Intro:
I was itching to get out and explore. I have been lurking on here for awhile, reading and soaking in all the trip stories and locations. I have been creating a mental bucket list of all the places I want to...scratch that, need to visit, see, and explore. The second week that the kids get out of school happened to align with my short week of my 3/12 - 4/12 schedule. So I put the days on my wife's calendar and told her I was taking the boy camping. I invited his twin sister as well but knew it wasn't really up her alley.
My original plan was to start at Jawbone, drive to Isabella, then go up to Kennedy Meadows via Sherman Pass jeep rd. I was going to spend at least two nights in Monache camping along the Kern. I have been coming up to the Kern Plateau most of my life, but it has alway been on motorcycles. i was realy looking forward to the different change of pace that camping out of the truck would bring. Plus not having to pull my 30' toy hauler up the canyon is always a bonus. Due to stories that the top is still closed due to snow got me starting to look at other options. Calling the ranger station and being told that Sherman Pass Jeep rd. has not been opened put further doubt in my original plan. The Chimney Peak fire a few weeks before cemented the decision.
That gave me under two weeks to come up with a completely different location and plan how i was going to get there. The time of year took all the desert locations out of the equation. Then we got a call from friends that our Mammoth camping trip was falling through. That cemented to destination, now I just had to figure out my route and what optional activities I was thinking about doing.
I came up with a rough plan after hours on Google maps and Earth looking at all the roads and paths that might work. I was also searching the normal "things to do in" all the areas up to and including Mammoth. The one for sure place was Alabama Hills. It was on the way and on that mental bucket list so that became my starting point.
The rough trip plan was as follows:
- Wake up as early as possible
- Haul but up to Lone Pine
- Get breakfast while waiting for the film museum to open
- Drive out to the Alabama Hills, air down
- Drive through the Alabama Hills, find a few back roads, get to Manzanar without hitting pavement.
- Visit Manzanar
- Cross the highway and head toward the hills to the Reward Mine
- When leaving the mine, hang a right and follow the roads between the hills and the Owens River all the way to Big Pine.
- Get BBQ in Big Pine
- Go up highway 168 to White Mountain rd. and check out the ancient bristlecone forest.
- Take Silver Canyon Rd down to Laws and run into Bishop to grab any last minute supplies.
- Take Casa Diablo rd. up to Benton Crossing area
- Cross the highway and head up to Laurel Lakes.
I knew this was going to be rather ambitious so I told my son, "we will try and make our destination, but no big deal if we don't". There will be plenty of opportunity to grab a camp spot along the way, and continue on in the morning.
I was itching to get out and explore. I have been lurking on here for awhile, reading and soaking in all the trip stories and locations. I have been creating a mental bucket list of all the places I want to...scratch that, need to visit, see, and explore. The second week that the kids get out of school happened to align with my short week of my 3/12 - 4/12 schedule. So I put the days on my wife's calendar and told her I was taking the boy camping. I invited his twin sister as well but knew it wasn't really up her alley.
My original plan was to start at Jawbone, drive to Isabella, then go up to Kennedy Meadows via Sherman Pass jeep rd. I was going to spend at least two nights in Monache camping along the Kern. I have been coming up to the Kern Plateau most of my life, but it has alway been on motorcycles. i was realy looking forward to the different change of pace that camping out of the truck would bring. Plus not having to pull my 30' toy hauler up the canyon is always a bonus. Due to stories that the top is still closed due to snow got me starting to look at other options. Calling the ranger station and being told that Sherman Pass Jeep rd. has not been opened put further doubt in my original plan. The Chimney Peak fire a few weeks before cemented the decision.
That gave me under two weeks to come up with a completely different location and plan how i was going to get there. The time of year took all the desert locations out of the equation. Then we got a call from friends that our Mammoth camping trip was falling through. That cemented to destination, now I just had to figure out my route and what optional activities I was thinking about doing.
I came up with a rough plan after hours on Google maps and Earth looking at all the roads and paths that might work. I was also searching the normal "things to do in" all the areas up to and including Mammoth. The one for sure place was Alabama Hills. It was on the way and on that mental bucket list so that became my starting point.
The rough trip plan was as follows:
- Wake up as early as possible
- Haul but up to Lone Pine
- Get breakfast while waiting for the film museum to open
- Drive out to the Alabama Hills, air down
- Drive through the Alabama Hills, find a few back roads, get to Manzanar without hitting pavement.
- Visit Manzanar
- Cross the highway and head toward the hills to the Reward Mine
- When leaving the mine, hang a right and follow the roads between the hills and the Owens River all the way to Big Pine.
- Get BBQ in Big Pine
- Go up highway 168 to White Mountain rd. and check out the ancient bristlecone forest.
- Take Silver Canyon Rd down to Laws and run into Bishop to grab any last minute supplies.
- Take Casa Diablo rd. up to Benton Crossing area
- Cross the highway and head up to Laurel Lakes.
I knew this was going to be rather ambitious so I told my son, "we will try and make our destination, but no big deal if we don't". There will be plenty of opportunity to grab a camp spot along the way, and continue on in the morning.