This was a GREAT hike on our way to Yosemite. It's about a 6 mile hike, not that steap but there's…read morestill quite a grade to go up. We brought our foldable lounge chairs and some snacks to relax half way, but the end in order to get to the falls you literally gotta climb so that was the biggest challenge. It was worth it though! Once you're there you just don't want to leave at all. Once again, highly recommended! You could pretty much take photos for days!

Corlieu Falls, Sierra National Forest: 2025 Feb 17 (4 of 5)…read more Named after Charles Clifford Corlieu, an early pioneer of the region, the falls here are a prominent feature along Lewis Creek Trail. The walk took 3.8 miles. Though the hike is relatively short, the steep incline towards the ridge is not for the faint-hearted. Why 4 and not 5? There was graffiti along the rails which was a distraction for visitors. These are writing on a public surface without permission, and is considered vandalism and an eyesore. Accessible via Highway 41

For all you Cali history buffs, here's a little story worth telling:…read more Once upon a time a long time ago there were these peeps called, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." Nope-wrong story! Doh! My daughters, Joy & Kris hate the Three Bears Story-just ask them! ANYWAY . . . sorry-I am definitely going off a major tangent . . . Focus! There's this guy named, John Charles Fremont who hung out with Lewis and Clark. All three guys explored from back East all the way to Cali. They were very good buddies who loved to explore and find what's out there beyond the 13 states. In San Diego County outside of Cuyamaca many miles after the sleepy town called, Alpine, you will find the Lewis and Clark Trail . . . with John C. Fremont leaving his mark in tow-literally! Wells Fargo wagons used Lewis and Clark Trail continuously for money and mail deliveries from back East to the Wild, Wild West. Fremont married Jessie Benton, who is the daughter of a prominant MA Senator who funded all Fremont's US explorations. Through Senator Benton's private funding: Well-renown mountain peaks were founded by John C. Fremont's other buddy, Pike who founded Pike's Peak to well-traveled roads which were used as wagon trails in the past are the direct result of John C. Fremont and his good ol' buddies' explorations. Fremont decided to call Cali his home and settled in a little town called Mariposa. Fremont found and owned four huge GOLD mines and settled outside Mariposa near Bear Valley Road and Highway 49. Fremont was always having problems with greedy peeps trying to raid his gold mines in the wee morning hours which vehemenently pissed Fremont off lividly. Fremont was always in Mariposa Court getting countless court injunctions to ward off any greedy peep encroaching on his mine ownership and helping themselves to Fremont's gold mine fortune. While becoming restless mining for gold, continuously fighting protecting his gold mining rights in court in Mariposa, Fremont began exploring WEST and founded a sleepy town called, Fremont CA. Fremont traveled on horseback from Mariposa all the way to these following familiar roads we drive today: El Camino Real, Mission, Foothill, Highway 580, Highway 680, Highway 24, Highway 880, Highway 280, Highway 35, Highway 1, Highway 120, Highway 41, Highway 49, Highway 5, Highway 101, Highway 80 . . . etc.! Fremont used to hang around Mare Island in Vallejo CA which was the first state capital of Cali. Check out the pics I took of the Mare Island Golf Course. That building I took a pic of was built in the mid-1800s. Incidentally, that building is the same building Fremont hung out with Lewis and Clark looking out at the Bay admiring the thousands upon thousands of birds nesting making ear-deafening sounds. Awesome, eh? From all Fremont's explorations, thankless hours were spent where Fremont had a sore bum and ______ from riding his horse everywhere. No wonder John C. Fremont never got Jessie Benton pregnant and Senator Benton stopped funding Fremont's explorations. So sad . . . The END. -30-30-

Well my review can't do justice like Shirley M.J.'s-but I will say this. The view is great-you can…read moresee the river and the bridge, and lots of mountains! Yep, what else can I say? Oh yeah, there's a lot of views of mountains!

We came here during the government shutdown. Shuttle services was still operating although the…read moreVisitor Center was closed. We had stayed in Oakhurst for the night, so this was a stop before going to Yosemite Valley. We had to park at the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza where the Visitor Center was and took the free shuttle to get to the start of all the trails. We saw some deer on the way! The giant sequoia trees were a magnificent sight to see, and the trails were nice and defined.

Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias is absolutely stunning--a truly magical place filled with…read morebreathtaking trees. There's a large parking lot and a visitor center with very friendly, helpful staff who gave us great information before we headed out. From there, we took the shuttle up to the walking path (note: if you're handicap, you can actually drive up directly). There are restrooms both at the visitor center and up by the trees, plus a convenient water fill station with fresh snow water from the area. The walking path itself is easy to follow, and every turn offers incredible views of these majestic giants. An unforgettable experience and a must-see in Yosemite!

It was a fantastic experience. Sean was also an incredible…read morestory teller in the caboose and we learned a lot. The landscape is breathtaking. The whole team make you feel very very welcome! We will be back with more family!

This was such a great experience for my husband and I; and if we had children, this is the spot for…read morechildren! They had a cute kids depot which offered a variety of awesome toys - Knick knacks - to buy. There was also a gift shop that offered products at a lower price than other places (Tenaya). There's an area to do some gold mining haha such a cool spot - definitely worth the visit! Tip: arrive early so you get a good seat. If you arrive late, you may be separated from your group and will seat in the open spots available.

