Eastern side of the Sierra Nevada range

[Chuckanut]

I would appreciate any advice related to visiting the Eastern side of the Sierra Nevada range in California. I’ve pretty much exhausted the major national parks one can reach on the west side. What about the east side? I would include western Nevada in the mix.

Obviously, there are many hiking destinations. I believe there is an old Japanese ‘resettlement’ camp in that area. Advice and ideas for other and sites would be welcome. Mostly we enjoy places with a natural or historical interest.

 

[MuirWannabe]

Up and down 395 is a treat. Lone Pine has some interesting things as many cowboy films made near there. The Alabama Hills are nice. Gateway to Mt Whitney (needs a permit to hike). Convict Lake is a beautiful hike. Schatz’s bakery in Bishop. The camp you reference is called Manzanar.
I don’t live there, so others will have many more ideas. But I wish I did live there.

If down by South Lake Tahoe, I highly recommend hiking in the Desolation Wilderness area. You can follow a portion of the PCT around beautiful Echo Lakes. Ultimately heading to Aloha Lake, one of the most serene places I’ve ever had the pleasure to be.

 

[anethum]

There's lots to see in the Eastern Sierra depending on your interests. The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest above Bishop up at about 10,000 feet, is fascinating. There's an excellent paved road up there (closed in the winter, I believe). In the spring, Devil's Postpile Nat. Monument has waterfalls in addition to the interesting rock formations. The tufa formations in Mono Lake are worthwhile. There is a small obsidian "dome" (volcanic glass) that wasn't well-marked but is very close to the main road. Bodie State Park is a fascinating ghost town, esp. popular with foreign tourists because it's so photogenic. The museum at Manzanar is good, but the buildings from the internment of Japanese Americans are gone. There are a couple of museums in the valley with great collections of the superb baskets made by the Paiute people.

 

[audreyh1]

Lassen Volcanic NP?

 

[hiker88]

I highly recommend the hike along Rock Creek, northwest of Bishop.

 

[oiseux]

That's a pretty long stretch of territory. Up north, near the border, is the Tule Lake Segregation Center. That one is a National Monument. Due to budget, the NPS visitor center is only open in summer and tours are limited. The Lava Beds National Monument is not far away.

As you head south, and technicall on the on the "west/wet" side and a detour from 89/395, there is a great hike at the Sierra Buttes lookout. The last bit is entirely on ladders and grid walkways spanning rocks, with spectacular drops below. It can be unnerving but I'm glad I did it. It depends on if you are taking 395 all the way down.

 

[Mark1]

I highly recommend the hike along Rock Creek, northwest of Bishop.

+1. If you can catch the end of the snow melt (say in June ?), the Little Lakes region at the end of Rock Creek Rd has to be one of the prettiest places on the planet.

 

[Lsbcal]

We have stayed in Mammoth Lakes and done some hikes in Mammoth. Then we drive into Yosemite at Tioga Pass and there are several hikes at high altitudes there. See AllTrails for specifics. Also there is Body ghost town which is a state park and Mono Lake visitor center.

We generally go in later August after the snow melt and the mosquitos clear out.

 

[stepford]

+1. If you can catch the end of the snow melt (say in June ?), the Little Lakes region at the end of Rock Creek Rd has to be one of the prettiest places on the planet.

That time of year is also when the Sierra mosquitoes around there are at their worst. The alpine wildflowers are lovely, but I much prefer the hiking in that area a month or two later.

There have been lots of good suggestions already. To them I'd add some seasonal favorites:

Fossil Falls in the late spring (too dang hot in the summer)

June Lake loop for fall colors (not quite rivaling the peak of New England fall color, but gorgeous for a week or two in October nonetheless).

Tuolumne Meadows and much of the Yosemite high country accessed from the Tioga Pass in mid-summer.

The hike up to White Mountain Peak on the Nevada side is fairly strenuous, but much easier if you catch it on one of the "open gate" days - usually in late July-August.

And, if you're a skier, Mammoth and Heavenly Valley are both great this time of year.

 

[audreyh1]

Wow, Tioga Pass looks spectacular!

 

[tutan]

There are a few great hikes near Tioga Pass: Gaylor Lake is often still frozen in July. The hike starting from the far side of Saddlebag Lake is great. You can scramble up to see Mt. Conness and its mini glacier. Or just do the fairly easy loop to visit several lakes set in classic Sierra granite scenery. There’s a water taxi in summer that takes you across the lake which saves about 2 miles one way.

