Autumn at Yosemite's edge - Yosemite National Park

Sunset, Oct, 1994 by Jeff Phillips

With summer crowds gone, fall color and history reclaim Yosemite's gateway towns

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A month makes. Late last August, on State Highway 41 between Oakhurst and Wawona in Yosemite, long lines of traffic snaked toward the park in an exasperating crawl. Just five weeks later on the same stretch of highway, traffic was light, and I was as close to the speed limit on the winding two-lane road as I wanted to be. I turned off the air conditioner and rolled down the window to draw in the resinous perfumes of pine and earth.

After Labor Day, crowds along Yosemite's southern gateway dissipate with the heat. By mid-September, the pace is slow, and autumn hangs heavily in the air as the days, which typically remain shirtsleeve warm through October, get shorter and nights get colder. By mid-October, black oaks, dogwood, and bigleaf maples begin forming pockets of yellow, dusty red, and orange. Instead of an ordeal to be survived, the trip up State 41 becomes an adventure to be savored and well worth time stolen from a weekend trip to Yosemite.

Although some mountain lodging and services do start closing for the season by mid-October, fall can be the best time of year to explore Yosemite's southern gateway.

HISTORY AND APPLES IN OAKHURST

The Southern California approach to Yosemite (State 41) and the main route through the Gold Country (State 49) converge in Oakhurst, which has seen explosive roadside development in the past decade. One gem of genuine historic value is the Fresno Flats Historical Park, on School Road about a mile from the center of town. This collection of homes and structures from the region's early timber and ranching era was moved to the site by volunteers of the Sierra Historic Sites Association. Guided tours are offered from 1 until at least 3 Wednesdays through Sundays; admission costs $2, 75 cents for ages 5 through 12. A picnic area is at the site.

A pleasant way to get to the historical park is along the new Oakhurst River Parkway, a hiking and biking trail that is part of an ongoing community effort to restore wildlife habitat along the Fresno River where it runs through town. The entire 3-mile loop trail won't be completed until 1996, but you can stroll the 1 1/2 miles from the park next to the chamber of commerce office on Civic Circle Drive to Fresno Flats. For trail directions and details on activities and lodging in the Oakhurst area, call the Southern Yosemite Visitors Bureau at (209) 683-4636.

Oakhurst is also the heart of foothill apple country; before heading up State 41 toward Yosemite, you may want to make a side trip north on State 49 about 6 miles to the village of Ahwahnee. Turn right on County Road 628 and go 1/2 mile to Peterson Creek Road, on the left; follow it for about a mile to A & A Ahwahnee Orchards (683-8670), open from 8 to 5 daily through December. Scott Adelsbach and his family grow 16 varieties of apples, which are sold fresh, pressed and blended into cider, and baked into pies.

IRON HORSES AND PACKHORSES

In the 20 miles from Oakhurst to Wawona, State 41 climbs steadily to Fish Camp, at almost 5,000 feet of elevation, then drops 1,000 feet to the South Fork of the Merced River at Wawona in Yosemite. You could make it in a half-hour but just as easily turn it into a day-long excursion.

One of the greatest stands of giant sequoias north of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks is Mariposa Grove in Yosemite near Wawona, but groves of big trees are scattered in a narrow band along the Sierra front. One small pocket is Nelder Grove, a 16-mile detour off the highway (allow at least an hour of total driving time). Logged near the turn of the century, much of the grove is second-growth pine and fir, but drivers who negotiate the steep, winding mountain road to the grove will find few other visitors, shady picnic tables (no water), and a 20-minute forest stroll to the Bull Buck Tree, a sequoia only slightly less enormous than the famous Grizzly Giant in Mariposa Grove. To get to Nelder Grove, turn south on Sky Ranch Road about 4 miles northeast of Oakhurst, then follow the signs. The last 2 miles are on gravel forest roads that get progressively narrower but should be passable for most passenger cars in dry weather.

By far the most popular attraction between Oakhurst and Yosemite is Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad, near Fish Camp. Originally built in 1899 by the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company to haul logs to its mill, the railroad now has two restored Shay steam locomotives that haul rail buffs over 4 miles of forest-lined track. Steam train rides are scheduled at 11 daily through October 10, and at 11 and 12:30 on weekends through the end of the month; cost is $9.50, $4.50 for ages 3 through 12. Also through October, Jenny rail cars powered by Model A Ford gas engines run the same route every half-hour from 9 to 3:30; tickets cost $6.25 and $3.25. A railroad museum and gift shop are open during the same hours. Call 683-7273 for details on Moonlight Special programs through October 8 and special trips on holidays.