Small Towns Near Fresno
The best small towns near Fresno are Three Rivers, the gateway to Sequoia National Park and the world’s largest tree; Mariposa, a gold-rush town on the road to Yosemite; and Kingsburg, a Swedish-settled farm town about 20 miles out. Kingsburg is an easy half day, and the mountain towns make good overnights.
The 10 towns below run nearest first, from Friant at about 15 miles to Cambria on the Pacific at about 110. Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Fresno, so the drive is longer. The list mixes Valley farm towns, Sierra lakes, Yosemite and Sequoia gateways, and one coastal weekend.
| Town | Distance | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Friant, California | About 15 miles | a lake day, winter eagles |
| Kingsburg, California | About 20 miles | Swedish heritage, a festival |
| Reedley, California | About 20 miles | orchards, live theater |
| Shaver Lake, California | About 35 miles | boating, camping, mountain air |
| Oakhurst, California | About 40 miles | a Yosemite base, local history |
| Bass Lake, California | About 40 miles | lake days, a movie location |
| Exeter, California | About 45 miles | murals, citrus country |
| Mariposa, California | About 50 miles | gold-rush history, Yosemite |
| Three Rivers, California | About 55 miles | giant sequoias, river views |
| Cambria, California | About 110 miles | coast, a castle, a weekend |
Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Fresno, as the crow flies.
Friant, California
About 15 miles as the crow flies · Best for: a lake day, winter eagles
Friant is a community of 446 on the San Joaquin River at the base of Friant Dam. The dam holds back Millerton Lake, which spans Fresno and Madera counties.
Don’t miss: Millerton Lake State Recreation Area, with more than 40 miles of shoreline for boating, fishing and swimming, and its historic 1867 courthouse
★ Good to know The park runs bald eagle tours in winter, and its hours get shorter from October through February.
Kingsburg, California
About 20 miles as the crow flies · Best for: Swedish heritage, a festival
By 1921, 94 percent of the people around Kingsburg were Swedish-American, and it’s still called Little Sweden. A 122-foot water tower shaped like a Swedish coffee pot stands by Highway 99. About 12,400 people live here.
Don’t miss: downtown Draper Street and the Swedish Festival, with a pea soup and pancake supper, a smorgasbord and a Saturday parade
★ Good to know The Swedish Festival is held the third weekend in May.
Reedley, California
About 20 miles as the crow flies · Best for: orchards, live theater
Reedley calls itself the World’s Fruit Basket, and orchards fill the land along the Kings River. Jesse Jansen, a Danish grain merchant, paid to build the Reedley Opera House in 1903 after a downtown fire.
Don’t miss: a River City Theatre Company musical at the Reedley Opera House
★ Good to know Reedley is one of the chamber towns behind the Fresno County Blossom Trail, which usually blooms mid-February to mid-March.
Shaver Lake, California
About 35 miles as the crow flies · Best for: boating, camping, mountain air
Shaver Lake is a mountain community of 580 at 5,627 feet. Southern California Edison enlarged the reservoir in 1919 and drowned the original sawmill town. The lake is part of the Big Creek hydroelectric system.
Don’t miss: Camp Edison on the west shore, with 252 campsites open year-round, and Shaver Lake Marina, which rents pontoons, kayaks and paddleboards
★ Good to know The marina’s season runs about April 15 to October 15 each year, weather permitting.
Oakhurst, California
About 40 miles as the crow flies · Best for: a Yosemite base, local history
Oakhurst began in 1858 as Fresno Flats, a cattle stop and logging town, and took its new name in 1912. It sits about 14 miles south of Yosemite’s south entrance on Highway 41. Sierra On-Line made computer games here from 1981 to 1999.
Don’t miss: Fresno Flats Historic Village & Park, open sunup to sundown for self-guided tours of its historic buildings
★ Good to know The village’s gift shop and guided tours close January through March except by appointment.
Bass Lake, California
About 40 miles as the crow flies · Best for: lake days, a movie location
Bass Lake is a reservoir created in 1901 by Crane Valley Dam, in the Sierra National Forest about 14 miles south of Yosemite. The comedy The Great Outdoors was mostly filmed here in 1987, with scenes at Ducey’s Bass Lake Lodge.
Don’t miss: dinner at Ducey’s on the Lake at The Pines Resort
★ Good to know Pair it with Oakhurst, a few miles west.
Exeter, California
About 45 miles as the crow flies · Best for: murals, citrus country
Exeter, a Tulare County city of about 10,300, calls itself the Citrus Capital of the World. Professional artists have painted 31 murals of local history on downtown walls.
Don’t miss: the Exeter Mural Walk, starting at the Mural Store Gallery & Gifts on East Pine Street, and nature hikes at Kaweah Oaks Preserve
★ Good to know Combine it with Three Rivers on the way up to Sequoia.
Mariposa, California
About 50 miles as the crow flies · Best for: gold-rush history, Yosemite
Mariposa boomed in the gold rush, and John C. Frémont’s estate here produced over $12 million in gold by 1915. The 1854 county courthouse is still in use. Highway 140 runs from town into Yosemite Valley.
Don’t miss: the California State Mining and Mineral Museum at the fairgrounds, home of the 13.8-pound Fricot Nugget, and the Mariposa Museum & History Center
★ Good to know The mining museum is open Thursday through Sunday and closes an hour earlier from October through April.
Three Rivers, California
About 55 miles as the crow flies · Best for: giant sequoias, river views
Three Rivers takes its name from the North, Middle and South forks of the Kaweah River, which meet here. The town of about 2,050 is the gateway to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. From 1886 to 1891 it was home to the utopian Kaweah Colony.
Don’t miss: the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia’s Giant Forest, the world’s largest tree by volume, reached by a half-mile paved trail
★ Good to know Check the park’s road conditions page before you drive up; the hotline is (559) 565-3341.
Cambria, California
About 110 miles as the crow flies · Best for: coast, a castle, a weekend
Cambria, on the San Luis Obispo County coast, sits in one of only three native Monterey pine forests. Its name is Latin for Wales. Building Hearst Castle, about 6 miles north, kept the town working through the Depression.
Don’t miss: Hearst Castle, designed by Julia Morgan, with 127 acres of gardens; the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve’s Bluff Trail; and the Moonstone Beach boardwalk
★ Good to know Reserve Hearst Castle tours in advance, and allow extra time in the rainy season when Highway 1 can close.
What’s the closest small town to Fresno?
Friant, about 15 miles as the crow flies, at the foot of Millerton Lake. Kingsburg and Reedley are next at about 20 miles.
What’s the best small town near Yosemite from Fresno?
Oakhurst on Highway 41 or Mariposa on Highway 140. Oakhurst is about 14 miles from the south entrance, and Mariposa’s highway runs straight into Yosemite Valley.
What’s the best small-town weekend trip from Fresno?
Three Rivers for Sequoia, or Cambria for the coast and Hearst Castle. Both are worth a night so you aren’t rushing the drive.
Which small town near Fresno has a Swedish festival?
Kingsburg. Its Swedish Festival is held the third weekend in May on Draper Street.