The Sierra Nevada: California’s Grand Range of Light (Smithsonian Armchair Traveler Series)

Join us for our third installment of our partnership with the Smithsonian Rural Initiative. We will be hosting 12 sessions the Smithsonian Armchair Traveler Series, featuring “The Sierra Nevada: California’s Grand Range of Light” on Wednesday, November 18th, at 5:30pm. Please register for this event by calling 570-622-8880, or emailing [email protected] Journey through California’s spectacular Sierra Nevada, from the dramatic landscapes of the Eastern Sierra to the iconic vistas of Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks with naturalist and popular tour leader Keith Tomlinson, for another virtual road trip. Beginning in Southern California, travel east and north into a rugged region dominated by Mount Whitney, which at 14,505 feet is the highest peak in the contiguous United States. Along the way, explore the geology and topography that shaped this striking mountain landscape. Just east of the Sierra crest, discover a remote alpine desert where some of the world’s oldest living trees have endured for millennia. Continue north to Mono Lake State Natural Reserve, famed for its otherworldly tufa towers and unusual saline ecosystem. Crossing westward over Tioga Pass into Yosemite’s high country, examine the grandeur of the Cathedral Range and Tuolumne Meadows, among the most celebrated alpine landscapes in North America. Descend into Yosemite Valley to visit some of the park’s best-known sites while learning about access to both front-country and backcountry areas. Conclude in Sequoia National Park, home to the world’s largest trees and a remarkable relict forest that preserves one of the Sierra Nevada’s most awe-inspiring environments.