Enthusiast III
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- Sasha
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Lone Pine
- Thread starter SashaLee
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Pathfinder III
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Contact @Coachella Valley Overland he has lots of local knowledge for that area.
Message her on the forum.
Message her on the forum.
Enthusiast III
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Member III
I did a little looking around up that way, all on the west side of the 395, right before the virus hit. There are some designated OHV trails just outside of Big Pine & Independence, but everything I saw had signs posted that said no overnight camping and no campfires. You may have to set up a base camp in one of the campgrounds and venture out on day trips from there. I don't know if there's much in the White Mountains area (east of the 395), but I didn't see anything that caught my attention. I have heard of some 4x4 trails in the White Mountains, but I think it's closer to Big Pine & Bishop. I believe the Visitor's Center in Lone Pine has a map of all the OHV trails.
One area I did check out and want to go back to is Onion Valley. It's high above the town of Independence. There's two campgrounds that I saw. Gray's Meadows Campground, about 1/2 way up the hill and Onion Valley Campground at the top where the road ends around 9,000' elevation. This is a popular area for backpackers heading into Kearsage Pass. There's even a pack station that operates during the summer months. There was a bit of snow and the campground was closed at the top, so I couldn't see what the actual campground looked like. The views from the top and coming back down the road from Onion Valley were amazing.....
I'm pretty sure everything is still closed due to the virus, but when things open up again, I'll be heading back that way to do a bit more exploring.
You might also look into the Alabama Hills area. Our Overland Bound group had plans to spend 3 days out there before it got shut down.
One area I did check out and want to go back to is Onion Valley. It's high above the town of Independence. There's two campgrounds that I saw. Gray's Meadows Campground, about 1/2 way up the hill and Onion Valley Campground at the top where the road ends around 9,000' elevation. This is a popular area for backpackers heading into Kearsage Pass. There's even a pack station that operates during the summer months. There was a bit of snow and the campground was closed at the top, so I couldn't see what the actual campground looked like. The views from the top and coming back down the road from Onion Valley were amazing.....
I'm pretty sure everything is still closed due to the virus, but when things open up again, I'll be heading back that way to do a bit more exploring.
You might also look into the Alabama Hills area. Our Overland Bound group had plans to spend 3 days out there before it got shut down.
Enthusiast III
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If you're set on starting an adventure out of Lone Pine, first place that comes to mind is Alabama Hills. It's good a for a few days of exploring if you've never been before. However, the Inyo Sheriff and BLM still have it on lock down so who knows when that will open. AND by the time it does open it will most likely be too hot to camp.
From Lone Pine you can take the road up to Cerro Gordo ghost town. That road is a good intro to steep, exposed, shelf road driving. From Cerro Gordo you can head north into the Inyo Mountains and explore the Salt Tram. I believe you can camp up there next to the tram, but it is a protected area with preserved old buildings, so be respectful. I hate that I have to tell people that, but you never know who you're talking to.
From the Salt Tram you can either backtrack your route into Lone Pine or you can continue north into the New York mountains where you'll continue on the Swansea-Cerro Gordo trail. Before attempting this route do your research. BTW, from Cerro Gordo instead of heading west back to Lone Pine you can go east and drop down into Death Valley.
From Lone Pine the next two obvious places to go are Kennedy Meadows and Monache Meadows. There's tons of YT vids on these places so I won't expound further.
Good luck.
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Member III
Thanks for sharing this! I'm looking to do some exploring out of Alabama Hills this weekend. Are you sure that it's locked down? I thought that just the developed sites like visitors center and bathrooms were closed. Are you sure we can't still just camp in the usual open areas?
It's a 4 hour drive so I don't want to waste my time if it's actually locked down.
Thanks in advance!
Alabama Hills are still closed. You're gonna have to head into a national forest or wilderness area. You could try the Inyo Mountains, they look to be free of snow.
