Top Adventures in Independence
Backpack from Onion Valley to Mt. Whitney
Trip Guide***Please note, all images after the first one are arranged in chronological order of the trip so you can easily follow alongDay 1Depending on where you are coming from your day one is most likely going to be setting up your car shuttle ...
47.51 miles
Backpack to Flower Lake from Onion Valley
Make sure to obtain an overnight permit up to 6 months in advance. You will have to pick up your permit at one of the Inyo National Forest Visitor Centers (here) before you begin.Once you have your permit in hand, drive to the Onion Valley Trailhe...
4.6 miles
1350 ft gain
Backpack Over Kearsarge Pass to Charlotte Lake
This adventure begins at Onion Valley Campground outside of Independence, CA. The parking is abundant and the road is snow dependent. Snow will be plowed as long as it is not currently being hit with a massive storm. Dogs are allowed on trail up t...
16 miles
2623 ft gain
Backpack Rae Lakes via Glen and Kearsarge Passes
The hike starts at Onion Valley campground and includes a good deal of elevation (two passes around 12,000 feet). You start climbing at the outset, and keep climbing for the first couple of hours before hitting Kearsarge Pass. Here you begin a lon...
41.4 miles
6943 ft gain
Summit Mt. Gould
Starting at 9,200 feet at Onion Valley Campground, take Kearsarge Pass Trail. The hike begins immediately with a substantial increase in elevation, switchbacking up the mountain. On the way up rest and enjoy the beautiful alpine lakes, which inclu...
9 miles
3812 ft gain
Backpack Atop Sawmill Pass
At 11,347 ft., Sawmill Pass lies on the Sierra Crest and enters Kings Canyon National Park in the Woods Creek area. Both the John Muir Trail (JMT) and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) can be accessed through this pass.
The Sawmill Pass trail is a st...
20 miles
6700 ft gain
John Muir Trail: Middle Rae Lake
You'll have to deal with some crowds at Rae Lakes but that is because this is an amazing setting to spend the night. If sharing this place with others is the worst of your worries then you're doing pretty well. Hikers flock here for the incredible...
Photograph Eye of the Alabama Hills Arch
The Eye of the Alabama Hills Arch is a quick hike or drive from the popular Mobius Arch just off Movie Flat Road. The rocks around the arch offer outstanding views of the surrounding Alabama Hills and Sierra Mountains. To get to the arch follow th...
0.4 miles
Camp in the Alabama Hills
The Alabama Hills Recreation Area is a area owned by BLM and open to the public. Camping is free and you can say for a max of 14 days.The are has 100+ open desert sites that are shadowed by some of the tallest peaks in the Sierra Nevada range. And...
Camp at Lone Pine Campground
The Lone Pine Campground is located 6 miles west of Lone Pine California, and 7 miles east of Mt Whitney Portal. The campsite is nestled next to Lone Pine Creek, which is the perfect place to fish for Sierra Nevada trout. The campground sits at 6,...
Photograph Mobius Arch
The Alabama Hills area of Lone Pine, CA is located on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas. As you drive along Movie Flat Road you will be surrounded by a sea of golden brown boulders of varying shapes and sizes extending in every direction. The...
Backpacking and Fishing the Meysan Lakes
Trail is hiked from mid-June to end of September most seasons. Once the snow starts to fall, the road to the trailhead will be closed. Permit is require for overnight and day use. You can obtain the permits online or at the ranger station in Lone ...
Nearby camping, hotels, and more
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Independence, California
Grays Meadows
Overview Grays Meadows Campground is situated along Independence Creek in the Onion Valley area of the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Its location on the creek and proximity to the rugged John Mu... -
Whitney Portal Road
Whitney Portal
Overview Whitney Portal Campground is in a prime location within the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains - at the base of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States. With hiking tra... -
Whitney Portal Road
Lone Pine
Overview Lone Pine Campground is located near the base of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States, offering unparalleled views of the mountain and surrounding peaks of the Si... -
Big Pine, California
Big Pine Creek Campground
Overview Big Pine Creek Campground, surrounded by sprawling meadows and towering trees, is perfectly situated in the scenic Big Pine Canyon. Campsites are perched along the cool, fish-filled waters... -
Big Pine, California
Upper Sage Flat
Overview Take the family to Upper Sage for a pleasant camping trip along the banks of Big Pine Creek. Here, visitors can experience the beauty of the creek that runs along the base of a narrow cany... -
Big Pine, California
Big Pine Canyon
Overview Big Pine Canyon Recreation Area includes two group campground sites. Named for glaciers that can be seen at the end of the valley, Clyde Glacier Group Site and Palisade Glacier Group Site ...
