Wow!! Just got back from a two night backpacking trip. I stood at lake one and lake two and it…read moredidn't disappoint. This is my third time here and first time as an overnight. I got to explore, fish, swim, relax, and wake up to an amazing view. This hike is hard especially with a 35-40lb backpack. Plenty of tent site if you got a permit.

Stayed couple days in mid-May at the Upper Sage campground and did the hike to the first two lakes…read more Due to snow, it's where most people turned around. It was the perfect distance for a nice day hike, at about 10 miles. Nice reward of picturesque lakes at the end, and you turn around head back. I went down to touch the water, but some people went swimming in the ice cold water! This was a very popular trail and seemed like everyone brought their dogs. Out of maybe 20 parties with dogs, 1 actually had it on a leash. I would recommend starting this hike early so you can grab a parking spot at the trailhead and avoid the heat.

I recommend staying here as it is so close to the trailhead going to the big pine lakes. Cabins had…read moreeverything from cooking utensils dishes and towels even seasonings. I'm going back real soon.

1] the floors were stained and old. 2] no warm water in…read moreshower. 3] shower had holes in it, and looked like it might fall apart any minute. 4] kitchen sink was very old and looked like it would fall apart. sponge was used and old, no kitchen towel. 5] No pride of ownership here...over all the place seemed it should be torn down and rebuilt. Not worth the money they are asking for in Cabin 16. Location at trail head is the only selling point.

STEPH JUDGEMENT: A natural wonder worth visiting…read more In all the years I've driven up and down the 395 on the way to and from Mammoth I never made that turn at Big Pine to visit this ancient wonder, as it's not just a short detour. This last time the hubby and I went to Mammoth, though, i was determined to visit this place, so we drove out the 25 miles to the visitor center (closed), gaining quite a bit of altitude along the way. The said altitude prevented us from doing the fairly easy hikes near the visitor center, as we hadn't been up this way in a while and weren't feeling acclimated enough. We got to take in plenty of fantastic scenery, though, at various lookout points and especially on the drive out to Patriarch Grove, where we got to see the environment change drastically from scrubby green hills to desolate sandy soil with the signature gnarly bristle cone pine trees. It was worth the bumpy unpaved road and finding out that the last mile was snowed out. Would definitely love to come back and do those hikes!

The drive to get here from downtown Bishop was an hour! It was looping around the mountains and we…read morehad to drive slowly at the curves. The views were so gorgeous that we did make a few stops. We parked in front of the Visitor Center and went on the Discovery Trail. It took us an hour to complete. We started on the right side of the loop, and I was just gasping for air. We saw the beautiful Bristlecone trees on the trail. As we continued on to the left side of the loop, we had to walk on the big red rocks. That part was not enjoyable at all as we had to be careful not to trip. However, the views were so wonderful. It's a clear trail, so there is no getting lost.

Among my favorite trailheads of the Eastern Sierra, South Lake (a.k.a. Bishop Pass) has much to…read moreoffer for climbers, hikers, and fishermen alike. The parking lot is at 9800 feet and from the start you can take in the views of wildflowers, alpine lakes and 12,000+ ft granite peaks. If you're willing to put in some effort (~7 miles and ~3600 ft of gain) you can hike to the top of Mt Agassiz from Bishop Pass and catch a glimpse of five 14ers towering over Palisade Glacier, one of the best views in the Sierra. The most common approach for the traverse of these 5 peaks, starting with the SW Chute of Thunderbolt, is also accessed from Bishop Pass. Additional technical climbs can be found on Mt Goode, Hurd, and Cloudripper. Trailhead amenities include restrooms and bear boxes. Overnight travel requires a wilderness permit, available at the White Mountain Ranger Station in Bishop. This trailhead is popular with backpackers so strongly consider reserving in advance during peak season weekends.

Exceptionally beautiful! I hiked from the South Lake Trailhead to Chocolate Peak. This hike was…read moreabout 7 miles round trip with 2,400 ft elevation gain. There were wildflowers and plenty of beautiful lakes all around. From the peak, you could see many rugged snow capped mountains in the high country. And beautiful lakes below. Be sure to bring bug spray. There were lots of mosquitoes too!

