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.

A few notes for others trying to get to the Patriarch Grove this month. Locals already know this,…read morebut...you're not going to get here with anything but high-clearance 4WD right now. It's already a little slushy near the Schulman Visitor center, but beyond that, it's deeper, messier, and just not possible without an offroading vehicle. And even that might be a little dicey. So you might make it as far as the visitor center until it snows again, but it is now closed for the winter. A few other things to note: the elevation will make you THIRSTY. Bring more water than you normally would. And a hat/sunscreen, because the sun is more intense up here! Lastly, it takes a little *more* than an hour to get as far as the visitor center but is absolutely worth the drive!

This is a must stop if this is the first time traveling through the Owens Valley. Many informative…read moredisplays inside and a cool cross section of the pipes used for the aqueduct. Little gift shop inside and rangers here to answer questions. I usually stop here to use the bathroom but they were out of service two weeks ago. Fortunately, there are plenty of places in town down the street to use the bathroom.

The Eastern Sierra Visitor's Center is a great place to gather information before stopping at…read moreWhitney Portal, Alabama Hills, Big Pine, and Death Valley National Park. They carry detailed maps and souvenirs for purchase, and there are rangers on site who are available to answer any questions that you may have in regards to trails and weather conditions. I stopped here before attempting to hike from Whitney Portal to Lone Pine Lake. The rangers let me know that there would be too much snow and that a snow storm was brewing in Whitney Portal and that they didn't advise anyone to hike there at that time. They encouraged me to explore the Alabama Hills instead which I happily ended up doing. I was very grateful that stopped there first because it would have been scary to get stuck in the snow and/or snow storm up in Whitney Portal. You can also acquire Mount Whitney and hiking permits here. There are restrooms on site but they weren't open at the time that I was there, so they had portable restrooms right outside. There's a few small exhibits that you can check out as well if you have time. The rangers were very helpful and I will definitely stop by again during a different time of the year before heading to Whitney Portal.

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.

Learning and the hands-On was well choreographed. Have taken many of these classes over the years…read morethis was by far the best strongly recommend to family friends and your organization.

Activity Type: Hiking Nearby City: June Lake…read moreLength: 20 total miles Elevation Gain: 3,580 feet Trail Type: Loop Skill Level: Difficult Duration: 3-4 days Season: Mid-July through September Trailhead Elevation: 8,200 feet Top Elevation: 10,300 feet Local Contacts: Ansel Adams Wilderness; Mammoth Lakes Visitor Center Let your own abilities determine which of these two hikes you will take into the spectacular country around the base of Mount Ritter and the Minarets. The Ediza Lake hike follows excellent trails to a beautiful destination. The traverse hike--which continues from Ediza Lake on a steep and sketchy route to Iceberg, Cecile, and Minaret Lakes--requires route finding skills, a bit of easy scrambling, and, for much of the summer, an ice ax for crossing the icy slopes around Iceberg Lake. At Minaret Lake, the traverse route rejoins well-maintained trails for the descent to Devils Postpile National Monument.

Devil's Postpile is real underappreciated gem in the Mammoth Lakes area IMHO. It is a great entry…read morepoint to hike out to some gorgeous sites like Rainbow Falls and prisine lakes like Superior Lake. Unfortunately for those who are visiting, one must be aware of shuttle service that does not run all week. The schedule details are on the NPS site. I wanted to leave this review to recognize the heroic actions of a few of the crew from the NPS. Our backpacking party (including my two small children) were stranded on a Tuesday because of the suspended shuttle service back to the Main Lodge. Crow (one of the NPS staff manning the facilities at the ranger station) really saved our butts and invited us to stay at one of their private campgrounds (with nice facilities) for a night until they could be allowed to drive up in a convoy at 3pm the next day. Crow and his crew drove a party of six hikers up to the Main Lodge that afternoon. He really is my family's biggest hero this summer!

Construction on Thursdays = Major Delays. Not recommended for families with babies or toddlers…read more We arrived at the Village at 8:30 a.m. to catch the 8:45 shuttle to Devils Postpile, only to be told the first shuttle was delayed until 10:05. Since we were already committed, we drove to Main Lodge instead, where we found a huge line from everyone waiting on the delayed shuttles. At every step, we asked staff for updates, but no one warned us how bad the delays would be. We were told the shuttle ride would take about 20 minutes, but it ended up taking over an hour because of stop-and-go traffic from construction. The return trip was even worse. We boarded the shuttle at 1:30 p.m. and didn't get back to Main Lodge until after 3:00 p.m. The shuttle was hot, overcrowded, made multiple stops, and even returned to Devils Postpile before heading back. Staff seemed just as uninformed as visitors, and no one could provide accurate wait times or expectations. Our timeline: * Arrived at the Village: 8:30 a.m. * First shuttle departed: 10:05 a.m. * Reached Devils Postpile: Just after 11:00 a.m. * Boarded return shuttle: 1:30 p.m. * Returned to Main Lodge: Just after 3:00 p.m. The ticket agent refunded our shuttle tickets and admitted they didn't realize how severe the delays were because multiple agencies are involved. If you're traveling with young children, especially babies or toddlers, I'd avoid visiting on Thursdays during construction. It turned what should have been a simple outing into an exhausting, all-day ordeal.

