Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Nevada rises between California's Central Valley and the Great Basin. Glaciers carved valleys and cliffs in its granite, while rivers descend the western slopes towards the San Joaquin. Indigenous routes crossed the passes: the Northern Paiute lived east of the range, and Sierra Miwok and Mono communities to the west. In summer the Paiute and Miwok visited the upper Tuolumne country, meeting in the plant-rich Hetch Hetchy Valley. In 1833 an expedition led by Joseph Walker crossed the mountains westward towards California.