Madera

Madera is a city in Madera County in California's San Joaquin Valley.

Understand
Madera is often considered the gateway to the Sierras. Boasting a vibrant Latino community, Madera is also home to many factory farms and almond groves.

Climate
Winters have cool weather, but summer temperatures are quite unbearable for most travelers.

Get in
Getting in via a car, Amtrak or Greyhound are your options for getting to Madera.

By road
Take Highway 99 from either North or South until you are halfway between Fresno and Merced (both of which are in the State of California).

By train
Take Amtrak to Madera, but do it in the daylight for your health. That way, you can enjoy a scenic trip through the Delta and beyond, and just when you think you can't go any farther, don't fall asleep, you will have reached Madera.



By foot
It's best not to get around the town on foot: the size of the town makes this impractical, and this is probably not safest, especially at night.

By car
Most drivers in Madera don't have car insurance. This means that, if their car crashes into yours or your car crashes into theirs, they don't have an insurance company that will pay for the damage.

By bicycle
This issue reflects the problems with getting around by foot or car: safety, size of the town, and insurance.

Go next

 * Sacramento &mdash; Route 99 North. About 2 hours 15 minutes away.
 * Los Banos &mdash; Route 99 North to 152 West. About 55 minutes away.
 * Fresno &mdash; Route 99 South. About 10 minutes away.
 * Yosemite National Park &mdash; Route 145 East and Route 41 North. About 3 hours away.