This is a great hike along the Owens River. The path is paved for about 80% of the way, then it's a…read moredirt path that slightly narrows. It's an incline down, and you definitely feel the grade when heading back up, but it's totally doable. I wouldn't suggest going when the weather is warm, as it's quite exposed. We went on Dec 30th, and it was chilly, slightly breezy, and perfect really! Parking lot is a decent size. Cool old power plant buildings that are now in ruins. Leave no trace =)

We spent 2 days climbing here for Memorial Day weekend. It's the first I've been here. On our…read morefirst day, we climbed at the All You Can Eat wall, which had a challenging approach. To get to the climbing area, you're going down, down, down into a canyon. Now, keep in mind that in order to get back to the car, you have to go up, up, and up, which was quite a workout. Anyway, back to the wall. There are climbs of various levels here. I started on a 5.8 climb (can't remember the name of it) that totally kicked my butt! It was clearly not a warm up climb for me. I was on top rope and managed to slip once. Once I was "warmed up", I decided to go for a supposedly easier climb, which was only a 5.6. Yes, this climb was also difficult for me, but not as bad as the 5.8. After that, I did 2 climbs that were rated higher, but somehow seemed easier to me. Go figure! We didn't stay too long as the heat was soon unbearable, so...we headed back to our car, which was sooo far away. The hike back to the car took probably a good 45 minutes of uphill without a trail. We were basically walking up rock after rock after rock. By the time we got to the top, we were huffing and puffing and catching or breath. Of course, the heat didn't help any. The second day found us at The Great Wall of China, which had an easier approach as part of it was on trail. The climbs here weren't any easier than the other wall. At least it was less crowded. All You Can Eat wall was very busy as there were a lot of climbers and we had to wait for some climbs. We had The Great Wall of China mostly to ourselves, which was rather nice. The climbs on this wall are pretty pumpy as well, and my upper body is pretty strong! We did a few climbs here and then proceeded to walk down the canyon to another area to do one last climb. Now, this was the best climb of the two days. It was a long, exposed 5.9 climb that scared me at the beginning, but once I got the fear out of my system, it was one heck of a fun climb! All in all, I highly recommend Owens River Gorge for some sport climbing. The routes are more pumpy then I would like, but at least I get to work on my upper body. There is a bit of an approach to get to the climbs, so be prepared to do some hiking. And, I recommend that you bring lots of water and sunblock as it does get hot seeing that it's mostly exposed.

I just returned from a weekend of fly-fishing lessons with David and I cannot say enough good…read morethings about him and the overall experience that we had. Fly-fishing was something I'd been wanting to do for decades and our weekend of lessons/guiding by David resulted in an amazing positive experience for us. David's passion for fly fishing and for the elements that compose the environment where we fished were greatly appreciated. David is not only extremely knowledgeable on all aspects of fly-fishing, but when he learned we have an appreciation of the local environment there too, he gladly shared lots of his knowledge with us. This included the environment and life cycle of the various species of trout where we fished and their food source, trout fishing up in the high country, the many various types of birds and other wildlife in the environment, some ranching history, etc. His local knowledge of where to fish in the Bishop area was on point. Both days we were at nearby locations that were easy to get to and extremely scenic, but with virtually no other fishermen or other people around. David's enthusiasm for fly-fishing was evident from the beginning. We got us geared up and on the water quickly, and his teaching was mostly hands-on with just a few minutes of coaching before we got our lines in the water, then further coaching from there as we progressed. Before long we were catching beautiful and healthy trout. When we'd hook up David was right there to guide us on how to keep the fish on and safely land and release it. As our skills and comfort on the water increased David would introduce new techniques to us and guide us to other close-by spots to wade into and fish. We caught numerous trout of various species both days. He provided all the fishing-related gear to us and everything worked flawlessly. We had minimal snags and lost flies, and when we did he was on it quickly to get us back fishing. His stoke for fly-fishing and the Sierra is contagious and I plan on getting out there again with him. I highly recommend Sierra Trout Magnet!