Rainbow Falls is a must do if you're in the area! We also stopped at Devils Postpile, and it was…read moredefinitely worth seeing while you're there :) Make sure to bring plenty of water, wear comfortable shoes, and be ready for the hike down to the actual waterfall once you get to the top, you'll go down to the actual water. The hike back up is a bit of a workout, but it's 100% worth it. The views are beautiful! The water is chilly, but we got getting in. Such a fun experience, and one of our favorite stops on the trip!

Pro tip: Take the shuttle (approximately $15 per person round-trip). You take it from the Main…read moreLodge and they run every 20-30mins from 7amish to 730pmish (as of Aug 2025). You want to get off at Red's Meadow and hike to the falls. It's easy-easy/moderate and is the shortest distance to the falls. Do not take it from Devil's Postpile because it will add 1.5 miles of open sun hike to the falls. Once there, reward yourself with glass of wine and lunch. The water is cool to cold (depending on the time of year) and refreshing. Highly recommended

As part of our quest to visit all 63 U.S. national parks, we set off on a six week road trip. I…read morehave a personal rule: I only count a national park as "visited" if I actually spend time there, hike or walk through it, and truly experience it. On this trip, we visited 14 national parks, and Sequoia National Park was one of the absolute highlights. The drive into the park is spectacular. Climbing from the valley into the Sierra Nevada, the scenery changes with every curve of the road until suddenly you find yourself surrounded by forests of giant sequoias. It is an unforgettable entrance and sets the stage for everything that follows. We stayed between Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and dedicated five full days to exploring both. It was the perfect amount of time because every day brought new trails, new views, and another reason to stop in amazement. Of course, we visited the famous groves, including General Sherman, the largest tree on Earth by volume. Even though these areas are popular, we purposely visited before schools were out for the summer and avoided weekends, so the crowds were very manageable. Even so, my favorite hikes were the quieter ones, where there were fewer people and it felt like I had the forest almost to myself. There is something deeply humbling about standing among these giants. Some of these trees have been alive for more than 2,000 years. They were already ancient long before our country even existed. I found myself slowing down, placing my hand on their massive trunks, sitting quietly, and simply absorbing the peace of the forest. Whether or not trees have energy is up to each person to decide, but I certainly left feeling calmer, smaller, and full of wonder. Beyond the giant sequoias, the park offers spectacular granite cliffs, rushing rivers, alpine meadows, waterfalls, and an incredible variety of wildlife. Every trail seemed to reveal something different, making each hike feel like its own adventure. Sequoia National Park is more than just a place to check off a list. It is a place to slow down, look up, breathe deeply, and remember just how extraordinary nature can be. If you have the time, don't rush through it. Spend several days exploring both Sequoia and neighboring Kings Canyon. The giant trees may be the stars of the park, but the entire landscape is magnificent. This is one of those parks that stays with you long after you leave.

A day of driving down Highway 180. Found scenic turnouts, a beautiful river, Boyden Cavern, lovely…read moreplants, scenic views and of course giant sequoia trees! Boyden Cavern has a super steep walkway entrance. So for those of you with any physical issues it could be a huge problem. (We didn't go inside this trip) The view of the river from this area is lovely. They also have a gift shop with various treasures and bathroom stalls near the parking lot. This part of the road is only open part of the year. From late April to mid November depending on the snow fall level. Definitely bring your own water, snacks and a bag lunch. Can't beat the view!

If it is your first time visiting Yosemite, I definitely recommend making a stop here. There is so…read moremuch staff throughout the center to help you find what you want to do while exploring this part of the park. Plus, they are experts in what is the most popular thing to do during your visit. I highly recommend stopping at all the exhibits throughout the center, the Ansel Adams gallery, and the museums about the history of the park. Plus, there are two gift shops to buy all your souvenirs. There is a theater that will go through the history of the park, which was pretty cool and informative. Once you are done exploring the exhibits, make sure to follow the trails to the nearest trail to capture some cool photos in nature and even walk over to Yosemite Falls. All in all, definitely a must-see and can be spent in one day to hit all the landmarks in this area. You will be entertained and amazed by the beauty of Yosemite National Park. Happy trailing and sight-seeing! Embrace the nature!

The visitor center and the Ansel Adams gallery are must-visit stopping points on anyone's tour of…read morethe Valley! We were lucky to arrive at the tail end of an outdoor presentation (on 3/8), where a very nice employee let everyone pet a bear skin. It was really interesting, as the fur was a lot rougher than I imagined. He was friendly and answered a few of our questions about the Yosemite wildlife. Lovely guy. The inside was airy and had some fun things to buy. Most employees we met were nice. The one star off was for the rude man who worked at the info desk (along with the nice presenter I mentioned earlier after he was done with the presentation outside... unfortunately, he was helping someone else). I asked Rude Man a few questions about some trails, and he was just not friendly. At. All. He answered in monosyllables with a low-key mean, impatient attitude. I've no idea if it's race-related (we're Asian), or if he just didn't want to be there. Either way, it didn't belong in a welcome center and he was pretty unsuited for customer service. Why work at an info desk, in a customer-facing role, if you're going to be grumpy?

Great ranger station! The staff were super nice and gave really helpful advice for planning our…read moretrip. You can also rent a bear can here for just $2.50 a day, which is super convenient. Friendly service and practical resources--highly recommend stopping by before heading out on the trails!

Ranger Rain (I hope I spelled your name correctly) was very helpful! My wife was having altitude…read moresickness while in the backcountry and Rain was not only provided me with emotional support, but contacted another station to try to learn more about my wife's condition. Rain, Thank for your support in both the back and front country. You are appreciated !!! The free stickers were a bonus too :)