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The gentle slopes of Badger Pass make Yosemite Ski School (209/372–8430) an ideal spot for children and beginners to learn downhill skiing or snowboarding for as little as $28 for a group lesson. The highlight of Yosemite’s cross-country skiing center is a 21-mi loop from Badger Pass to Glacier Point. You can rent cross-country skis for $21.50 per day at the Cross-Country Ski School (209/372–8444), which also rents snowshoes ($19.50 per day), telemarking equipment ($29), and skate-skis ($24). Yosemite Mountaineering School (Badger Pass Ski Area | 209/372–8344 | www.yosemitepark.com) conducts snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, telemarking, and skate-skiing classes starting at $30. | Badger Pass Rd., off Glacier Point Rd., 18 mi from Yosemite Valley 95389 | 209/372–8430.

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WHAT’S NEARBY

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NEARBY TOWNS

Marking the southern end of the Sierra’s gold-bearing mother lode, Mariposa is the last moderate-sized town before you enter Yosemite on Route 140. In addition to a mining museum, Mariposa has numerous shops, restaurants, and service stations. Motels and restaurants dot both sides of Route 41 as it cuts through the town of Oakhurst, a boomtown during the Gold Rush that is now a magnet for fast-food restaurants and chain stores. Oakhurst has a population of about 13,000 and sits 15 mi south of the park. The gracious Sonora, 70 mi west of the park via Routes 120 and 49, retains evidence of its own vibrant, Gold Rush history. Stroll Washington Street and see Old West storefronts with second-story porches and 19th-century hotels. The tiny town of Lee Vining, near the park’s eastern entrance, is home to the eerily beautiful, salty Mono Lake, where millions of migratory birds nest. Visit Mammoth Lakes, about 40 mi southeast of Yosemite’s Tioga Pass entrance, for excellent skiing and snowboarding in winter, with fishing, mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding in summer. Nine deep-blue lakes form the Mammoth Lakes Basin, and another hundred dot the surrounding countryside. Devils Postpile National Monument sits at the base of Mammoth Mountain.

VISITOR INFORMATION

Lee Vining Office and Information Center

P.O. Box 29, Lee Vining, CA 93541 | 760/647–6595 | www.leevining.com. Mammoth Lakes Visitors Bureau | Along Rte. 203 (Main St.), near Sawmill Cutoff Rd., Mammoth Lakes 93546 | 760/934–2712 or 888/466–2666 | www.visitmammoth.com. Mariposa County Visitors Bureau | 5158 Rte. 140, Mariposa 95338 | 209/966–7082 or 888/554–9013 | www.homeofyosemite.com. Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau | P.O. Box 4020, Sonora, CA 95370 | 209/533–4420 or 800/446–1333 | www.thegreatunfenced.com. Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau | 41969 Rte. 41, Oakhurst 93644 | 559/683–4636 | www.yosemitethisyear.com.

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

Bodie Ghost Town.

Old shacks and shops, abandoned mine shafts, a Methodist church, the mining village of Rattlesnake Gulch, and the remains of a small Chinatown are among the sights at this fascinating ghost town turned state historic park, which sits at an elevation of 8,200 feet. The town boomed from about 1878 to 1881, but by the late 1940s, all its residents had departed. A state park was established here in 1962, with a mandate to preserve the town in a state of "arrested decay," but not to restore it. Evidence of Bodie’s wild past survives at an excellent museum, and you can tour an old stamp mill (where ore was stamped into fine powder to extract gold and silver) and a ridge that contains many mine sites. No food, drink, or lodging is available in Bodie; the nearest picnic area is ½ mi away. The town is 23 mi from Lee Vining, north on U.S. 395, then east on Route 270; the last 3 mi are unpaved. Snow may close Route 270 late fall through early spring, but you can ski the 13 mi from the highway to the park. | Main and Green Sts., Bodie 93517 | 760/647–6445 | www.parks.ca.gov | Park $2, museum free | Park: Memorial Day–Labor Day, daily 8–7; early Sept.–late May, daily 8–4. Museum: Memorial Day–Labor Day,