Outside Park, West
Most people coming from the Bay Area reach Yosemite on Highway 120. As soon as the land starts to tilt up, you're entering the Gold Rush region with its rich history of struggle, enterprise and loss. A short way past a grocery or lunch stop in Oakdale you encounter the vast public domain of Stanislaus National Forest with its extensive recreational possibilities. In the distance to the east you'll catch glimpses of the snowy Sierra crest as you approach the park.There are still active timber and cattle industries and some gold mining in this area, but they've been far surpassed by tourism. Thousands come here for rafting the whitewater of the Tuolumne River, skiing at Dodge Ridge, boating on Don Pedro and New Melones reservoirs and touring the Gold Rush towns (Columbia State Historic Park is a highlight). Sonora, Groveland, Big Oak Flat and Coulterville are places to stay and explore in their own rights. The park's western boundary region includes not one but two giant sequoia groves, the grand Hetch Hetchy Valley, and a few nice national park campgrounds.
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