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Road Trippin': Sacramento to Yosemite

One of the best aspects of residing in the Sacramento region, as so many Caltrans employees do, is that several of the state's most-celebrated attractions are but a day trip away. The Bay Area and Lake Tahoe are within a couple of hours, and only three hours away is a gem of the national parks system: Yosemite. The shortest and quickest path to driving there is via three Caltrans-overseen roadways: State Routes 99, 4 and 120. Fasten your seatbelts and ride along on this, the latest and likely last edition (for a while, anyway!) of CT News' Road Trippin'.

Gallery

sacyose-01 (Screen shot courtesy of Google Maps)
sacyose-02 This issue's CT News road trip begins, as so many of its trips do, at the southbound freeway onramp at H Street and 29th Street.
sacyose-03 The most-direct route from Sacramento to Yosemite begins on State Route 99, which here crosses another Caltrans-overseen roadway.
sacyose-04 Just past the main Stockton exits, this interchange takes Yosemite-bound motorists off the freeway and onto rural roadways.
sacyose-05 State Route 4 goes almost directly east from State Route 99oward the Sierra Nevada, initially through farm land.
sacyose-06 Vineyards and orchards line State Route 4 near Farmington as the highway passes through valley toward foothills.
sacyose-07 Scenery at this point of the three-hour drive does not overwhelm, but more-interesting sights obviously lie ahead.
sacyose-08 A cluster of vista points encountered by motorists heading toward Yosemite include this one a few miles west of Copperopolis.
sacyose-09 Grazing farmland on foothills is the view at this spot off State Route 4; a mountain range known as the Sierra Nevada looms to the east.
sacyose-10 Not quite halfway to Yosemite, motorists can pull into this unusual urban development project a mile west of old Copperopolis.
sacyose-11 At Copperopolis, State Route 4 intersects with O'Byrne Ferry Road, which -- full disclosure -- is not overseen by Caltrans.
sacyose-12 Lake Tulloch, off O'Byrne Ferry Road, is a popular vacation/retreat spot for weekending Northern and Central Californians.
sacyose-13 The 12-mile shortcut via O'Byrne Ferry Road ends with a left turn on State Routes 108 and 120, which themselves soon after split.
sacyose-14 At this point, Yosemite-bound motorists veer right on SR-120 and those headed for Sonora veer left on SR-120.
sacyose-15 At this point on State Route 120, travelers coming from Sacramento are more than halfway to Yosemite National Park.
sacyose-16 Mark Twain lived a small but significant part of his life in Northern California, and Chinese Camp has this plaque in his memory.
sacyose-17 As State Route 120 makes its way past Chinese Camp toward Yosemite, a vista point allows travelers to stop and gaze out over Don Pedro Reservoir.
sacyose-18 Shoreline water levels at Don Pedro Reservoir can be a good barometer of how close we are to experiencing another drought.
sacyose-19 CT News veered left here; anyone going right instead should be aware of multiple roadway twists, turns, rises and falls before Mariposa is reached.
sacyose-20 Right after the "Y" intersection with State Route 49, SR-120 suddenly starts mounting the Sierra Nevada with many hairpin turns.
sacyose-21 Insider tip: From this portion of SR-120, you can see super-steep Old Priest Road cutting up the mountain to the south. It's a shortcut!
sacyose-22 After its incline into the mountains, State Route 120 passes through three small towns on its way to Yosemite. Big Oak Flat is first.
sacyose-23 Groveland is the largest of the three mountain towns on SR-120's approach to Yosemite National Park.
sacyose-24 The Iron Door Saloon in Groveland self-describes itself as the oldest tavern in California. Its steel doors look original, circa. 1852.
sacyose-25 The final community of any size along State Route 120 as it approaches the northwest entrance to Yosemite is Buck Meadows.
sacyose-26 This memorial plaque along Highway 120 near Yosemite is a testament to the region's exposure to wildfire dangers .
sacyose-27 Rush Creek Lodge, like its sister property Evergreen Lodge near Hetch Hetchy, offers high-end accommodations near Yosemite.
sacyose-28 This sign feels somewhat more like a small billboard than the traditional kind of brown-toned, majestic marker one often finds at national parks.
sacyose-29 Savor this serene scene at the Big Oak Flat entrance to Yosemite National Park. There are times when the lines to get in are a mile long.