Are we there yet?? Ideas of places to visit, things to do on the way to Death Valley or Mammoth, take grandma and the kids - and current news about your favorite places!
This page is sponsored by the Maturango Museum, 100 E. Las Flores Ave, Ridgecrest, CA 93555; we're open every day (except major holidays, of course) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We have maps, brochures, and all manner of tourist info about all these places for you, and friendly people who can help you plan an exciting adventure here in the Northern Mojave Desert!! Stop by. See our Natural History Exhibits. (760) 375-6900
News you can Use
WINTER is still up there!!
Most Sierra passes closed until late May- 120, 108, 4. SHERMAN PASS ROAD CLOSED AT Black Rock- gates locked!!
The Southern Sierra has 125% of snow this winter - yeah! - but
most of it is still there. Just cuz it's been hot at your house, it has NOT
been hot in the mountains, and there is significant snow above 7500 ft. still.
All will be open up to Blackrock for Fishing Season, April 26 onward, but still no water
on at the campgrounds. It's still below freezing at night!!
Other roads as of 4/23/08:
Whitney Portal
road has been plowed all the way up to the pond.
Jone Lake Loop is open
McGee Creek road open to the campground
Rock Creek road open to the pack station
Bishop Creek open to Sabrina; South Lake road is open, but icy in spots
Big Pine Canyon road open to the gate
Bristlecone Pine road open only to Sierra View
Onion Valley road open to the campground
Horseshoe Meadow road should open by Memorial Weekend
Most Inyo National Forest and BLM campgrounds are open; water not on in most places.
SHERMAN PASS ROAD is CLOSED at Blackrock. The Pass
normally does not open until Memorial Weekend. Gates are locked
at Blackrock. Fishing is great at Troy and Fish Creek, as well as the Kern.
This is NOT a shortcut (time-wise)
to Sequoia National Park, nor can
you see Sequoia trees on this road on the Kern Plateau- they're
over on the other side of the Sierra and on Hwy 190. There are
nice 20 ft. trees at "Trail of 100 Giants" on Hwy 190
out of Johnsondale, but those are closed for the winter too.
NO GASoline on the Kern Plateau (Kennedy Meadows Road). Fill up at Pearsonville. Cell phones don't work up there.
Carry chains, blankets, food, lots of extra clothing, water, etc. etc. - "just in case". Could you survive in your vehicle for a few days?? Important to note that vehicles and their people get found, those who walk for help don't always make it. Stay WITH your vehicle if you have troubles!! Sooner or later someone will look for you (sooner if you leave a note at home!!) Winter is here in the high country - be extra careful!! People have already been stranded on the Sherman Pass road because they went toooo far. Don't be stupid! If you get stuck, DON"T try to walk out!! Just hope someone misses you, and soon.
Flowers are happening right now. Death Valley is good above 3000 ft. 9 Mile Canyon is good. Short and Sand Canyons are good. Not much below 3000 ft now -dried up.
Webmistress's stuff I do e-mail, if I can help out with some of this info, or answer "how do you..." questions. Been in Ridgecrest for 41 years, and roam these places on a regular basis...
Allison Sheehey of Kernville has super photos and locations too - Nature Ali
Road to Bristlecones- closed.
Watch for Thunderstorms with lightning - flash floods, rock
slides, and all that - Check with CalTrans about roads, but check
with local sources for back roads . Road reports: 1-800-427-7623 or CalTrans
Watch for downpours, lightning, and
FLASH FLOODS. Be super careful where you go, where you park, where
you set up camp!!!!!!!!! Remember how powerful running water
is and don't cross it no matter what!! Winter winds can
be awful and Hwy 395 is sometimes shut down cuz of winds.
Pretty photos of Mt. Whitney in
lots of snow
TRAIL OF 100 GIANTS Closed for winter due to snow!- 100 Giant Sequoia trees over 10 feet in diameter, 3 over 20 feet in diameter! 2 mi. north on Hwy 190 off Johnsondale/California Hot Springs Road. Parking for day use is $5 per vehicle. (or free if you park off the pavement on the main road, not in a paved lot). Redwood Meadow Campground has 13 spaces, $17 per night. Nice place to be.
Fishing Season - Opens April 26, 08. Lone Pine had a "early opener" March 1.
