Restrooms top notch. 10/10 acoustics!! The healing frequencies are more accessible than you think,…read moreas your fingertips pull the generously provided one-ply TP and truly appreciate the refreshing chill of a stainless steel toilet. Perfect place to unleash a primal "ROWRRRR" and spiritually recalibrate; especially after 6 hours on 395. Try it. You'll see what I mean. Great for humans. Great for kids and pups. Great for the soul.

Great stop between LA and Mammoth for kids. There are nearby restaurants and gas stations as well.read more

As a child I read a story about Manzanar from the POV of a child. That story stayed with me all…read morethese years. The NPS has recreated some of the buildings here including the bath house, school, mess hall and 'improved' living quarters where walls were installed between family living quarters - replacing the blankets that were hungs as "walls". One of the things I remember in the book was how the toilets and showers were communal and how embarrassed they were to have to do such private business in a public space. No partitions, no privacy on the toilet or shower. Meals were also communal and menus were created by persons unfamiliar with an asian diet. Also from the book the author talks about sweet peaches being put over the rice. Definitely not how rice was eaten. Meals were served on a schedule and each 'block' of quarters had their own mess hall menu. Residents could earn a couple of dollars a month by working in the mess hall. Buildings were erected so hastily the wood was not dried creating gaps between boards so the desert sand would blow in covering everything with sand and allowing scorpians inside. Several families were housed in each building, and as mentioned, with no walls between. Camps were not prepared to educate the children and the first classes were held sitting outside on the ground. Over time teachers, furniture and supplies were provided. So much more information is provided. A short film runs on the hour in the visitor center. A self driving tour (one way) around the acres of camp include informational signs and some recreated buildings while other structures are just a sign (bldg 1, bldg 2, etc.) or foundation. The park has also excavated and reestablished gardens created by residents. A poignant and interesting history lesson for us all. Definitely worth a visit. The museum includes a lot of personal stories and information. The park rangers on duty were very helpful. Gift shop includes a number of books and a few other NPS souveniers. Be sure to get your passport stamped. Public restrooms by the entrance. A handicap drop off point is close to the building. On site parking is a short walk to the visitor center.

I came out here on a field trip with a class I'm taking this summer. It's 95 degrees, windy and…read morearid. Even as a visitor, I find these conditions to be uncomfortable, so I could not imagine being forced to live out here in subhuman conditions for an indefinite period of time. However, that is what over 120,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese Nationals living in the USA were forced to do during WWII - and 10,000 men, women, children and babies were forced to do just that at Manzanar. The Visitors Center is only open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday - so we were not able to see it, but we were able to eat our lunches in the Mess Hall. I also explored the barracks, and saw the rest of this historic site by bus and on foot. Don't miss seeing Merritt Park, the Children's Village area, and the Issei Obelisk. This site is a powerful reminder that History repeats itself, and visiting Manzanar is an extremely moving and meaningful experience for everyone. Peace.

Great location right off the 395 to stop and stretch legs and use the park! We definitely want to…read morecome back here and camp on the lake and make a trip out of it. The park has been recently updated and they also have bathrooms.

June 17th was my 60th birthday and the first day of a 5 day road trip to Mammoth Lake. Diaz Lake…read morewas the first campsite of my trip and boy was it hot when I pulled into my campsite. It was 96 degrees! My site was near the lake and had a water spigot. My dog Frankie was hot so I placed her under the spigot and completely doused her with water to cool her off. The site was nice but if I camp here again it will be in the spring or fall. Camping cost me only $21.

Absolutely beautiful! Keep driving all the way to the top of the road to reach it. A gorgeous sight…read moreto sit and enjoy or hike along.

Drove by so many times never got there, I didn't know this place exists,…read moreBeautiful, check it out, easy access and lots of parking.

Amazing experience! Great ride options for all. Beautiful, healthy, and strong stock. Friendly and…read moreinformative team. We booked a day in the Sierra and it did not disappoint. Gaby was our guide and she was amazing. We rode Percy and Howdy. Forever memories!

