California Sierra 2 wks mid-June feasible ideas

[Snowman9000]

(This is a change of plans from an earlier thread.)

I am looking for tips, must-see's, etc.

25 foot Class C, probably no toad.
No kids. We do some mild hiking but are not "hikers".
Entering CA about at I-80 about June 10.
Leaving CA either by Vegas or Needles about June 24.
We are not going to the coast. We hope to leisurely take in the Sierra, and spend a few days at a time here and there. Not drive-sleep-drive-sleep-drive.... Less is more, in other words.

We have no reservations. I know this is a problem. How bad of a problem?? We do not mind dry camping and in fact prefer it to RV parks, although it's all good.
We want to see Yosemite and (I assume?) Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs.
I know the 395 on the eastern side is supposed to be beautiful.
Mono Lake?
Mammoth Lakes?
Something north towards and including Lassen?
Suggestions welcome. Thanks.

[toedtoes]

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.

[4runnerguy]

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.

[Snowman9000]

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?

[D_E_Bishop]

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.

[profdant139]

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

[profdant139]

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.

[profdant139]

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.

[Snowman9000]

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

[profdant139]

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

[profdant139]

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.

[Snowman9000]

If Yosemite is open, how should we figure on seeing it? Again, 25 foot MH, no toad, no reservations?

[2gypsies1]

395 is an absolutely beautiful drive with many campgrounds along the way. That early in the season you won't have a difficult time getting a site without reservations.

You said you want to go to Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. You can't get to Sequoia/Kings Canyon from 395. You'd have to go around to the other side of the mountains - around Fresno.

For Yosemite from 395 you'd be taking the highway from Lee Vining (120 and Tioga Pass). Keep a watch on the national park's site for road opening for 120. It's closed for snow right now.

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tiogaopen.htm

On 395 south of Lee Vining is the June Lake area with some very nice scenic forest service campgrounds - via the paved June Lake Loop road.

Further south be sure to stop in Lone Pine on 395. Interesting movie history in the area.

[Snowman9000]

Also, we could reverse the loop if that makes any real difference as to when the roads open. That is, starting down by Vegas, and ending up by Reno. No one will know if it makes a difference until it does, I guess. 🙂

[toedtoes]

I do a lot of dry camping in the Sierras (Plumas, Tahoe, ElDorado NFs) and it could be hard to find campsites on the weekends. They fill up pretty fast usually (and the later the campgrounds open, the less likely a spot will be available because of the shorter season).

Check out the national forest website for non-reservable campgrounds. Those will be your best bet as you will be able to arrive during the week before others grab the sites.

With that, I did a quick search on some of my favorite campgrounds and with the exception of the Ice House area in ElDorado NF, none have notices of late openings. So, it might work out for you.

Since you'll be coming in at I-80 and going out around Vegas/Needles, you might go south on 395 from Tahoe and hit the Lee Vining and Mammoth areas. Check www.parks.ca.gov for info on Bodie Historical Park (they are currently accessing damages). The Mono Lake area is also nice. And that is just east of Yosemite, so you could hop over easily.