 

[MC Rider]

Death Valley has a lot more to see than I guessed. But beware the summer heat. Joshua Tree too.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

With a more adventurous twist, I have been following this guy’s photo blog for a number of years as he engages in the same type of back country travel we enjoy.
Mostly southeastern Sierra Nevada region.
I will link just two of his posts.

Mojave in Springtime

Desert delights and decorations

divvercity.substack.com

Owens Valley (again)

Thing is about the Owen’s Valley… if we ever get everything “seen” (the mind boggles), we’ll have forgotten half of it by then. It’s a place that deserves – and rewards – multiple visits. This time, we were solidly in “base camp” mode. We find a place that’s reasonably remote, but still with...

divvercity.substack.com

 

[GoBears]

I also recommend visiting the Bodie ghost town, which is a California State Historical Park. We spent several days at June Lake and used that as our base to explore the area and do a little hiking.

 

[cathy63]

I love driving up 395. There's a lot to enjoy no matter what time of year you do that trip. I particularly like spring and fall though, but you do have to watch for late/early snow storms since there are several high passes.

For National Park sites, there's Death Valley NP of course, Manzanar NHS (the Japanese internment camp you mentioned), and Devils Postpile NM. All of them are well worth a visit depending on the time of year. Death Valley is horrific in the summer and Devils Postpile is only reachable in the summer.

There's a small cabin resort called Red's Meadow in the valley just on the other side of the mountain from Mammoth Lakes that's a fun place to stay for a night or two. It's mostly frequented by hikers doing the Pacific Crest or John Muir trails so you meet some interesting characters, but you can easily get over to Devils Postpile from there or hike to Rainbow Falls.

Definitely stop at the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.

North of June Lake, we did a great hike in the Ansel Adams Wilderness up to Parker Lake.

If you continue along 395 all the way up past Reno and back into California, make a detour to the rail museum in Portola. You can wander among the train cars, some of which have been restored, or you can make a reservation to drive one of the engines.

Once you get much north of there you're in the southern Cascade Range rather than the Sierra Nevada Range, but it's still a great place to explore. In addition to Lassen National Park, there's Lava Beds National Monument which is somewhat less busy. I've heard Burney Falls has become an influencer hangout of late, but it's still worth a look if it's not too crowded. Hat Creek is a quieter area if you want camping and fishing.

 

[Fotodog]

Great suggestions here, I have experienced many of them. If you’re in the Mono Lakes area, there’s a great lunch spot opened by a chef who grew tired of the rat race in LA. It’s located in a large gas station complex where highway 120 meets 395 after coming down a long, steep grade from Yosemite NP. One of the all time great names, it’s called the Whoa Nellie Deli.

 

[Lsbcal]

This is Sky Meadows in the Mammoth Lakes area. 3.6 mile hike going from about 9000 ft to 10100 ft. You can find the trail info on AllTrails.

We did this in mid August 2021. We take our lunch and watercolor sketch materials plus very light 3 legged stools. We set up in the far left of this pic in the tree area. Wonderful day.

 

[Chuckanut]

Great ideas! Thanks.

 

[skipro33]

I did a motorcycle tour I called "7 Passes" where we rode over the 7 passes of the sierras from the Oregon border to Yosemite. That should be a bucket list for anyone who wants to see some of the East side of the sierras. We camped at the summits every night for a week. Plan this after snow-melt and the roads are open. Some years, that's June, others are July.

 

[audreyh1]

I did a motorcycle tour I called "7 Passes" where we rode over the 7 passes of the sierras from the Oregon border to Yosemite. That should be a bucket list for anyone who wants to see some of the East side of the sierras. We camped at the summits every night for a week. Plan this after snow-melt and the roads are open. Some years, that's June, others are July.

Wow, that sounds very cool!

 

[stepford]

I did a motorcycle tour I called "7 Passes" where we rode over the 7 passes of the sierras from the Oregon border to Yosemite. That should be a bucket list for anyone who wants to see some of the East side of the sierras. We camped at the summits every night for a week. Plan this after snow-melt and the roads are open. Some years, that's June, others are July.

Or what the heck, you can just go for three passes and do the Markleeville Death Ride

 

[skipro33]

Wow, that sounds very cool!

A few photos then. (That'll teach you from encouraging me!)

 

[Surewhitey]

Mammoth Lakes is a favorite of ours and go there almost annually. Renting a bike and taking the free ride up to Horseshoe Lake and riding down & around the lakes is a great, easy thing to do.

Renting a boat with friends is fun too.

 

[Chuckanut]

Goodness! You folks are great. I need more time to travel.

 

[cathy63]

I feel like I've probably met a few of you on our travels without knowing it!