"These beautiful days must enrich all my
life. They do not exist as mere pictures
but they
saturate themselves into every part of the body and
live always".
John Muir from "My First Winter in the
Yosemite Valley"


Within the Sierra Nevada range are more than 6,000
sq. miles of lands designated as wilderness areas. They
include the John Muir, Ansel Adams, Dinkey Lakes, Hoover,
South Sierra, Yosemite, Emigrant and more. Four national
parks Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite and Lassen
and more than 11 million acres of national forests
are protected as well. The national forests include
Modoc, Lassen, Plumas, Tahoe, El Dorado, Stanislaus,
Toyabe, Inyo, Sierra and Sequoia. These protected areas
offer respite to millions of visitors each year and
habitat to the thousands of wildlife species that make
these spectacular and rugged mountains their home.
John Muir named the Sierra Nevada "The Range of
Light". An outstanding example of the views that
inspired him is the Sawtooth Ridge above Upper Twin
Lake in Bridgeport. At sunset the golden hues cast by
the vast granite escarpment are magnificent. Azure blue
skies and billowing white clouds often enhance this
inspiring and unique landscape. For those who appreciate
the mountains, this experience is a must, at least once
in a lifetime!

Hikers, horseback riders, fishermen, climbers and other
adventurers enjoy these forests and wilderness areas
from late spring well into the fall of each year. The
Sierra Nevada, nearly 450 miles from north to south,
is one of the major mountain ranges on the planet. It
claims some of the most remote landscapes and highest
elevations in the contiguous United States, providing
the connection with nature's beauty and serenity that
so many people living today's fast-paced life styles
are seeking. Henry David Thoreau said it so well, "In
wilderness is the preservation of the world".
|