5 MUST SEE, DO

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Oldest Trees Bristlecone pines growing high in the White Mountains are the world’s oldest trees, some surviving nearly 5,000 years. To visit them, follow Highway 168 for 26 miles east from the town of Big Pine. An easy, mile-long trail winds through the Schulman Grove.

› bishopvisitor.com/activities/bristlecone-forest

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Climbing “California’s Everest” At 14,495-feet, Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the lower 48 states. It is also, surprisingly, the most frequently climbed peak in California— thanks to a well-graded, 11-mile trail to the top. Very fit hikers make it up and down in one long, arduous day. Sounds tough, but it’s so popular there’s a lottery for the coveted permits.

› nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/whitney.htm

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Mountain Hamlet The picturesque town of Markleeville (pop. 210) is the largest metropolis in Alpine County, California’s least populated county. It makes a great base for fishing excursions and for soaking up the Sierra’s version of fall colors—the turning of the aspens.

› alpinecounty.com/area-info/markleeville-woodfords

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The Wild, Wild West Possibly the Old West’s most notorious mining town, Bodie now exists in a state of “arrested decay” on a high, windswept plain northeast of Yosemite. It’s one of America’s most extensive ghost towns.

› www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509

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Mountain Light The late photographer Galen Rowell was the Ansel Adams of the Kodachrome era. Stop by his Mountain Light gallery in Bishop to see mountain images both iconic and surprising, from Rowell and other adventure photographers.

› mountainlight.com YOSEMITE VALLEY, opposite; outdoor dining in South Lake Tahoe, above left.