REGION BY REGION

Yosemite Mariposa County covers more than 1,460 square miles of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, rising from the edge of California’s Central Valley through golden foothills and all the way up to the alpine heights of Yosemite National Park and the High Sierra.

When California was granted statehood in 1850, Mariposa County was easily the largest of the 27 original counties, covering 20% of the state from the Sierra Nevada to the Pacific Ocean! Eventually, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Kern and portions of Mono, Inyo, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and San Benito would split off from “The Mother of Counties,” Mariposa’s well-deserved nickname.

Today, Mariposa County is known as the “Home of Yosemite” and remains a rambling, recreation-rich, topographically diverse realm. Experiencing the entire county is a Herculean goal – there’s just too much to see in a day (or even three)! Considering the county as eight geo-distinct regions can help when planning your epic road trip.