Yosemite, California

The Hites Cove Trail is a scenic 7.8-mile round-trip hike nestled within California’s Sierra National Forest, near El Portal. Renowned for its vibrant spring wildflower displays, the trail meanders along the South Fork of the Merced River, culminating at the historic Hite Mine site. Ho...

Unlike most through hikes that require two cars or hitchhiking, you can accomplish this with only one car by using a YART. Another benefit is that by entering in Mammoth, it is usually much easier to get permits as opposed to starting in Yosemite where permits can be harder to get. Then once yo...

Start at the Agnew Meadows Trailhead. You will need to arrive before 7:30AM or take the Shuttle from Mammoth Mountain. Start out by heading north on the John Muir Trail. You will pass Shadow Lake; walk around the south side of the lake for mountain views. Then, follow the trail up Shadow Creek u...

Start from Agnew Meadows about 7 miles away. You can take the High Trail out as part of the River Trail with a long detour passing by several other scenic lakes, including Shadow Lake, Garnet Lake, and Ruby Lake. You will arrive at Thousand Island Lake a few hours after lunch, just in time to set...

Mt Ritter is a long climb, but it is worth the effort. Start out by establishing camp at Ediza Lake prior to your ascent. The SE Glacier route (first ascent by John Muir) follows the path of least resistance up the SE side of Mt Ritter.The route first gains a broad bench below Ritter and Banner P...

There are several trailheads you can start at to get to the lake, but we chose the River Trail in Agnew Meadows because it was the only trailhead that hadn't met the quota yet. You can check on permit's and trailheads here. If the River Trail is booked other great options are Shadow Creek, Fish C...

Located in the heart of the Ansel Adams Wilderness, Cecile Lake can be reached from a variety of trailheads. I chose to start out in Agnew Meadows. From here, the trail criss-crosses through a serene lowland environment with several crystal clear streams. After passing Olaine Lake, veer left an...

Cross country hiking can be a daunting idea. There are so many things to plan for, and such a long distance to cover. If you are an experienced backpacker, and you want to get a taste of hiking on the John Muir Trail this hike might interest you.  Planning Plan to hike this from mid July ...

If you are visiting Mono Lake, the Panum Crater Trail is not to be missed! From 395, take highway 120 east for about 2.5 miles. Look for a small wooden sign for Panum Crater and turn left onto a dirt road. If you reach the turn-off to the South Tufa Area, you have gone too far! After about a mile...

This area is such a great way to spend time exploring. It's a lot different than what it's surrounded by, making it a great change of pace in the Eastern Sierra.Just East of Lee Vining, California is Black Point, which sits on the North side of the massive Mono Lake...Which used to be an underwat...

Located just off Highway 395 north of Mammoth Lakes, the Obsidian Dome is a dramatic volcanic glass formation within Inyo National Forest. The site is open year-round, weather and road conditions permitting, and is accessible via a short dirt spur from the highway. Permits & Fees Th...

Mono Lake is was formed at least 760,000 years ago, making it one of North America's oldest lake. Explore the coastline of this unique lake filled with unusual rock formations called tufas. Photograph the tufa towers with the majestic mountains in the background. The towers can make for some very...

If you do this once the shuttles are running from Mammoth Mountain, you'll want to park at the Mammoth Mountain Inn and took the Reds Meadow Shuttle Bus to the trailhead closest to Devils Postpile. It was a short and easy hike, about 0.5 miles to the base. While many walked past Devils Postpile a...

Devils Postpile Loop is a loop trail that takes you by a river located near Mammoth Lakes, California.

This past spring, I got the urge to photograph the Milky Way over the other-worldly landscape of Mono Lake, a large, desert saline lake at the edge of the eastern Sierras in California. One of the the lake's defining features is it’s incredible tufa rock formations, a variety of limestone. The e...

The Obsidian Dome Trailhead provides access to a large network of winter hiking trails through Inyo National Forest. These are marked trails that are groomed on an intermittent basis by the National Forest Service. To find the trailhead and parking area, drive north on highway 395 from Mammoth La...