From the first inquiry to the end of our trip, these folks were high quality. They provided a…read moredunnage drop into the Golden Trout Wilderness, allowed us to dry camp near the stables, allowed us to park near the stables, and were very helpful in making sure we made it to our destination into the Cottonwood Lakes corridor. J.P. and Chris, our wrangler, were absolutely outstanding with their customer service and performance.

At first, it was difficult to locate an authorized campsite. Once I got the hang of it, trying to…read morefind a site that was level, had a view of Mt Whitney, and had cell service was the new challenge. I used campsite 26 (one small level spot) but had the right view and one bar of AT&T service. There aren't any bathrooms or water so come prepared.

Great scenery. It gets Cold and Windy in Winter time. I've…read moreheard it's the same in summer time, too. Definitely recommend.

A fun trail to walk with kids. There's plenty of free parking in the lot. The route to the hike is…read morereally just a dirt road. The trail is about a mile to and back. There are 2-3 porta potties available at the parking lot. There is very little to no shade. It's literally the desert and rocks. I do not recommend this hike during the summer. It's definitely too hot. Remember to bring a hat, sunscreen, and water!

+ Short, beginner-friendly hike. About 1.25 mile, 30 minutes…read more + Fantastic photo ops with vantages of arches circumscribing Mt Whitney. + Free access and parking. . One or two porta-potties. . Moderately crowded. . Minimal shade. - No water.

What an amazing campground. Let's start by introducing you to ranger Bob is amazing! Gave an intro…read morespeech about everything there is to know about the campgrounds. There's zero cell reception up here and even if you use satellite data, it's very spotty. The campground is pretty small, with roughly about 40 sites. Surrounded by tall trees, Mt Whitney, and the creek that falls downstream. Trout is stocked every Thursday, we arrived Monday and we still saw a lot of trout. We managed to catch 2 but these fishes did not bite even when the bait was dangling right in front of their mouth. The is a mama bear that roams the campgrounds especially at night so be careful and lock your car doors! This bear knows how to open car handles and will check every car. There is a bear storage so use it and make sure no food is lying around anywhere. The bear is said to be nice and it will walk away once she grabs what she wants. The elevation is a bit more than 8k. Amazing place, highly recommend. Will definitely come back sooner than later!

Had an amazing time camping at the portal campground. Campsites are very well located a 2-3 minute…read moredrive from the trailhead. Perfect for acclimating at some type of elevation before hitting the trailhead early (especially for single day hikers). Only caution is to bring bug spray or YOU WILL be quickly reminded of why you should have.

Lone Pine Lake is as far as you can hike via the Mt Whitney trail WITHOUT a permit…read more The hike is short. 5 miles roundtrip. Out and back. There isn't to much of an elevation gain. You cross across some rivers by stepping on big logs. And, there are nice views of waterfalls along the way, as well as the lake itself. It is a very fun and easy hike.

I think people are so consumed with summiting Mt. Whitney that they forget there's a beautiful lake…read morejust a short distance from the main trail. It's only 2.5 miles from the trailhead, but because of the high altitude it took us longer than we expected. The lake is at 10, 050 ft. and it is absolutely gorgeous! It was also very tranquil and had we not been pressed for time, we would've liked to sit on one of the tree trunks to just relax and enjoy the scenery more. The lake is also the only place you can hike to without a permit. Don't be stupid and think you can go beyond the lake without a permit! If you get caught by the wilderness police, i.e. Park Ranger, you'll be fined $5000 and a 6 month imprisonment!!

The Mt Whitney Fish Hatchery was a fun stop along the 395 near Lone Pine, mainly Independence…read more However, it is no longer much of a fish hatchery following a flood and fire affecting the factory itself. While fish still live there, it no longer houses the famous "California Golden Trout". The Fish Hatchery now holds an intriguing museum with tons of history, facts, and artifacts of the West's nature. The staff are very nice and thoughtful volunteers, whom are very helpful.

Beautiful stop. I've never been able to go inside, as it's always been closed when I've come by,…read morebut the grounds are well worth the stop on their own. Bring quarters to feed the fish :)