I didn’t know how much I was missing the full force of the sun until I landed in central California. It’s November, and Calgary is experiencing that awful “in-between” time: no longer fall and not yet winter. Trail running is icy and precarious and skiing is still weeks away. I call it the non-season and I reluctantly cocoon. So, when Tuolumne County, in sunny California, offered to host a quick getaway to show off their region, I jumped at the opportunity.
Besides the promise of sunshine and dry trails, I am most excited to see Yosemite National Park for the first time. Yosemite is known for waterfalls, giant sequoias, granite cliffs, and Ansel Adams. It is also a mecca for thru-hiking (the John Muir Trail starts here and the Pacific Crest Trail travels through), rock climbing and #vanlife.
I start my adventure in Sonora, 2.5 hours east of San Francisco Airport by car. I eat breakfast in my kitchen on a cold, dark morning, and lunch on a California patio, and it seems too easy. Fall colours and warm weather are still in full force here so I ditch the puffy jacket for shorts and T-shirt and spend the afternoon exploring the local history, antique shops, and breweries. I have a tasting flight of beer and then a five-kilometre shake-out run on the trails in Dragoon Gulch, under blue skies and full sun. Trails and beer are my love language, after all. The trailhead is walking distance from perhaps one of the best eateries I’ve ever visited – The Amory – a kind of centrepiece of Sonora, and part of the Tuolumne County Craft Beverage Trail. The space is epic, with a sprawling beer garden, rooftop tables, and dance floor, and the vibe is very cool. On Tuesday nights they host a rousing cornhole tournament which you can join for $10. I want to stay there all evening eating tacos, drinking from their extensive list of on-tap brews, and throwing fabric bags with the locals, but I decide to find my accommodation before dark.
There are plenty of quaint hotel options in the Sonora area, like the Lazy Z Resort, where I stay for the two-night getaway. An affordable, mountain hideaway just outside Twain Harte, the resort is accessed via a maze of dizzyingly windy roads best enjoyed in a sports car (if you get the chance to upgrade your rental). Lazy Z Resort, like many places in Tuolumne is family-run, passed down through the generations, tucked into the woods, and very peaceful. I can’t decide whether to enjoy the natural hot tub, walk the grounds, or nap, so instead I pull out my trail map of Yosemite, head into town to eat dinner, and plan my tomorrow. I settle by the open fireplace at the historic and storied Eproson House, and enjoy a homestyle meal.
Tuolumne is the perfect place to stage an adventure into Yosemite National Park. My goal is to experience sunrise in Yosemite Valley and an early start has me standing at the base of the iconic Dawn Wall of El Capitan as the first rays of sun hit the rock. Yosemite is notorious for its crowds, but in November, at 6:30 am, I have the place to myself, and it is sublime. Even if you’ve studied Ansel Adams and John Muir (“no temple made with hands can compare”), nothing prepares you for the grandeur of Yosemite’s light and rock filling your own eyes and soul. Eddie Vedder’s “Society” is playing in my mind as a soundtrack to the view.
But Yosemite is more than just the valley bottom, and there is plenty of magic to be found in other corners of this sprawling park, like the spectacular Hetch Hetchy Valley in the north. I enjoy a seven-kilometre hike to the 1,100-ft Wapama Falls, and map in hand, I am already dreaming of a return trip to explore all the trails in the region.
Following the hike, I checked into the Rush Creek Lodge and Spa, just a few kilometres from the park gate. This luxury retreat is social entrepreneurship at its best – they prioritize family and environmental stewardship while running a summer internship program to teach job and life skills to under-served youth. This place has intentionality: there are no televisions in the rooms, but there is plenty to do in the pools, hot tubs, games areas, and nature-inspired playgrounds. They even serve s’mores every night by the campfire! The spa is incredible, and I easily blow a couple of hours enjoying the Yosemite-inspired waterfall cove, cool mist showers, and aromatherapy steam room. I order poke and Prosecco to the hot tub and wonder how I’ve gotten so lucky.
Just 35 kilometres down the road is the historic village of Groveland – a must-stop en route in or out of Yosemite. I recommend the coffee at the family-run Mountain Sage Café and gift store, open 150+ years. While there, browse their eclectic art and second-hand clothes. Groveland also boasts California’s oldest saloon, The Iron Door, built from solid granite and continuously operating since 1896. There are still bullet holes in the walls from the gold rush days. I need more hours and days to see it all, but I’m prioritizing. I got a hot tip about the Hetchy Hetch Hazy IPA at Around the Horn Brewery, just outside Groveland, and decided to close the day with a brew to match my adventure.
Most people come to Tuolumne for Yosemite, but I am discovering there is plenty more wilderness outside the national park. My proclivity for sunrise is satisfied a second time with an early morning run around Pinecrest Lake in Stanislaus National Forest, a beloved recreation area that is teeming with life in the summer, but completely deserted in November, as I prefer. The lakeside homes are boarded up, watercraft brought ashore, and the parking lot empty. The squeals and jolly of summer have long faded leaving a profound silence. My run is more meditation than exercise.
I finished my time in Tuolumne County at the McCaffrey Inn for a post-run home-cooked breakfast. This elegant five-star bed and breakfast is a little piece of paradise just on the edge of Twain Harte. I am treated to more stories of the region by the innkeeper, Stephanie McCaffrey, a tour of her property, a massage on the tree-lined veranda, and plenty of pats from Olie, the resident golden retriever.
As I drive back to San Francisco, I make a mental adventure list for when I return to Tuolumne County. As a trail runner, wilderness explorer, and lover of all things California (especially in the off-season), I’ll be back.