One of my favorite places in Yosemite. In the summer it's all about the swimming in the beautiful…read moreshallow waters on the edge of the lake with little boulders to sit and sunbathe on. In the fall/winter we enjoyed walking on the beaches and watching the sunrise on the lake that was covered in a layer of steam.

Did a pit stop here and it was so much fun! Got to dip my feet in the lake and just admire the…read morelandscape around us. There is parking alongside the road

Railtown State Historic Park is extremely cool and fun for all ages! We got to stand on the caboose…read morebuilt for Back To The Future III, viewed the train smoke stack from Little House on the Prairie train, coal powered steam engines, and we saw the Well from the olddddddd show Peticoat Junction: We also were able to see some old trains including ones with wooden grates in the front, and lots of train parts!! He enjoyed explaining things to me.. For a very small fee you can take a ride on a train. Walk around the grounds and see old engines, workshops with all sorts of parts, machines of all sorts. A map is providing for easy understanding of the grounds. It is a trek to get across the grounds and would be difficult for someone with mobility issues. Both of my children grew up coming to not only this park, but to Columbia also. Our family has made many trips here over the years. We love combining, education, history and adventure. They host Christmas events here like the Polar Express train ride to North Pole. This was such a spectacular event I brought my daughter to when she was little. We watched the movie the night before. When we arrived in our pajamas for our VIP seat, we stood in line where we were lovingly harassed by actors. We boarding the train after getting a golden ticket! We sat in the back car. Actors were dancing and singing and chasing hobos off the train while we enjoyed a ride and spilled hot cocoa out of polar express keepsake mugs. Arriving at North Pile and seeing the elves and Santa pushed it over the edge for my young daughter. She was beyonnnnnd excited!! Will I return: We always do. There's something incredibly nostalgic about this place!

This review is for the polar express train ride. Let's cut right to the sleigh bells: At a cool $85…read morea pop, this ride definitely costs more than a lump of coal. For my family of three, we signed up for the holiday hype, and while it wasn't exactly perfect, it was certainly an event to remember! Singing Christmas carols was an absolute delight! My personal highlight? The hot chocolate scene. The performers were fantastic, and the cocoa itself was surprisingly delicious & paired with a yummy snickerdoodle cookie. The trip to the North Pole, while blessedly short, felt truly magical. Watching all the kids scramble to one side of the train to catch a glimpse of Santa's HQ was a sight. Now, for the "improvements" section. The train apparently needs a gallon of WD-40. Parts of the ride were punctuated by a noise I can only describe as "ears-piercing squeaky"--a sound that could shatter a candy cane. Also, when the classic Polar Express story was being read, those of us in the back were left playing a fun game called "Can You Hear Me Now?" (Spoiler: We could not). Finally, the outside scenery was less "winter wonderland" and more "passing landscape." It would have been brilliant if they had just added a few festive Christmas decorations along the route. Just a few! We aren't asking for a full-scale holiday village, just something besides barren trees. While our ride came with a few minor mechanical and auditory "features," we still had a magical time. It wasn't perfect, but what ever is?

This place blew me away. I had Rhanda (I think that's the spelling) as a guide and she was SO…read moreterrific. This is a historical landmark and she walked me through every room with great detail on the origin story and the rooms we were in. One of the best tour guides I've had. I have never experienced anything this - you have to really appreciate the amount of work, design and detail by Baldassare Forestiere - truly a feat! Very grateful the family makes this available for tours. Highly recommend if you appreciate gardening, architecture, art, engineering etc. They also did a great job of reminding me of my appointment and following up afterwards. If in Fresno area, this is a don't miss!!

My family along with our cousins and aunt decided to tour the Forestier Underground Gardens. It was…read moresuch a gem to visit. The gardens were built in an unexpected park of Fresno and these is a lot of history behind them. Parking was somewhat difficult but once you enter, the staff were very kind, organized, and positive. Our tour guide Raul was super sweet and provided a lot of history regarding the gardens and the family who built them. Raul had my 3 young boys engaged and interested. He answered all my questions and was so open to conversation. You could tell Raul was proud to be there telling all of us how the Gardens came to be. The Gardens are very interesting. I've never seen anything quite like these. The smell of all the citrus trees combine with the natural cooling underground was amazing and made the tour comfortable. If you have any time i do recommend visiting these secret gardens.

Ice cream at the top! We hiked this from Yosemite Valley floor and was genuinely surprised that…read morethere was a convenience store at the top along with great views of Half Dome. Our group had ice cream at the top and I had two! We found that this is a drivable viewpoint and there were full amenities at the top. We came from Union Point and after hitting Glacier, we went up to Sentinal Dome, which is less than 2 miles, a bit steep but worth the picture opportunities! Our hike was amazing except for the bugs. Please come and create your own adventure.

Highly recommend this short hike if you are visiting Yosemite national park. It's about a half a…read moremile round trip. From the multiple viewpoints, you have a panoramic view of the valley below, including the Half Dome and Yosemite Falls. The trail is very well-maintained and accessible. It's paved all the way through and therefore more of a pleasant walk, rather than an actual rigorous hike.