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.

Plane landed in Bishop 90 mins ago and we waited for another plane to deplane and grab luggage so…read moreit will take us 3 hours to get to our Mammoth Village accommodations, not the hour that was advertised. Do yourself a favor and rent a car so you don't have to deal with MAWS.

If you are going to or from the Mammoth Airport, they are very bad at communicating with Advanced…read moreAir at Mammoth Airport. If your flight is delayed or arrives late you will be left without a pick-up as I was . There was no communication after that to resolve the issue . On my return to Los Angeles my flight was delayed, and the dispatch was unable to handle a change of pick up time. It's really only a 4 mile drive to the airport. Don't need to be there two hours early. I'm very disappointed in their service.

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!

I recently completed a 2-day weekend intro to ice climbing course with SMG and couldn't have been…read moremore pleased. Guides Bernard and Michael were incredible! The gear list was provided upon booking the trip and another more pointed one from the guides 3-days prior. The usual ice climbing tools were included without any added costs along with mountaineering boots, crampons, helmets, snow shoes, harnesses, belay devices, etc. if you needed it. Gear was in great condition. I'm deathly afraid of boot rentals having had a few bad, blister-inducing pairs in the past, but their Scarpa boots were comfy enough. Men sizes only, but I dislike women shoes, in general, so this worked out for me (I actually only buy men athletic shoes these days). Communication for designated meeting times and places was seamless and allowed for a stress-free travel. The guides identified Lee Vining Canyon as the venue for our ice climbing adventure. The hike into LVC was a short one (45 minutes to 1 hour) which allowed for optimal climbing time. The guides were great about easing any fears which everyone acknowledged having beforehand. Zero judgement zone. Guide ratio was 1:4 participants which was optimal and our group of 5 was well taken care of. The world of ice climbing is fascinating and SMG made it very accessible for this first timer. Happy to have added ice climbing to my climbing repertoire and conquer some fears while at it! Add stabbing and kicking ICE to death to make for quite the accomplished, ultra satisfying weekend.

My 3 friends and I took the AIARE Level 1 Avalanche course with SMG in Feb 2010. It was a 3 day…read morecourse and half was spent in the classroom and half was out in the field. Let's just say there is a lot of information to absorb for one weekend so drink your coffee and sleep early. The guides at SMG are personable and have a great sense of humor. Annie the office manager answered all my nagging questions about the avy course (and many others). Our teachers/guides Howie, Tim, and Jed knew their avalanche material and I felt they were thorough in teaching us what we needed to know in a Level 1 course. When we were touring on day 2 and 3 they continued sharing their avalanche knowledge and backcountry experience which I found invaluable as a newbie to backcountry travel. The class met all my expectations in terms of risk management and avalanche knowledge. Going on the tours was a huge bonus because I had never done that before and picked a number of new skills while learning about avys. if you're looking for a Level 1 course then I think SMG will be a good fit for any skill level. I am already planning for future backcountry courses with them!

This review is long overdue. We had an amazing experience climbing Mt. Whitney with Tyler Logan! My…read moreclimbing partner and I felt completely safe and supported throughout the entire trip. Tyler was calm, knowledgeable, and reassuring, even when bad weather threatened our summit plans. He was flexible with the timeline and made thoughtful decisions that ultimately gave us the best chance to summit safely. We also loved the food he provided--it was such a great touch after long days of climbing. I could not recommend Tyler more highly.

Horrific and Traumatizing Experience with SMLGuides - Guide Kurt…read more I recently participated in a guided Mt. Whitney hike with SMLGuides, and it was, without question, one of the most distressing and disappointing trail experiences of my life. What should have been an empowering and memorable climb instead became an experience marked by poor leadership, lack of professionalism, emotional distress, and equipment negligence. To begin with, the backpack I rented from Kurt was completely inappropriate--it was a men's backpack, not sized or fitted for me, and it caused immediate and ongoing issues throughout the hike. I had to stop repeatedly to make adjustments, relying on another guide, Ben, to help me manage the situation. These delays were not due to my fitness or preparedness but solely due to being provided improper gear. Supplying correctly fitted equipment is a basic responsibility of any guiding service, and this failure directly impacted my hike. What followed at the trailhead was even more troubling. After arriving with excitement and anticipation, I was subjected to an invasive and humiliating experience when Kurt went through each of my personal belongings from the rental backpack--handling and examining items that were clearly private--before abruptly tossing the bag into the van. This behavior was unnecessary, intrusive, and deeply uncomfortable, and it immediately set a tone of disrespect and intimidation. Despite my clear and repeated communication--both prior to the hike and in person--about my extensive hiking background, including summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, completing Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim, finishing the Triple Crown Hike in Virginia, and numerous Appalachian Trail hikes, Kurt continuously questioned my ability in a way that was demeaning and demoralizing. This was not constructive guidance; it was discouraging and dismissive. Rather than offering solutions, encouragement, or leadership, Kurt repeatedly suggested that I should quit. At no point did he attempt to properly address the gear issue or support me in continuing. I felt pressured, unsupported, and frankly treated as an inconvenience. It genuinely felt as though he had his own agenda and was eager to drop hikers rather than guide them. Ultimately, I turned back--not because I lacked the physical capability to summit, but because my equipment failed me and my guide failed me. The mountain did not defeat me--the leadership did. This experience stands in stark contrast to my Rim-to-Rim hike, where teammates stayed with me, encouraged me, and supported me through challenges. That is what real leadership and camaraderie look like. That is what hikers deserve--especially on a trail as demanding as Mt. Whitney. Additionally, we were informed there would be four guides, yet only three were present. There was no explanation provided. In contrast to Kurt's behavior, Ben was kind, patient, and genuinely helpful, doing his best to assist me with the oversized backpack and offering the support that was otherwise missing. I left this experience emotionally drained, shaken, and traumatized. I was forced to turn around under circumstances that could and should have been prevented with proper gear, professionalism, and support. Given that I could not complete the hike due to these failures, I am requesting a full refund. I sincerely hope SMLGuides takes this feedback seriously. No hiker should ever be made to feel disrespected, intimidated, or abandoned on a guided expedition. Future participants deserve competent leadership, properly fitted equipment, transparency, and basic human decency.

