A different area to explore.

[acudr]

I am looking for some alternative places to camp in the Sierra's that a makes having a truck camper fun and maybe not as crowded. Small campground or boondock. We're familiar with SNP and Yosemite areas and looking for new and different.

I am looking at an area in-between on the west side. Looks like Huntington Lake, Kaiser Pass rd. / peak area. Anybody been up there?

I'm also open to east side adventure if out of the way. We camped Onion Valley once. That was great.

Thanks in Advance!

[profdant139]

Lots of great stuff on the east side of the Sierra -- Inyo and Humboldt National Forests. Get a good topo program, look around on Google Earth, talk to the rangers, buy a detailed forest map. Have you checked out the Wander the West forum?

Also, where you go depends on what you like to do -- hiking? biking? fishing?

Calif is a wonderful place for truck camper boondocking. (Pretty good for small rugged trailers, too, but a TC is the best rig for that job.)

[acudr]

Thanks Jefe! I will get my maps out this weekend!

[jefe_4x4]

While I'm no expert, I have been going to the Sierra Nevada, both west entry and east entry for decades. On the east side you have the Chimney Peaks rec area with a lot of Pinion/Juniper camping with a few very primitive campgrounds. You can get there circuitously by driving in from Hwy 58 south of Tehachapi roughly following the PCT's route. I've been all around Rockhouse Basin (now closed to motors) and the primitive road into Monache Meadows. No services or structures of any kind when you arrive and has the so. fork of the Kern River flowing through it. My bro wants to have a mt. bike reunion there. Many trails. I was first there in my '66 Gland Bruiser in 1968. Maybe not this year but best to go in after mid-June to escape the mud. For a short trip to 10K feet on the east flank, go up the Cottonwood Lakes Roadend road and TC at the equestrian area. This is a cool respite in the heat of summer and is usually deserted. Of course west of Conway Summit has some cool camping up high and two tracked. Sonora Pass and vicinity are great summer camps.
On the west there is a lot of good camping around Huntington Lake. We have camped right at Kaiser Pass before. Turn R on a dirt jeep trail when you get close to the summit. I've heard you can use your truck camper near Lk. Edison but not other larger type RV's. The road in is very curvaceous with hairpin turns at 5 mph and steep. Around Swamp Lk. is some great camping (and Jeeping). The entrance to the Dusy/Ershim Jeep Trail has some beautiful landscape and not hard to get to. You've been all around Sequoia already.
Closer to L.A. we've been up Apache Cyn near Pinion Mountain (mt. pinos) for some lonesome, sandy, out of the way exploring.
At the beginning of spring and end of summer, Papoose Flat in the Inyos is an engaging higher altitude camping area. You will need 4WD for the sand, but it has huge sandstone formations that are warm and inviting, kind of like Canyonlands.
Off the top of my head, that's my list.
regards, as always, jefe

[Ramblin__Ralph]

I've done a lot of camping in my TC on the East side of the Sierras, but less on the West side. For some ideas, check out the CA part of a map of all my campsites around the Western U.S. for the past 9 years.

It's posted in this forum here .

[slickrock_steve]

If anyone is familiar with the Sherman Pass area, on the west side 6 miles above the main Kern river, is Cherry Creek Road. Go the 12 or so miles back in, and the road end forks at "Big Meadow". You will be at 8000 ft or so, and you can boondock, or go left at the fork, and there is even a single outhouse at the Mule Train camp. A 1 acre fenced area is for the live stock, and part of Salmon Creek runs both thru the meadow, and thru the area. Or you can hit up Horse meadow campground, where you will find the camp host to be both friendly, and a character.
Staying at Horse Meadow, you have fire pits, ( although with the drought, you probably will NOT BE MAKING ANY FIRES, not even BBQ's!
There are compost toilets, and a fishing creek right at the campsites. Sites are large, and it is usually VERY quiet.

[kohldad]

Nolan, thanks for posting your trip report. That area jumped out at me for a good suggestion so I was planning on digging it up.

acudr, that is the wonderful thing about truck campers. unless the area is designated as no camping, designated campgrounds only or camping as signed spots only, you can camp just about any place you can park.

[acudr]

Wow anutami, Great trip report. Thanks. That looks like a great area to truck camp. If you get this reply, are there many truck camper spots up there? Thanks for the suggestion.

[anutami]

Have you tried the jennie lakes wilderness?

My trip here


This one is on my list to explore.

It is going to be pretty dry out there this year.

Nolan

[acudr]

Truck camping there?

[Fiverwheel]

If you go past Huntington Lake you can continue on to Lake Edison. Very remote and a great and
adventure