Great place to visit for all family! We discovered this place by chance, but we fell in love with…read morethe natural beauty--clear water, drinkable air, and a pure, peaceful atmosphere!

Everywhere online says that this trail is a 6 miler, but it is most definitely 7 to get Blue Lake…read more Just keep that in mind when you don't reach the lake at 3 miles. Also keep in mind that this is a backpacking trail where you can continue beyond Blue Lake and reach numerous other lakes such as Dingleberry Lake, Hungry Packer Lake, Moonlight Lake, etc. However, my group of friends opted for a day hike since we aren't experienced backpackers. Soon after beginning the hike you get to Sabrina Lake which is neat in and of itself, but was not our final destination. If you wanted it to be, it could, as there are plenty of people enjoying the basin on their boats. Fun fact, Sabrina is pronounced SUH-BRAH-EE-NUH, not SUH-BREE-NUH, as one local informed us haha. Anyway, this hike was unlike any other I've been on due to the terrain. I've never been to the Sierras and it's so cool that it's like a dessert, alpine hybrid. There are beautiful alpine flowers (pink, purple, and orange) along the entire hike, two mini falls/streams that you have to cross, and plenty of rocky switchbacks. I would not call this a very intense hike as there aren't any portions that involve climbing or jumping. The only challenge I can imagine is if you didn't bring snacks/lunch to enjoy once you reach the beautiful Lake Blue. Lake Blue is crisp looking and crisp FEELING. You will definitely get hypothermia if you stay in for longer than a couple minutes. My feet were almost instantly numb, and my two friends that dared to (quickly) dunk their bodies in were extremely thankful for the hot noon sun that warmed and dried them fairly quickly. Make sure to bring bug spray because in the areas where you cross streams, there are HUGE SWARMS OF MOSQUITOS. Also there are bears and long-horned goats apparently, so be prepared in all situations. Happy hiking!

You can't beat this campground for its proximity to the Big Pines Creek trail head. If there's one…read morebit of practical hiking advice I can offer, it's to camp here for at least two days before hitting the trail if you live at a low elevation. I was not acclimated and it made my hike unexpectedly grueling. It's an absolutely beautiful hike, and I wish I was less focused on simply breathing! The entirety of the campground is surprisingly fancy as campgrounds go. Lots of manicured public spaces. But the store always seemed closed which probably had something to do with the government shutdown happening at the time. Directional signage within the campground (to specific site numbers and to the trailhead) is pretty awful and I wasted a decent amount of time trying to find my site. I got up pretty early to hit the trail (just as the sun rose), and had to use AllTrails to point me to the trailhead. In early Oct, it can get pretty cold up there so setting up camp at 4:30pm wasn't ideal. Try to get there earlier bc it cools down really fast. My specific site (26) was really private and very nice. It looked just like the pictures on Recreation dot gov. It sits beside a bubbling little stream, yet mosquitoes were never an issue. It was also the most level and tidiest tent pad I've ever had the pleasure of sleeping on. There was a major drop-off between the car pull-in and the campsite, so I had to be extra vigilant about not breaking my neck during the frequent back and forth loading and unloading.

I come here every year, usually in June or mid-August to hike the Big Pine Lakes trail. This year,…read morethe only reservation I could get was for April. We stayed over the weekend and it was absolutely freezing!!! Driving up, you could already see the mountains covered in snow and I knew right away we were in trouble! It got down to 21 degrees! I had double gloves, double layers, double everything and I still couldn't feel my fingers!!! Lol. I was so glad I brought my snow cleats because they helped a lot since the trails were covered in snow! For safety reasons, we decided to only hike up to Lake 2. The usual beautiful turquoise blue lakes were nowhere to be found and instead replaced with a half frozen lake. It was still a cool sight to see and I'm grateful I got to experience it at least once in my life because I swear, I will never stay here again in April! No way! Hahhaha. I definitely would not recommend camping here that time of year unless you have an RV or are really prepared for winter conditions. We were a big group which made the experience a lot more fun. I love this campground and there's a reason it's so hard to book. It's truly beautiful up there. If you're lucky enough to snag a reservation, definitely check it out.

After fishing in the morning, decided to stop by the cafe and had lunch. Nice lady took my order…read morefor a burger and brought it out to me when it was ready. It was pretty good. Took my trash back inside and ordered a slice of fresh baked berry pie from the super friendly cook with a scoop of ice cream. That hit the spot and the view from outside was amazing. Will have to do this again next year.

We love floating on a boat at this magical lake, you can rent a kayak, motor boat, or hike…read more Pristine mountain, clear water and water falls along the way, it's our go to for a leisure afternoon and just to reconnecting with Mother Earth. The energy here is magical. If you look you should find rainbow, if you sit still enough, the ferries will come. Perfect place for meditation and going inward to connect with your soul and nap just make sure you wear lots of sunscreen.

