The Sierra Nevada Mountains, also known as the High Sierra, stretch across Eastern California. The Sierra separates the central California valleys from the Great Basin to the east. The Sierra Nevada features some of the highest mountain peaks in the continental United States, and some of the darkest skies in California. The nearby White Mountains also feature high peaks, including the famed Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. Mono Lake, a large saline soda lake, is located here at the base of the road to Tiago Pass. The Sierra Nevada Mountains are home to some of the western United States most famous landmarks, including Mount Whitney, Yosemite Valley, the General Sherman Tree, Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Mammoth Lakes California and Devils Postpile National Monument. Whether you choose to visit the western Sierra foothills, the High Sierra or the Eastern Sierra, you are sure to find unmatched beauty. Perhaps John Muir put it best when he said “going to the mountains is going home.”