Mariposa bound!

[John Kasaian]

I've got to deliver some prints up there, so I figure on taking the camera as well. Any tips on locations on the outskirts of Mariposa on which a Fresno flatlander like I might
enjoy burning some halides on?

[Drew Wiley]

Oh gosh, John... do you want to steal the crown jewels? It's still a bit early for flowers fantastic... but there are some very quiet excellent graded roads past still open range that turn paved, and bottom out near Planada, outside Chowchilla. I usually connected with them below Ben Hur. One is called Preston Rd. There are several variations. Wonderful tombstone schist and, if the fog lifts, great panoramas from little ridges. You'll want to go back in March for unclouded views.
But the wildflower peak is basically the same time as in Raymond or upper Millerton.

[Drew Wiley]

Just did a quick map search, since I know that area more by sight than official road names, but besides Ben Hur Rd, you can interconnect with Westfall Rd and
Whiterock Rd (a few white stone fences instead of the usual basalt, if you know where to look - get some March cirrus clouds behind them, and wow). These are slow roads. You don't need high clearance, but there are some distinct mud puddles that might get sloppy with an ordinary passenger car, and sometimes you might have to pull off the road in one of those rare instances a rancher is pulling a cattle trailer. Do different variations on different trips. They're all lovely, and all land you back not too far from Madera. There's a couple of lovely little cemeteries too, with nobody around. You can also obviously do a loop from Raymond, and enter this road system at the upper end of Hensley Lk.

[John Kasaian]

Thanks, Drew!

[Drew Wiley]

If you don't have time to meander to the lower entrance to the dirt road system itself, you can take White Rock Rd down to the Valley; but it's upper entrance is a bit hard to find. You need to start downhill on the "Old Highway". This is immediately south of Mariposa itself, slightly below the confluence of Hwy 49 and 140,
opposite the Mining and Mineral museum on 49. You head downhill a ways until the little White Rock Rd exits down toward the creek on the left. A pretty drive in itself. But when you reach the little cemetery, you can make another left onto the dirt road. W.Westfall Rd if you have time, for an even quieter area. You will
reach a little intersection with an old chimney. If you make a R here onto Preston Rd it will take you over a little rise and a lovely drive thru open range downhill to Planada. If you go L instead (Preston Rd the other way), you will come out on Ben Hur Rd (paved). Turn R when you hit it, and you will go downhill to Raymond and then into Madera. All these drives have interesting things to photograph; but you'll want to return in March when the flowers peak and you get
clear snowy vistas of the W side of the Clark Range etc.