Preface
What will it be—the mountains or the beach? That’s usually the
question if you’re heading outdoors in California. The beach has always
been the big lure in California, especially if you come from an inland place.
But as millions would now attest, the Sierra Nevada holds a charm and splendor
quite apart from the coast. Maybe it’s because the crowds were getting
so big at the beach, but visitors these days are placing Yosemite National
Park and Lake Tahoe on their itinerary right next to Malibu or Big Sur.
When they get to these Sierra playgrounds, people discover natural history,
cultural depth, and days filled with hiking, biking, kayaking, horseback
riding, picnicking, rock climbing, fishing, backpacking, and sight-seeing.
But besides Tahoe and Yosemite, is there anywhere else to go in the Sierra?
My mission in this book was to answer that question. Yes, I wanted to tell
the story of Tahoe and Yosemite too, but there is so much more that often
goes unexplored. There are plenty of guidebooks on the Sierra, but this
represents one of the few that tackles the entire 400-mile range. It is
also one of the few that combines the science of the Sierra with the nuts
and bolts of where to go and what to do.
With
10 national forest, 3 national parks, and numerous state parks, it is a
lot to digest and consider for anyone planning a trip to the Sierra. The
glacial wonders of Yosemite and the awe-inspiring size of Tahoe are just
the beginning. The Sierra also includes the tallest mountain in the lower
48 states, Mount Whitney, and the deepest river canyon in the country, Kings
Canyon. The primitive backcountry throughout the range makes it a hiking
and backpacking attraction for people from around the world.
But the Sierra has its own set of problems. Thirty-two million people—California’s
population—living anywhere close to a mountain range will have an impact.
Air pollution from the state’s growing population is beginning to affect
trees in the Southern Sierra. Streams are becoming polluted, and amphibians
are disappearing here as fast as they are anywhere in the world.
More houses and cabins are sprouting every year in the foothills and front
country of the Sierra. Tahoe’s clear mountain water is in jeopardy
as watersheds become contaminated. The forests continue to grow thicker
with vegetation because too many fires have been extinguished in the past
century. The threat of catastrophic fire confronts forest managers throughout
the range.
I
felt I understood many of these issues because I grew up in the San Joaquin
Valley next to the Southern Sierra and have written about the Central and
Eastern Sierra over the past decade. But I learned a lot about my own back
yard. The number of things I did not know about my own home state still
amazes me. But considering that it is a full day of nonstop driving from
the Southern Sierra to reach the northern edge of range, it’s no wonder
that there are few people who have an understanding of the entire range.
With a fuller knowledge and deeper appreciation of the Sierra, I feel the
tug of conservation more than before. I live in Fresno just west of about
4 million acres of forests and national parks. I have a ringside seat to
observe what conservation efforts can do for the Sierra. Years from now,
when my children are vacationing with their own families, I want them to
have the same choice I do—indeed, the mountains first, then the beach.
—Mark Grossi
Read
and add comments about this page
Reader-Contributed Links to the California Sierra Nevada Book: