Never been. Thinking about going since I heard it's on a path to recovery after the recent droughts.

Anybody been? Any tips on:
1) where to stay (city, hotel)
2) what to do, what to see, where to go?
3) when to go (month)?
4) how long is sufficient to see / do the musts?

We're capable of some light hiking (distance is more possible than difficulty), trail bike riding.

I've never been there but kept an article on the area for future reference.

If I was going it would be Fall for the color and I would stay in Bishop. Bishop seems to a good starting point for Mono, Bristlecone Pines, Fall colors.

In that area, I don't believe there are chain hotels - just mom and pop motels. Further south into Mammoth has some larger hotels. When do you want to go? Right now, Tioga Pass (main artery into Yosemite) is closed, so it may not be too crazy. Otherwise, I'd imagine late August into September to avoid the crowds. Mono is 2 hours south of Gardnerville. South of Mono is Bishop, were the Japanese Internment Camps from WW2 and there's a great museum.

I've never stayed in the area but have passed through the area on my way to Yosemite's east entrance. There's an amazing hike just east of the park's entrance - you don't have to pay entrance fee. Look up Saddlebag Lakes. It's about 2 miles on the north side of Hwy 120. The longest loop is 8 miles of relatively easy/moderate hiking. It has amazing water falls, alp-like spires and amazing views. It's an easy day trip from Mono Lake. The views are OK from the parking lot, but crazy views 2-3 miles past the parking lot.

http://www.saddlebaglakeresort.com/index.html

Another day hike within Yosemite in Parker Pass (trailhead is just within the park, hence $30 car fee, good for 7 days). It's relatively flat hike - slowly rising along a creek. It's 4 miles (?) to Parker Pass and some abandoned mining cabins. Further is Koip Pass (13000') with an amazing view of Mono Lake etc.

The above hikes are part of our weeklong 50-milers or car camping I've done with BSA and father/daughter camping in the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite.

I'll try to post some photos.

Koip Pass - 13,028'

Scouts at Mono/Parker Pass area.

I can't find my better pics of Saddlebag Lakes

Very nice! So, sounds like it's worth a visit and now might be a good time to go before Tioga Pass opens.

Good 2-3 days of hiking and outdoor sights. Will try to catch Bishop while in the area. I can probably find it but do you have a name for the museum?

Are the hiking trails bike-able? Or should I leave my bikes at home?

The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest , northeast of Big Pine, is cool. All of the Eastern Sierra region is pretty spectacular, actually. Lee Vining is the closest town to Mono, but there isn't much there. Dining and lodging is best in Mammoth Lakes or Bishop.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Very nice! So, sounds like it's worth a visit and now might be a good time to go before Tioga Pass opens.

Good 2-3 days of hiking and outdoor sights. Will try to catch Bishop while in the area. I can probably find it but do you have a name for the museum?

Are the hiking trails bike-able? Or should I leave my bikes at home?

https://www.nps.gov/manz/index.htm - Here's the museum.

You'd have to check with CalTrans about Tioga Road opening anytime soon. The eastern slope may be open but closed at the Yosemite gate. Or Hwy 120 (Tioga Road) may be closed at the bottom of the hill, where it meets 395. Regardless, either of the hikes pictured above likely won't be feasible early in the summer because of the crazy snow pack we have. Bridgeport to the north is famous for fishing.

If you prefer lodging, the motels I was thinking of are indeed in Lee Vining like egregore mentioned. Fancier stuff would be at the ski resorts in Mammoth.

As for mountain biking, I can only imagine there are trails in the area. But I have no clue. Just south of Lee Vining is Silver Lake. That's where we exited when we came down from Koip pass.

I'm a native California and haven't ventured much into the eastern Sierras. It's a hidden gem.

Can't help you with suggestions because all we did was drive through after coming over Tioga Pass on our way back east, but I can say that it was absolutely gorgeous and I wish we'd had more time to stop and stay there for a few days. Be sure to post some pictures up here when you get back!

Thanks guys. More recommendations appreciated.

We're leaning towards 3 days in the area. Hoping we can bike as much as possible between points instead of walking to cover more ground faster. Tentative plans:

1) Mono Lake / South Tufa; hoping to bike around a bit on trails as well. Hoping to maybe kayak if that's something interesting.

2) Bodie State Historic Park (can I bike around?) / Mono Lake County Park / Panum Crater

3) Bishop / Mazanar

Anything else I should do / see / go?

Definitely see Bristlecone Forest and Bodie. There is a visitor center at Mono, stop there and check it out and from there you can drive down to the parking area and hike down to the tufa its an easy walk on sand and some wooden planks if i recall

If your in heading south towards Bishop, check out the Manzanar internment camp. Very moving. if your going as far south as Lone Pine, check out the movie museum of western film, as well as Alabama Hills where the filmed dozens of movies and TV westerns. very cool. We stayed a few nights at the Dow Villa motel, where all the actors stayed back in the day when they would film westerns in Alabama Hills.

how many days you have ?