Kennedy Meadows (South) Area news:
9 Mile Road, KENNEDY MEADOWS area - Kennedy Meadows Campground stays open all winter. Right now it's still below freezing at night!! OHV trails closed. Jeep Trails closed for the winter; When it's open, Monache is for serious jeeps, not CR-V types nor dulies or H2's. - it's narrow! - it's very, very rugged- 3 bad placs, rock-crawling practically. Not for the timid.
Sherman Pass is CLOSED due to snow .
Yes, you can get to Sequoia National park this way, BUT it takes
a long while - twisty, narrow, steep places! Shortest and quickest
way to Sequoia National Park is through Bakersfield, not up here!!
Looks good on a map, but it'll take you all day because the roads
are so wiggly!
Inyo Co. usually sweeps 9 Mile on a regular basis but - watch
out for rocks in the upper section especially during wind or a
storm! Watch for debris in the burned areas. Blackrock Visitor
Station is closed for the winter.
No motels, no B&B, no rentals of any kind available on the Kern Plateau. Camp, or else...
Ireland's will open for Fishing Season..
Grumpy Bear Resort - open for Fishing Season. Now has beer and wine license.
Kennedy Meadows General Store is open for summer April 25. It has a beer on and off premisis license (you can drink it on the porch) ** ChuckWagon BBQ- open except Wed. Store has T-shirts but no shorts, has a few Bear cans, and does accept mail/packages for PCT hikers - mail USPS to Kennedy Meadows General Store, 3A5, 96440 Beach Meadow Road, Inyokern CA 93527, or UPS delivery to 96440 Beach Meadow Road. Showers $2. Firewood available. Fishing licenses available. Do not get this KMGS mixed up with the Kennedy Meadows Pack Station and cabins up on Hwy 108 - not the same at all!! No cabins for rent here, just very nice people, good stuff, and a nice place to be on the porch.
REMEMBER- THERE IS NO GASOLINE AVAILABLE AT KENNEDY MEADOWS!! (yet... the store has a new tank, but has no pump..) The store does have propane.
Kennedy Meadows PHONES!!!!
Yes, it's maybe too civilized, but it is also useful.... Two
pay phones - one at Grumpy Bear Resort - inside the door, credit
cards only; one at the KM General Store, little blue booth out
by the parking lot - credit cards work best, sometimes coins work...
And most permanent residents also have phones now. 911 calls go
to 911 center at Tulare Co. Sheriff in Visalia, ask for help in
Kennedy Meadows - (comes from Ridgecrest) Kennedy
Meadows also has a Volunteer First Aid Team. They are
trained in first aid, are not EMT's, have an AED, no cost to you,
are willing to come to anywhere in the area up there to help out
and make sure an ambulance or helo gets called if necessary. Call
(559) 850-HELP, and you'll be on a party line with the
first aid gang. They need to know where you are and what you need.
Kennedy Meadows road has CALL BOXES!!!!
new 2/1/06 calls go to Tulare Co. Sheriff in Visalia,
not to the 911 office; call them for whatever - tow truck (call
routed through to CHP), ambulance, etc. etc. Bright yellow call
boxes, 6 of them, starting at the top of 9 mile, just past the
cattle guard, one near the bottom of Pine Pass just north of Churchill
mailbox, one just over the top of Pine Pass, about 1/4 mi. north;
one just south of Government spring and Pine Canyon Rd, one right
across from the Ducor Phone Co, and one up the Campground Road
about 3 miles. Thanks to Ducor Phone Co. for the lines, and to
KMPOA for cost of materials, and to Rollin and co. for putting
them in!!
There is NO gas on the hill. Suggest you fill up at Pearsonville and Kernville...come up the hill with full tanks.
FISHING season opened April 26, 2008, closes Nov. 15 -but the Owens River open all year, and there is "early opener" in some of the creeks like Independence Creek - you can fish those from first weekend in March onward. LADWP has closed Haiwee Reservoir to the public - Homeland Security issues (bah- the rest of their water system has public access). Be sure your license is in plain view!! Yes, water is slowly flowing down the Lower Owens River, but it'll be a few years before the fishery recovers there...
McNally 2002 FIRE ON KERN PLATEAU, SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST
A campfire got away near McNalley's restaurant on July 21, 2002;
over 150,000 acres of brush and nice conifer forest was affected.
