Table of Content
395 Highway Autumn Tour Route
Mid to late October is a good time for autumn appreciation. This time, we started from San Francisco and drove through Yosemite National Park to Yosemite East on Highway 395 (395 Highway) to enjoy the autumn. Because the road is a bit far, it takes 4 hours to drive from San Francisco to Yosemite, so we arranged a 3-day long weekend, the first day we drove to Yosemite, stayed one night, and then crossed the Tioga road to the east of Yosemite to enjoy the fall on the next day, and then we went north, and then returned to the Bay Area on the third day. On the third day of the weekend, we drove the No. 4 back to San Francisco, and spent the second night at theCalaveras Big Tree State ParkIf you stop over, you are combining two trips into three days, which is a longer drive. If you don't want to go north, it's faster to go straight back through Yosemite, which is also a three-day trip, and you can spend more time in Yosemite.
Highway 395 has a lot of good places to enjoy the fall, Mono lake is just at the east exit of Yosemite, if you don't want to go too far, you can go south to the June Lake loop, if you have enough time, you can continue to go south to the Mammoth lakes, but we didn't go south this time, we added a trip to South Tufa area to see the salt tower in the afternoon. We did not go further south this time, but added a trip to South Tufa area in the afternoon to see the Salt Tower.
Yosemite National Park | Fall Scenery
Yosemite National Park was actually only a half day for us this time, and we spent most of the afternoon in theYosemite valleyThe next day is the crossing.Tioga road areaThe fall is already here in mid-October, but most of the leaves were still yellow when we arrived. It was already autumn in mid-October, but most of the leaves had not yet turned yellow when we came here. The advantage of this is that the climate is very mild and pleasant. Because it hadn't started to snow yet, Tioga road and Glacier point were still open, but the only store still open was in Yosemite valley.
We spent our afternoon in the Valley. In Cook's meadow, where the fall is the strongest, the grass has turned yellow compared to the summer. I was most amazed by the view of Sentinel bridge, the yellowish trees were especially beautiful against the Half Dome. At this time of the year, the waterfalls are barely visible, so the crowds are much smaller than in the summer.
This night's accommodation is atYosemite Valley LodgeI'm not sure how much I'd like to stay in a hotel, but I'm sure I'd like to stay in a hotel that's more than a super hotel.AhwahneeThe price is much more affordable and the interior is very satisfactory. We were lucky to be in a room with a great view of the mountain and terrace. The location is also very close to restaurants.
Book a room at Yosemite Valley Lodge
The next morning we departed from the Valley again, passing the classic viewpoint Valley view, and turning onto theTioga roadAnother trip to Olmsted point, Teneya lake.
As we traveled east on Tioga road, the weather turned cooler, and there was a lot of snow on the mountains around Ellery lake before we reached the east exit.
Highway 395 | June Lake loop
The June Lake Loop is a scenic drive south of Yosemite's east exit on Highway 395, and is a great place to enjoy the fall foliage while driving around. In winter, June lake is a ski resort, so there are many shops and tourists nearby. However, on the day we came, the most beautiful fall color was at Silver lake, which is the middle part of June Lake loop. When we were about to reach Silver lake, the trees on the side of the road were full of golden autumn leaves, which was breathtaking.
It only takes half an hour to drive around the June lake loop, but it's a good idea to spend more time to enjoy the beautiful fall colors. We took a walk along the Silver lake trail.
Highway 395 | Mono lake
Mono lake is located on the east side of Yosemite, it is an ancient salt lake with an area of more than 70 square miles, if you come out from the east exit of Yosemite and see the gas station, turn right and go up to the higher viewing point, from here is the viewpoint of Mono lake from the west side, there is a visitor center in Lee Vining, you can also go in to visit and learn about the ecology of Mono lake. There is a visitor center in Lee Vining where you can visit to learn more about the ecology of Mono lake.
Highway 395 | South Tufa
Now that you've made it to Mono lake, it's best not to miss the southern end of theSouth Tufa areaThe South Tufa trail is about 1 mile long, flat, and the best place to see the special view of Mono Lake. To enter the South Tufa trailhead, you need to pass through a section of unpaved road, and you need to pay a ticket to enter the trailhead, but you can also use the National Park Annual Pass.
Tufa refers to the strange shape of the salt column, Mono lake because there is no outlet, water evaporation after the lake left a lot of salt, so the water here has a high concentration of salinity, more salty than seawater. The formation of these salt pillars is due to the fact that there is a lot of calcium chloride at the bottom of the lake, which bubbles up and builds up. mono lake has a unique ecosystem, and the animals in it include not only the many waterfowl that we have seen, but also brine shrimp, alkaline flies, and other animals that live in it. The water source is actually from the freshwater river that flows into Mono lake, and this water source also nourishes the trees that we see along the shore.
As you can imagine, this special ecosystem is very fragile and vulnerable to human damage. In fact, in 1941, the LA Department of Water and Power (DWP) diverted a tributary of Mono lake to meet the needs of the local population, causing the water level of Mono lake to drop by 45 feet and the salinity to increase dramatically, thus seriously damaging the ecosystem (the current trail was still waist high in 1941). After more than a decade of litigation, a minimum water level has been established and water is now flowing back into Mono Lake.
The trail goes along the shore of the lake, and all the way we can see the clear surface of the lake, the color and the touch are very special because of the salt. The surface of the lake is like a mirror reflecting the shadows of the salt pillars. Some tourists will go boating here, while some people are interested in the dreamy atmosphere and find a place among the salt pillars to sit down and meditate facing the lake.
The trail continues east through the woods to Navy beach.
Related Posts
- Your Ultimate Guide to 3 Days in Yosemite National Park
- North Canada Camping and Autumn Appreciation Itinerary] Calaveras Sequoia State Park Calaveras Big Trees State Park Travel Memories
Thank you for visiting our website.
All the content on this site is original and shared with the purpose of providing valuable information. We sustain the operation of this site through a small amount of advertising and sponsored links. If you click on links to third-party merchants on our site and make purchases, we may receive a portion of the sales as a commission. If you click on links to third-party merchants on our site and make purchases, we may receive a portion of the sales as a commission.
Find more posts on a map Here.
My recommended resources for hotel bookings.
Recommended travel credit card for US-based travelers
Travel with just a backpack!
Buy me a coffee and support my contents!
If you are interested in quoting this article or using any part of its content and images on your website or publication, please contact us via email to request permission.
English 
繁體中文