California Sierra 2 wks mid-June feasible ideas

I get it. I don't do a lot of places because of my dogs.

You can take the dog to Bodie State Historic Park (check with them to make sure they will be open - they have been closed trying to assess fire damage) and to Mono Lake, so there are places you can visit that you can't see elsewhere.

Without reservations, Yosemite will be tough. Heading in around Vegas and then going northward might give the mountains a little bit more time to melt out.

In response to your question about heading north, Lassen is worth a visit IMHO. Some thermal features can be seen with short hikes from the parking lots. About half the sites at Manzanita Lake are walk up (meaning no reservations taken) so one can often get in, esp. mid-week. However, the road through Lassen can be closed by snow until well into June.

Further north, Lava Beds NM is quite different. Nice little CG. All sites are walk up. High desert, so free of snow much earlier. Interesting history and geology. We happened on this place some years ago when snow up high forced us to change plans. We plan on going back again sometime to explore with more time.

The more I look into this, the more I think Yosemite is not going to be worth the hassles for this particular trip. Maybe I'm wrong.

We'll have a dog in the RV, and she'll have to stay in it whenever we are doing things inside the park. Other than her potty breaks.

It sounds likely we would have to camp outside the park. With no toad, we then fight our way into the park and try to find parking for the day, line up for shuttles, and then have (how long?) to do (how much?) before we fight our way back out. It sounds like long days, and not very relaxing. Am I too pessimistic about that?

The alternative would be what we usually do, which is set up camp in some nice locale for 3-5 days, and take it easy. Dog walks, sit out and read, have a campfire, and do a local something every other day. Then move on, and repeat.

It feels like sacrilege to go to this part of CA and not see Yosemite. But maybe another time, planned ahead. Probably with no dog, and a toad.

What say you?

Just FYI, the Town of Mammoth Lakes and the Mammoth Times will have the best info on Hwy 120 opening. They try real hard for Memorial day but not always successful.

East of Mono Lake is Adobe Valley and the wild horse herd numbers about 250 horses. They do follow the nice weather so they could still be over in Nevada.

North just a bit from Leevining is Bodie and even though the State Parks Department has inserted itself into history an moved almost everything around, it is still very interesting place to visit. There are two roads into the park, from 395 n/o Leevining ans e/o Leevining off 95 I believe. The road usually isn't plowed but maybe they figured out how much money they are missing out on.

Any more questions about that area, PM me.

Even the photo worked that time! The only problem is that when I click on the photo, I can't smell the sagebrush. ;)

Interesting. That time I used the goodsam portal, and it worked. Anyway, here is an attempt at Part 3:


In case you have never been to the Eastern Sierra, this is what the Bishop Creek area looks like at sunset:


Click For Full-Size Image.

Part 2 of reply:


In Kings Canyon, Azalea Campground is right near Grant Grove – that is a “must see.” (Great in the moonlight, too!) Muir Grove, near Dorst, is a wonderful hike to a magnificent and quiet grove -- quieter than the General Sherman/Congress Grove/ Giant Forest area.

Also, the road to Cedar Grove should be open by June -- lots of great campgrounds right by the river. If you have bikes, riding along the river is very pleasant, except on weekends.

On the 395 side of the mountains, there is a lot to do and see in the Mammoth area. Personally, I find it kind of busy right in town. We really like the Bishop Creek area -- Four Jeffrey campground should be open by then. The trailheads to Long Lake and Lake Sabrina start at 9500 feet and go up from there -- there might still be snow in the shady patches of the trails.

Thanks for tips, appreciate the effort. Keep em coming when the problem clears up.

Can't post anything longer than a sentence. Will try to do the other parts later. Sorry -- website is very cranky today.

Having problem posting this message all in one piece -- breaking it up into three parts.

Part 1:

Yosemite Valley will be very crowded, but there is a good reason for that -- it is great, especially this year. I am not sure whether there are any reservations available for any of the campgrounds at this time. There may be some first come first served places at some of the campgrounds not in the valley, like Bridal Veil up on Glacier Point Road.

If you want some peace and quiet, try Sequoia National Park. Lodgepole and Dorst are good campgrounds. Not sure if you can stay at Potwisha (near Three Rivers) and commute up 198 -- your vehicle may be three feet too long.
In the Lodgepole area, don't miss the short hike to Tokopah Falls.