One of the most magical rides in California can be taken on the 206-mile long Highway 120 that runs from Manteca in the west to Benton in the east.It starts at Interstate 5 — the only north-south interstate that runs from Canada to Mexico on the West Coast — and ends at US Highway 6 also known as the Grand Highway of the Republic, the longest continuous highway (non-interstate) in the country.This is the ideal time to take a road trip on Highway 120. That’s because often as early as November to as late as Memorial Day large segments of the highway are closed. The Tioga Pass portion that runs from Crane Flat to Lee Vinning and Highway 395 plus the Mono Basin segment between Lee Vining and a point just west of Benton is closed during the winter due to snow.Manteca, for the record, is the largest city on Highway 120.Along the route from the Great Valley to the Great Basin you will find:u The world’s largest stand of sweet smelling Jeffrey Pines.u The highest paved highway in California at 9,943 feet at Tioga Pass.u Hiking trail heads to two stands of giant sequoias (the tallest living things on earth) — the Merced Grove and Tuolumne Grove.u Yosemite National Park and all the grandeur of the high country including Tuolumne Meadows.u The unique ecological system of Mono Lake with its eerie limestone fed tufa towers.u Groveland, one of the oldest and largest Gold Rush era towns still plugging along.u The stunning Tioga Canyon.u The trailhead to the easiest accessible 13,000-foot plus mountain hike in California.u The largest covered wooden bridge west of the Mississippi River.u The oldest continuous operating general store in California.u The Cowboy Boy Capital of the World complete with the boarding station for the Sierra Railroad dinner train that runs on rails used to film a long list of movies, TV shows and commercials including Back to the Future, Pettycoat Junction and Little House of the Prairie.u A unique campground with hot tubs filled with hot springs water.And that’s just for starters.Manteca has biggestdraw along the 120Most folks in the 209 think of Highway 120 and the 120 Bypass comes to mind — an often crowed four-lane connector between Highway 99 and Interstate 5 popular with Bay Area commuters as well as Bay Area residents fleeing to the Sierra on weekends.But it is much more than that.