Another great trout fishing experience in Lower Owens with Dave! He knows all the right spots and…read moreprovides expert guidance throughout the trip. Highly recommended for beginners, a refresher, and advanced anglers alike, #GOAT! Thank you, Dave!

Glacial erratic boulders for the win. We had no idea how gigantic and mind-blowing these boulders…read morewould be before heading out on an unpaved road to see the sights in Buttermilk Country in the East Sierras (so named because there was a dairy in this location many decades ago). The boulders are scattered as if a giant had thrown down his marbles and left them where they lay. Glacial activity, however, is responsible for leaving these most scenic reminders of the Ice Age. Now I had never heard of the sport of "bouldering" before visiting here (I am so old we called it climbing on rocks) but apparently it is all the rage. We came across small groups of "boulderers" who bring out chalk and crash pads to help them "send" (short for ascend) to the top. (I was going to say peak but most boulders really can't be said to have a peak, unless they split in two as you can see in the pictures.) Apparently bouldering is all the rage but this is also the perfect spot for hiking and photography. Free parking on the side of the road. Four-wheel drive suggested as the unpaved road can be rough.

If you're a boulderer, then this is definitely a place to check out. Road tripped out here w/ my…read moreman and a couple friends. It was HOT out there but all worth it. If you're bold, you can go up some high balls! Very scenic & beautiful. Bring tons of water & be ready to climb some boulders. Loved it!

****UPDATE AS OF 21 MAR 11****…read more There is now an official trailhead marker for the Tungsten Peak trail. ******* Tungsten Peak is a boulder covered hill close to Millpond Recreation Area. It's close proximity to Bishop and relatively low elevation (~6k ft) make it a popular year-round destination for locals. With the backdrop of the Sierra it is a rather diminutive formation but with the relentless uphill (~1200 ft of gain) and 360 views from the summit you won't soon forget it. To access the trailhead take the Millpond exit heading north from Bishop on 395. Make the first left onto Sawmill Road. After passing the driveway into Millpond look for a well-traveled dirt road to your left. Turn right on the westerly well-traveled road. After the road swings northwest look for another main road heading slightly west. Take it until it hits a T then turn left. Look for a road on the right heading SW and aiming for the rocky canyon on the left side of the hills. There is a well-used roundabout that marks the parking area. Note that there is a huge network of dirt roads in this area so if you miss a turn it's fairly easy to get back on track. See annotated Google satellite photo for an overview. There are no amenities at the trailhead. Once at the parking area the main trail is signed and heads up the right side of the canyon west of the parking lot. There is a also dirtbike trail that skirts the base of the hills but this is not the hiking trail. The trail is not signed along the way and there are a number of human and deer trails so pay attention to the way back to your vehicle. The summit contains both a register and a fence post. If you're feeling more adventurous you can follow the road that parallels the base of the hills to the north to access a rock drainage containing slot canyons. There's not much of a trail so some routefinding skills are helpful.

Beautiful scenery once you get to the top but the trail was difficult to follow. It was my first…read moretime hiking it today and even getting to the trailhead was difficult. To get to the trailhead: drive North on the 395 from Bishop and take the Ed Powers Rd exit on the left. Immediately after, take a right turn onto Sawmill Rd. Drive down and pass Millpond Rec. Area. After you've passed turn left on the second dirt road (see picture below). Follow the dirt road all the way down; pretty much follow the brown electric power posts until you get to a T. At the T you will turn left then turn right on the next turn. You will go up towards the hill and there will be a parking area with the sign for Tungsten Peak. Hiking the trail: honestly I followed the trail and it took me pass the trail that is usually used. I know this because as I was making my way back, I saw a guy in the distance and hiked towards him as he was hiking down. I finally found the actual trail and made it to the top. The views are beautiful! You'll see the Sierras, valley and White Mountains. On my way down, I followed the trail instead of going back the way I came (the wrong way) and I definitely would have not found that trail if I didn't follow it down and saw where it started. Again, hard to follow trail but beautiful views at the top if you can find it.