wood walls, roofs of canvas, and woodburning stoves. Reservations should all be made through Sequoia Guest Services (Reservations Manager, P.O. Box 789, Three Rivers, CA 93271; 209-561-3314).

Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks
Utah
Zion: SR 9, Springdale, UT View map
Bryce: P.O. Box 170001, Bryce Canyon, UT View map
Zion and Bryce National Parks make a good long weekend trip (4-5 days including driving time) from Redlands. Bryce is approximately 85 miles northeast of Zion National Park and makes a good day trip from there.

Bryce Canyon National Park is named for one of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah. The park is not really a canyon; it's a series of natural amphitheaters carved from the encircling cliffs by rain, snow, and ice. This erosion has created thousands of spires, fins, pinnacles, and natural mazes collectively known as "hoodoos."

Much of Bryce Canyon can be viewed from the major overlooks, which are connected by an 18-mile paved road. To fully enjoy the hoodoos, we recommend taking one of the trails into the ampitheaters, particularly in the early morning or at sunset to experience the brilliant colors of Bryce.