Tuolumne County lies about 110 miles due east of San Francisco and is made up of plains, foothills, and high mountains, with elevations from 500 feet to well over 10,000. The primary communities in the county lie below the snow line, making for worry-free filming year-round.

Three-quarters of the county is protected land, mainly the Stanislaus National Forest. This includes the northwest sector of Yosemite National Park and several other areas that have doubled for it.

This region is the heart of the Mother Lode, the southern gold region of the Sierra. Its treasures include a restored Gold Rush town and a turn-of-the-century railway station complete with working steam trains.

Driving
Driving time from Burbank to Sonora is approximately 5 1/2 hours. Take Interstate 5 north to Highway 99 and continue on 99 through Bakersfield and Fresno to Merced. At the north end of Merced watch for the Sonora/Highway 59 exit. Carefully follow the road signs, which direct you to Sonora via highways 59 and 108. Travel time between Merced and Sonora is approximately one hour. There are frequent gas and food stops along Highway 99. Services are limited on both 59 and 108.

Commercial Air
United Express/SkyWest now offers commercial flights from LAX and SFO to Modesto (one hour from Sonora) via turboprop airplanes. The nearest major commercial airports with larger service are Oakland and Sacramento (both are two hours away).

Air Charter
Columbia Airport (three miles from Sonora) handles turbo-props and small executive jets. Flight time in a turbo-prop is approximately one hour and forty-five minutes each way. Full-size charter jets capable of bringing the entire cast and crew can land at Merced, Modesto or Stockton airports (all one hour away).