Northern Sierra Nevada:

This is a land of transitions. The granite of the High Sierra meets with the cooled lava of the Cascade Range, providing various and interesting geologic formations.

Mixed conifer and deciduous forests are interspersed with high mountain valleys, including the enormous Sierra Valley, an alpine valley that once was a lake bed. Families that have ranched and farmed the valley for the past 150 years still make a living there. Beckwourth Pass, at 5212', is the lowest all-weather route over the Sierra range and provides the gateway into the Northern Sierra from the Nevada side via National Forest Scenic Byway 70. Highway 89 runs north and south through the region, linking the Lake Tahoe area with the Lassen National Park area. Numerous lakes, thousands of miles of clear running streams, and over a million acres of national forest make the Northern Sierra one of California and the nation's most treasured areas.