The brush burned badly, and there are some grim areas of dead
sticks among the trees, but most was ground fire, and some was
not burned at all. USFS has been cutting the burned trees along
the roads.
Fire is both good and bad. Trees will not return for quite some
time. Bushes and annual wildflowers will put on a show all summer!!
Things will sprout which haven't been seen in ages. Fire kills
plant pests like mistletoe, funguses, bark beetles, etc. Fire
"renews" an area, but at a price..... Things change.
Plants WILL grow back. Animals will make extra babies to fill
in the areas when there is food for them to eat. But, yes, it's
UGLY. Don't let campfires get away from you!! This one was human-caused
and cost $50+ million to stop. !!
The Other Fire, Manter, 2000, in Kennedy Meadows Area!! A fire July 2000 burned 74000 acres of mostly Dome Land Wilderness; Revegetation efforts have started, erosion control was done- you'll see the straw "wattles" all along the road. It'll be a very long time before the pinon forest returns, but in the meantime, each week of spring and summer brings a different batch of wildflowers!
Vista Fire 2007 - burned near Sherman Pass. Note - Marijuana farms have been found all over the eastern Sierra - even in roadless areas, and in most of the Sierra canyons from Indian Wells, 5 Mile, 9 Mile, and on up every canyon without a paved road up to Big Pine. Be VERY careful!!
Other Places nearby News:
America the Beautiful Pass - has replaced the Park Pass and melded the other passes into one. $80/year, good for NPS, USFS, BLM areas. A good deal!!
DEATH VALLEY NATL PARK is open - all
paved roads open. the Ranch, the Visitor Center, FC
campground open, Scotty's, Panamint Springs all open.
All campgrounds open except Stovepipe, Sunset, Texas Springs; Furnace Creek CG does NOT
require reservations until October 15. All are first-come, first served;
Titus open. Saline, both passes, open.
Petty photos of Death Valley et al
with FULL lakes, snow up high!
daily
weather and road report check the report! call for updates
- 760 786-3200; Things change as repairs and made; some really
do require 4x4- call there!! and call 760 786-3200 for the Morning
Report. Saline- call the park rangers before you go- conditions
change with storms; currently both passes have snow.. Don't even
think about going in to Saline without high clearance and LOTS
of extra supplies for both you and your vehicle cuz when the weather
closes in, so are you!! There is no longer a regular ranger patrol
into Saline, so if you're stuck, you're really stuck!! Don't even
consider taking an RV there!! It's hot in there right now! Check
with Death Valley rangers for info on all back country roads!
Conditions change with each storm! If you choose to drive
past Inyo County's "Road Closed" signs, you do so at
your own great risk - i.e. neither Inyo, DV, nor AAA will come
get you out of the jam you get yourself into. Think about it...NEVER
go past a CalTrans or NPS "Road Closed" sign - if the
rangers catch you, you get a large fine and get escorted out of
the park!
I have made a very large file of Death
Valley Tourist Information which might help you- and has
link to the Morning road report!
DV finally has a good "official" NPS
web page with lots of nice info, the Morning report, and a
whole host of neat info pages on geology, roads, sights to see,
etc..
Death Valley Visitor Center open 8 a.m. to5 p.m. Scotty's Castle
tours from 9 :00 a.m. to 5 p.m.; limit 19 people per tour. NO
GAS at Scotty's. Yes, the valley is open all year. Everything
is open. but subject to snow closures now.
Devil's Post Pile, Road closed for the winter.
Red Rock Canyon State Park Campground
area is open all year. Visitor Center sometimes open Fri, Sat,
Sun. Campground with 50 sites ($12 per night and extra fees $5
for extra cars and for ATVs) has good water, and the waste dump
for RV's($5). Lots of new things at the Visitor Center area! Great
place for stargazing!!
Enter Abbot Road from the south .
Come see the awesome damage/down-cutting which happened in Red
Rock Sept. 1997, and equally amazing deposition along the Garlock
road! WOW.
Dove Springs OHV area - Access to Dove Springs is 4 miles north of Abbot Road, just outside RRC State Park, and signed.
BLM Jawbone Station Visitor Facility at the intersection of the Jawbone Canyon and Hwy 14, is open every day 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 760 373-1146. They have tons of maps - topo and BLM, and lots of books and a most helpful staff to answer your backcountry and 4x4 questions! Vault toilet in the parking lot accessible 24/7. Jawbone Canyon Store is open again!! New gas pump. Now a place to rent quads!