1. Manzanar NHS is just north of Lone Pine, which is at least an hour south of Bishop. Well worth spending a couple of hours, very sobering and poignant.

2. Lone Pine has it's own charms, besides Manzanar, it's at the foot of Mt Whitney, highest peak in the lower-48 and host of other 14ers in California. Stop off at the National Park visitors center and spend some time.

3. Hwy-395 is my favorite stretch of highway, you're up against the east side of the Sierras which vaults right up from the Owens Valley. Very dramatic scenery. One of my favorite stops is to pull over to Convict Lake just south of Mammoth, besides being famous for trout fishing, it's at the base of Mt Morrison, known as the Eiger of the Sierras. It's an imposing and near impossible peak to climb, as the rock is much older and crumblier than the newer surrounding granite.

4. Accommodations can be found in Lee Vining, however, you'll probably enjoy staying in Mammoth or, Bishop instead and there's more places to eat.

5. In Lee Vining, on the road to Tioga Pass (Hwy-120) is a Mobile gas station. Stop here, gas up and eat lunch. The Whoa Nellie Deli is the best food around until you get to Mammoth. It's famous for it's hearty, well put together dishes. I'm a sucker for their buffalo meatloaf, skirt steak caesar salad and breakfast burritos. This is a must stop for me when on the east side. There's a reason why everyone stops there...and it isn't for the gas prices.

6. The massive ghost town of Bodie State Historic Park sits right above Mono Lake. Well worth the trip to stop and wander around and imagine all that happened during it's peak period. Lots of hiking around there also.

7. Since you're biking, I don't believe Bodie will be any issues however, why not stop and ride Mammoth Mountain? It's world famous for it's mtn biking trails, it's got everything from big drop down hill to long XC trails. Not everyday you get to put your bike on a chair lift and ride to the top of a mountain.

Fantastic. Will try to add Bristlecone Forest to the list - mentioned a few times now. What to do / see there?

Adding Whoa Nellie Deli for a bite to eat.

I'm hoping we can bike around Mono Lake, Bodie and the internment camp. Of course just casually and slowly. But it seems like a lot of ground and would like to cover more ground by biking since we have limited time. I walk a little slow these days.

Mammoth sounds fun but I'm old -- not sure I or my bike could handle big drop / XC trails

I was there in the mid 90s and stayed at Lee Vining, the little town right next door. Can't stay any closer than that.

Had a great time!! Thanks again for all the suggestions!

Saw Mono Lake and the tufas. Pretty cool sights.

Went to Manzanar which was a thought provoking experience. I think I saw a few names that seemed familiar.

Climbed up Panum Crater and went to the 'middle' -- pretty cool to be standing in the middle of a past eruption of a dormant volcano. And the views of the basin were fantastic.

Repeatedly went to Convict Lake -- very nice place with a nice easy hike around the lake. The fantastic surprise was the restaurant there. World class dining in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, it's better than 95% of the restaurants in the Bay Area. How they got a chef of that level along with stocking high quality ingredients (fresh, high grade meats, fruits, etc) is curious.

Went kayaking around Lake Crowley which is another nice lake. But it was a little windy that day so areas were restricted.

Fishing seems to be very popular at all the lakes but nowhere was crowded (at least not yet).

Didn't make it to Bodie or Bristlecone. And Saddlebag Lake, Devil's Postpile (?) was closed (still many areas / roads were closed). Have quite a list started for the next visit.

Not many places, other than perhaps Mammoth, that allowed for mtn bikes. I didn't need to bring them.

I have questions about 4WD vehicles now but will start a new thread.

quote:

Originally posted by rsd1220:
I was there in the mid 90s and stayed at Lee Vining, the little town right next door. Can't stay any closer than that.

We stayed in Lee Vining in early October 2015 and used it as our overnight for Yosemite. Tioga Road was open all the way over the pass and into the park at that time. Neat little town and very convenient. Gas was $$$$ high!

Convict is GTG.

Where you able to grab a bite at Whoa Nellie Deli at the Lee Vining Mobile station?

Didn't make it to Whoa Nellie. Next time. We were repeats at the restaurant at Convict Lake. Truly fantastic food - really pleasant surprise.

Saw a lot of nice lakes -- would really like to get an SUV and kayaks for the next trip. My car is just made for the city, not for fun stuff like this. I can't even get a roof rack for kayaks for it. And limited to a class 1 hitch - barely enough for the bikes.

A little late in life for this stuff but I guess better than never. This is what bucket lists are about I assume

ETA: Duck for dinner one night....