Loved the Bishop City Park with a stream running through it and plenty or walkways for exercise and…read moreyour pets. Large baseball field, soccer fields, playgrounds. a dedicated dog park community pool, tennis courts, pond where you can see fish, ducks and various birds, and lots of picnic tables. Worth a visit for rest and relaxation or to listen to Bishop stream and small waterfall by the bridge. When driving through Bishop in the future, this is the spot to take your pets for a nice walk and stretch before getting back on the road!

This is a really cute park in the heart of Bishop. You can tell that the planning was intentional…read moreand very thoughtful. Although this area as a whole has plenty to do (in the mountains), the little towns are quite barren for any activity. While walking our pup here, we saw the pond with so many birds, a skatepark, an outdoor pool, tennis court, a baseball field, and more! There were a few sketchy people hanging around, but we were safe and they didn't bother us. For the most part, the people there were playing or just enjoying the grounds. Plenty of parking, and pretty well maintained. We were pleasantly surprised at how large of an area it covered, and our pup enjoyed her walk here.

What an AMAZING adventure. Our pilot Ed was very informative and entertaining. The sites were out…read moreof this world. If you are visiting Mammoth you really need to include this in your plans. I'll add some pictures but I doubt they will do it justice. Ed also kept the ride very smooth and comfortable! Well worth the money! My only concern is that we did it on our first day and the bar is set VERY high!

We had an amazing time on our helicopter tour around Mammoth and the nearby Eastern Sierra…read moremountains. Ed, the owner and pilot was extremely competent. I'm not the most comfortable flyer and yet I was completely comfortable during the flight because of his preflight overview. Ed provided up front information of what to expect that made me understand what was happening during the flight so there were no surprises. I loved every minute. I'm a backpacker and have traversed a large area that we flew. Seeing from the air what I know from the ground was such an amazing perspective. I highly recommend it!

Had a great brewery tour today with Matt and Sabrina! The whole experience from start to finish…read morewas exceptional. Booking a reservation was a snap, just logged on to their site and saved my party's seats! They were on time at our pick up location (Rafters) and knew their way around the area, so we maximized our time at each brewery. We visited 3, June Lake Brewing, Mammoth Brewing Co and Black Doubt Brewing. We were provided with a great lunch from Ohana's Hawaiian BBQ, which happens to be a top notch gourmet food truck (check them out under my reviews as well). Matt had sampled all the beers at each brewery and was able to guide us based on our taste pallet as well. My favorites in case you need to know, GulllllLager from June Lake Brewing, Insatiable Saison (I might have the name wrong) from Black Doubt and the Gold Trout Ale from Mammoth Brewing. This was a great afternoon spent in the Mammoth area. Good beer, good food and of course, the scenery! The van was also bitchin. Looked like something out of Universal Soldier (I'm old, I know). Definitely plan on doing this again next summer, if not sooner! Thanks Matt and Sabrina!

This a great tour of the local breweries and our tour guide, Mike, was great! He even picked us up…read morefrom our condo because we were the only ones on the tour. Great beers, Ohana's food truck at June Lake Brewery is amazing, and overall great experience. Two thumbs way up

What a gem hidden outside Mariposa! We went with my Daughter and her boyfriend and were super…read moreimpressed with this place. The ciders are top notch and the facility is super beautiful. We had their wood-fired pizza and were really impressed with the quality and it tasted amazing. They even have friendly animals ( pigs, goats turkeys and ducks. Very cute! Great spot!

One bag of apples a cider that was not sweet enough to drink and one bottle of hard cider giving as…read morea gift price was one hundred dollars . Apples are ok but not worth that amount if money . This was my second season visit , once last year and my recent visit I can't afford this kind of family fun . Sad because it's nice to have an orchard so close to Oakhurst . Miss the fresh pressed cold cider that use to be up on 426 in Oakhurst it taste like apple pie and was much more affordable .