Mono County Weekend Getaway

East of the Sierras and Yosemite along Highway 395 lies some of California's most beautiful and least-visited country. A getaway to Mono County is easy on your budget and long on unspoiled, natural beauty, but you'll have to do in summer or earl fall. Winter snow closes the Tioga Pass, making access from the San Francisco area difficult, and some of the hotels and attractions are closed.

Budget

One night, Inn at Benton Hot Springs including local taxes. As of May, 2008:

$ 99 Lodging (breakfast, hot tubs included)
$ 50 Meals (1 lunch, 1 dinner)
$ 15 Admissions (Mono Lake, Bodie, Bristlecone Pines)
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$170 Total

If you're driving from the west through Yosemite on Highway 140, add their $20 entry fee, which is charged even if you're just passing through. If you plan to be in the national parks more a a couple of times in a year, make better use of your money by getting an annual park pass.

See It Now: Photo Tour of Highway 395

Where to Stay

The Inn at Benton Hot Springs offers six comfortable rooms, with a breakfast included that will be big enough that you probably won't need lunch. Even better, guests get access to their outdoor hot tubs, fed by some of the state's best natural hot springs. Located in the tiny former mining town of Benton, this is a real get-away-from-it-all location.

Bridgeport Inn With a top rate of less than $70 per night, this family-operated, historic inn offers a central location, a friendly bar and it even has a resident ghost (no extra charge).

Where to Eat

Ask anyone who's been there and chances are they won't stop gushing about the Tioga Gas Mart near Lee Vining and Yosemite's west gate, where the Whoa Nellie Deli offers a most unlikely menu that includes lobster taquitos on Brazilian black beans, grilled pork tenderloin with apricot-wild berry glaze and desserts so good that you'll be tempted to order them first. We eat every meal there whenever we're in the vicinity.

What to Do

• Mono Lake: An other-wordly landscape, especially beautiful at sunrise and sunset.

• Bodie: The "mother lode" of California ghost towns, this place can keep you busy for a whole day.

• Bristlecone Pines: The world's oldest living things, these gnarled, twisted trees survive in an austere, dry, high-mountain environment. Small entry fee.

• June Lake: You'll find a selection of restaurants and places to stay in this lakeside town, trout fishing is good in the lake and it's especially pretty in the fall when the aspen trees turn golden.