Located in the San Joaquin Valley, Wasco is a small city of 25 thousand people. It lies 24 miles northwest of Bakersfield. Its population has grown by nearly ten percent from two thousand people to more than twenty-five thousand since the 2000 census. There are numerous places to visit in Wasco.
Buena Vista Museum of Natural History
If you’re a nature lover, Buena Vista Museum of Natural History is a must-see. This museum is home to a variety of specimens from the local area. You can even see a Miocene Camel bone, collected from the San Joaquin Valley. The Buena Vista Museum of Natural History is an excellent place to visit while visiting Wasco.
The Buena Vista Museum of Natural History and Science opened in 1995. It started out as a small exhibit in the California Living Museum, but has grown year after year. In November 2006, it opened an exhibit focusing on Native American Lifeways.
Buena Vista Museum of Natural History is home to a collection of fossils from the San Joaquin Valley. The museum has an exhibit of shark teeth from Shark Tooth Hill. A website is available for more information on Shark Tooth Hill.
If you’re looking for a family-friendly museum, Buena Vista Museum of Natural History is an excellent choice. It features fossils, dinosaur models, Native American artifacts, and changing exhibitions. The museum also features rotating galleries of historical and modern art.
Sherars Falls
Sherars Falls is a natural wonder that was once a sacred fishing spot and a crossing point for local tribes. It was discovered in 1826 by Peter Skene Ogden. In 1862, John Todd built the first bridge below the falls. Unfortunately, it washed away during a flood. In 1871, Joseph Sherar purchased the bridge and invested $75,000 to restore it. In addition to improving the bridge, he also developed the surrounding roads.
Located in Wasco County, Sherars Falls is a scenic waterfall that reaches 15 feet in a single drop. The waterfall was created as part of the massive flood basalt formations that dominate eastern Oregon. Although heavily tapped for irrigation, it remains an impressive cascade. The Sherars Falls area is also a sacred fishing spot for native tribes in the Warm Springs Nation.
Birdwatching is another great activity in Sherars Falls. The surrounding area has plenty of canyon-dwelling birds. As a result, the falls are a great place to view them. Other popular locations for birdwatching include the Oak Springs Fish Hatchery Road, Wapinita, Pine Hollow Reservoir, and Tygh Valley.
Sherars Falls is a popular attraction in Wasco County. It offers many activities for all ages. Visitors can rent a house for the night and enjoy the view of the Columbia Gorge. During the summer, many families rent vacation homes near the falls.
If you’re a cyclist, you’ll love the scenic trails in the area. The area’s scenic bikeway is a 33-mile route that begins in Maupin. It also includes a climb onto a plateau between the White and Deschutes rivers.
There are also two campgrounds in Wasco. Grass Valley RV Park has amenities including restrooms and laundry facilities. It is also family-friendly and allows pets. There is also a movie library in the campground. It’s easy to find and convenient.
Sherars Falls is close to the town of Maupin. On Day 6, you can cycle to the falls and view Native American petroglyphs along the way. This 26-mile loop from Maupin to Wasco features many beautiful waterfalls. It’s a perfect place for a family or a group of friends to spend the day.
Sequoia National Monument
If you love the outdoors, Sequoia National Monument is one of the most scenic places in the region. The Eastern-most grove contains only a few twenty-foot trees, but there are over one thousand fifteen-foot trees and about 800 ten-foot trees. These trees are young and many are not yet a thousand years old. You should be cautious when walking through the park, as they are very fragile.
The park offers many hiking trails and features a ranger-led museum. There are also opportunities for stargazing. If you’re interested in taking a drive through the trees, you can stop by the park’s visitor center to buy tickets for a tree-top tour.
The park’s General Sherman Tree is an incredible sight and the most popular attraction for tourists. This giant sequoia is over two-hundred feet high and has a diameter of 36 feet. It’s estimated to be around two-and-a-half miles old.
Another highlight of Sequoia National Monument is the Muir Grove Trail. This moderate trail is four miles round-trip with an elevation gain of 462 feet. If you’re interested in hiking, make sure to plan at least two days to complete the trail.
The park’s Moro Rock provides an excellent view of the Sierra Nevadas. There are several hiking trails, including the Congress Trail, which is a 2.7-mile-long paved path through the Giant Forest. Along the way, you’ll find a grove that contains the General Sherman Tree, General Lee Tree, and President Tree.
The park also offers camping. The Potwisha campground is ideal for RVs and offers flush toilets and potable water. The nearby Buckeye Flat campground is tent-only, but it’s also accessible for RVs. Campers should bring extra layers of clothing in case it gets chilly at night.
Beach Park
Beach Park is one of the best places to go in Wasco, California. The park has plenty of activities for the whole family, including a skate park, baseball diamond, and soccer field with floodlights. It also has picnic tables and a masonry barbecue pit. The park also offers food, including pizza.
There are trains to Solana Beach from Wasco twice a day. The train ride takes about six hours and forty-six minutes on average, but there are faster trains that take five hours. The trains are also equipped with Wi-Fi, so you can stream music and use social media while traveling. However, if you want to watch a movie or TV show while traveling by train, you’ll need to download it beforehand.