CALIFORNIA -  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - TRAVEL GUIDE

CALIFORNIA TRAVEL GUIDE

AHWAHNEE, CALIFORNIA

Ahwahnee is hilly and located in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The ZIP Code is 93601. The community is inside area code 559. It is part of the Madera–Chowchilla Metropolitan Statistical Area.

BIG BEAR LAKE, CALIFORNIA

Big Bear Lake provides an attractive setting for many outdoor activities, including fishing (trout, bluegill, crappie, catfish and largemouth bass), pleasure boating, and water skiing. Because of the very cold water and the presence of underwater obstacles near the shorelines, swimming is discouraged. The lake is patrolled by the BBMWD Lake Patrol.

Many lakeside residents have private docks, and visiting boaters obtain mooring in several of the marinas found on both shores. Big Bear Municipal Water District (a special district of the State of California) provides public launches on the east end and west end of North Shore. Local marinas rent various sport and pleasure boats, and parasailing is available.

CAMBRIA, CALIFORNIA

The primary economic activity of Cambria is tourism. Cambria is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, and has dramatic rocky cliffs and beaches. There are many hotels and bed & breakfasts, especially on Moonstone Beach Drive.

Cambria offers a variety of recreational activities. The Fiscalini Ranch offers opportunities for bicycling, dog walking, or hiking. Local beaches offer a venue to boogie board, surf, skimboard or relax. Ocean fishing is conducted off area beaches. Local kayak fishing tours are available.

CARMEL, CALIFORNIA

The town is known for being "dog-friendly", with numerous hotels, restaurants and retail establishments admitting guests with dogs. Carmel-by-the-Sea is located on the Pacific coast, about 330 miles north of Los Angeles and 120 miles south of San Francisco. 

ELK, CALIFORNIA

Elk has a population of 208. It is located on the coast at the crossroads of State Route 1 and Philo-Greenwood Road. Albion, Little River, and Mendocino lie to the north, and Manchester and Point Arena to the south. Inland are Navarro, Philo, and Boonville.

Elk was originally called "Greenwood" after early homesteaders, the Greenwood brothers, sons of mountain man Caleb Greenwood, one of the rescuers of the Donner Party. When the post office was opened, in 1887, there was already another Greenwood in California so it was called Elk Post Office. Eventually the name came to refer to the town. It is an outgrowth of an earlier town called Cuffy's Cove and the cemetery is located at that townsite a mile north of Elk. When a pioneer lumberman was unable to reach a satisfactory deal with the owners of the lumber chutes at Cuffy's Cove to ship out his redwood product, he constructed a wharf out along a string of rocks in the center of what is now Elk. When he built a large steam sawmill and narrow gauge railroad, the new employment drained the town of Cuffy's Cove which was eventually abandoned. That mill was operated from about 1890 until 1930. When it closed in the depression Elk became a ghost town.

Another sawmill was built in about 1953 and one more in 1963. These operated until the late 1960s when the redwood and Douglas fir was mostly logged out. After some quiet times, the town has had a rebirth as a recreation destination. Many of the larger old houses are now Bed & Breakfast inns and the State has acquired the Greenwood Creek beach and the original mill site as a state park.

EUREKA, CALIFORNIA

Eureka is one of California's historic landmarks. The California State Historical marker, #477, designating Eureka, is located in Old Town, one of the nation's best preserved original Victorian era commercial districts. The city was voted as the #1 best small art town in John Villani's book "The 100 Best Small Art Towns In America." Eureka boasts the region's largest monthly cultural and arts event, "Arts' Alive!" On the first Saturday of each month more than 80 Eureka business and local galleries open their doors to the public. Often local cuisine and beverages accompany live performances by acclaimed regional bands and other types of performance art.

Theater offerings include year round productions from several various theater groups including the North Coast Repertory Theater and the Eureka Theater. Various events occur throughout the year at the Redwood Acres Fairgrounds. Art organizations include the Humboldt State University First Street Gallery, Humboldt Arts Council and Morris Graves Museum of Art, Redwood Art Association, The Ink People and the Eureka Art and Culture Commission. As a major regional center, the city offers many lodgings, restaurants, and shopping areas, including dozens of specialty shops in its historic 19th Century Old Town commercial district and the only large mall in the region.

FORT BRAGG, CALIFORNIA

Due to Fort Bragg's proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the city has very mild weather throughout the year. Most of the rainfall occurs from November to April with some occasional drizzle or light showers during the summer. Fog and low overcast are common, especially during the night and early morning hours.

GROVELAND, CALIFORNIA

The town hosts an annual 49er Festival on the 3rd Saturday of September, hosted by the Yosemite Chamber of Commerce, Groveland is the location of the Groveland Ranger District office of the Stanislaus National Forest. The Groveland Community Services District provides services, including fire protection, to the community . The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Tuolumne-Calaveras Ranger Unit, Battalion 16, has a Forest Fire Station west of Groveland on State Route 120.