Activity Type: Hiking Nearby City: Mammoth Lakes…read moreLength: 13 total miles Elevation Gain: 1,700 feet Trail Type: Out-and-back Skill Level: An overall elevation gain of about 1,700 feet makes this a challenging hike. Duration: 7 to 8 hours, though 2 days is preferable. Season: Late June through mid-October. Trailhead Elevation: 8,300 feet Top Elevation: 9,300 feet Other Uses: Equestrians and leashed dogs are welcome. Bikes are not allowed in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. In a region of exceptionally stunning lakes, Shadow and Ediza are two of the loveliest. Both harbor views of the Ritter Range that are among the finest mountain landscapes in the Sierra Nevada. Rolling through green meadows, conifer forests, and rocky outcrops, the trail rises by gradual degrees up the valley of Shadow Creek in view of Volcanic Ridge, to the left (south). Some stretches have been finessed through rocky benches by the vigorous application of picks, shovels, and maybe a surgical stick or two of dynamite. The best of company, frolicsome Shadow Creek entertains us with music and assorted pretty little tricks, including a very clever cascade around an island of polished granite

Ah-May-Zing! I…read moreheard about Lake Ediza last year while on my way to Garnet via Shadow Creek. Fortunately I had a chance to trek up to Ediza this year. I was told that between the split off from the JMT to go towards Garnet and Lake Ediza there was a piece of Heaven on Earth. Truly the scenery was enlightening. Shadow creek was booming (even in this drought). Like all the high elevation lakes it's quite a trek to get there but the payoff is well worth the pain. When we arrived there wasn't too many good camping spots. We had to go around the lake towards the southwest section and camped a little off the trail. If we had just gone a bit further crossing a small creek to the "island" we would have found an even better spot by the beach area under the cover of some trees. My advice: Get there early and grab a good spot. As beautiful as Lake Ediza is it can get busy. Not Thousand Island Lakes busy, but busy nonetheless.

This review is for Little Lakes Valley To Gem Lakes which was a ~7.2 miles round trip that took…read more~4.5 hours to complete. Trail will take you to 6 different lakes (Mack, Marsh, Heart, Box, Long and Gem Lakes). With an optional detour to a 7th lake called Chickenfoot Lake (located after Long Lake). Trail was mostly a rocky incline towards Gem Lakes. There were some fall colors on the shrubs but not on the trees of this trail. Beware of altitude sickness! The worse symptom for us this time was shortness of breath. Decent sized parking area at the trailhead. However, it was almost full at sunrise. Restrooms are available within a short walk from the start of the trail. The drive towards the parking lot gets narrow and harder to fit two cars. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/lHZW-RvsUXk

LITTLE LAKES VALLEY TRAIL -…read more It's a very scenic and fun hike. If you're able, make sure you visit most of the lakes ( I think there are seven total). Reaching Long Lake (5th lake) is a good turnaround point for most people. Be prepared to get your feet wet as several portions of the trail were over a stream. TIPS: This trail is not ideal for those who have mobility issues. A lot of rocks, steps, gravel, and in some cases water and snow. Get to the parking lot by 8:30. The lot will fill up fast, and you'll have to drive down the road to find parking. There's a bathroom in the parking lot.

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!

Beware....Fat shaming! Worst experience We called to book…read moreour ride and spoke to Theresa. She asked the weight and height of the riders. I told her our height and let her know we needed larger animals as we are bigger girls but did not exceed the 250 weight limit requirement. She assured me she had larger animals and it would be fine. I let her know where we were driving from and she said we were an hour and 1/2 away. Theresa called back after speaking with her manager, shortening our ride in half because the trail is up and down hill. She assured me that there was no issue with riding. After a long journey through the mountains, we arrived ready for a fun day riding. When we got there, Theresa looked at us and said our legs were not long enough. We were taken aback. Upon further questions and discussion it became clear that there was alternative reasoning. Even though we all fell under the weight restrictions, we LOOKED too heavy to ride, then later revealed that the owner was trying to sell and would have concerns. The conversation fell into an awkward silence. We were frustrated, disappointed, and upset. I even suggested not going on the trail just riding around camp but they insisted we could not ride the horses safely, apologized, and turned us away. Theresa went as far as to comment to my girls how hard it is to be too fat then offered us cookies! James overheard the conversation and suggested that we meet the horses. We brushed and pet them, which was very kind of him. I would not recommend taking the drive through the mountains for these folks. There were many alternative riding options in the area. I'd suggest taking your business to a place that's more organized, transparent, and kind.

Outstanding! 3 hr ride through some very beautiful scenery and exciting terrain. Simple process to…read morebook, great value and the entire staff are attentive and knowledgeable

This was my first time camping at French Camp and it will not be the last. I made my reservation 3…read moremonths before I arrived. Each site had their own bear box. They had working drinkable water spigots and great clean flush toilets with a sink and a light inside. The whole campsite was beautiful.