Page:The Tourist's California by Wood, Ruth Kedzie.djvu/233

THE YOSEMITE 193 auto stage, Madera - Raymond - Ahwahnee - Wawona. If the train is left at Madera, 7 miles south of Berenda, the auto-stage may be taken from there each morning at 7 o'clock. Madera -Wawona, 67 miles 8 hours $8.50. By the Horseshoe Route, Madera - Wawona - Merced, dis- tance 140 miles, fare $27.00. Wawona and the Mariposa Grove are accessible from the Valley by daily stage. The railroads sell round trip tickets including the stage ride, Yosemite - Wawona - Mariposa Grove (64 m. round trip $15.00). Side trip tickets, Merced -El Portal (rail) -Yosemite -Wawona - Grove -El Portal (stage) -Merced (rail), $33.50. According to Government regulations issued August 5, 1913, automobiles may enter the Yosemite National Park only by way of the Big Oak Flat and Coulterville Roads.2 The Big Oak Flat route from San Francisco is via the Creek Route Ferry to Oakland. Thence via Haywards- Niles - Livermore - Tracy - Stockton - Knight's Ferry - Chi- nese - Priest's (hotel) - Crocker's Camp - Crane Flat (Tuol- umne Grove) -Coulterville Road -Merced Grove -Big Meadow, and via El Portal Road into Yosemite Village. Distance about 200 miles, San Francisco to Park. The road to Coulterville branches south beyond Knight's Ferry and continues to Merced Grove. Thence as above. By way of Modesto (84 m. from San Francisco) to Coul- terville (55 m.) the route is from San Francisco to Oak- land to Tracy. Thence Tracy - Modesto - La Grange - Coulterville (gas and oil supplies) -Merced Grove. Dis- tance, San Francisco to Park about 175 miles. The Coulterville Road has the easiest grades in addition to be- ing the shorter. The Big Oak Flat Road is more pic- turesque, the maximum altitude attained being 7,100 feet, or 600 feet higher than the apex of the Coulterville route. The Wawona Road is still less steep (maximum 6,100 ft.). This is the route sometimes taken by automobiles coming 2 The Department of the Interior, Washington, will send free a list of rules.