Kelso Depot at Mojave National Park/Preserve is open as a visitor Center!! 8a.m. to 5 p.m. Great stuff inside. The Preserve had a severe burn summer 2006.Call about dirt roads - they've gotten quite a bit of rain lately. If you go on 4x4 roads, be sure you have 4x4!!
Yosemite Valley IS OPEN all year!
All Valley campgrounds need a reservation! - call 1-800-436-7275
to make a reservation up to 5 months ahead. Wawona and Hogdon
Meadow stay open all year and require reservations only in the
summer.
Watch the gas situation!! Wawona and Crane Flat stations are it
- The Valley station has been removed.
Hwy 140 from Merced open with 2 Bailey Bridges around the slide.
Large vehicles prohibited. tioga Pass is closed for the winter .
Mono Lake $3 day use fee for visiting the South Shore Tufa area .The parking lot has been "improved," the trail down to the lake paved for wheelchair access. Pretty interesting. The USFS Visitor Center is open periodically in winter. Lots of maps, books, great displays, good video presentation, magnificent views of the lake. The Mono Lake Committee Store in downtown Lee Vining is open and sells books, videos, shirts, mugs, and all manner of neat things which benefit Mono Lake. Open during the winter.
Bodie State Park is open all year,8 a.m. to 4p.m. Be sure to call them at 760 647-6445 if you have questions about conditions. Admission $3 per person. No gas, no food services in Bodie. Lee Vining or Bridgeport are it! NO SMOKING except at the parking lot. No camping. Day Use only! Museum closed for winter. It's at 8000 ft. Roads not plowed. When there's snow, you are welcome to ski or snowmobile in, but no machines allowed within the park itself. Bring your XC skies!
A great flower sightings page from all over the state is here!
Did I get all that right? Want to add something?? Feel free to send me e-mail! Keep going, there's LOTS more below!
Camping reservations
State Park Reservations 1-800-444-7275, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT, daily! campgrounds at the State Parks and some recreational areas and Hearst Castle tours are reservable for the next 7 months. Due to severe budget cuts, some parks are being closed, some visitor centers are closed, fees are higher, etc. Be sure and check carefully! You may check availability of the campgrounds and now reserve a camp at www.reserveamerica.com
National Parks Campground Reservation System 1 800 365-2267
http://recreation.gov 7 a.m.
to 7 p.m. PDT, 7 a.m. to 10p.m. summer. They will accept reservations for 6 months ahead
on a "rolling calendar" for those National Parks in this program
(like Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Zion, Joshua Tree). For Yosemite
only use 1-800-436-7275 and same URL for on-line. They are still accepting
reservations 5 months ahead starting on the 15th of each month.
ALL campgrounds in Yosemite valley and Wawona and Hogdon require
reservations in the summer, Wawona and Hogdon are on a first-come,
first serve basis all winter. The valley campgrounds are open
in winter, but brrrr!.
All lodging in the parks is handled by concessionaires- call Yosemite
Reservations direct at (559) 252-4848 or book
on-line! Another room reservation system is available for
Western Parks at 1-877-272-7698.
USFS National Forest and Recreation Sites may be reserved at recreation.gov National Recreation Reservation Service. For reservations in some of the USFS campgrounds, some Army Corps campgrounds, some state camps; call 1-800-280-2267.
Yosemite Hiking Trail Reservations is charging $5 per hiker to make a reservation; see http://www.nps.gov/yose/ for all the details.
Inyo National Forest has
some useful stuff on-line; see http://www,fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/
for campground info, roads, weather, etc. for the "East
Side".
Inyo Forest Wilderness permit info, the permit to fill
out, etc. starts from that page also, under "permits".
Fees are $5 per person except for Whitney which is $15 per person.
The permit page also has trailhead maps and all regulations. Many
things have changed, so you need to read all the fine print!!
Quota seasons vary, trail head quotas vary... phone 760 873-2483,
FAX 873-2484, Wilderness Info 873-2485.
See also Whitney Portal Store has a great Message Board - very useful pages, updated, photos, etc. You can get to the permit stuff from here also.
You may camp anywhere in a National Forest or on BLM open land - just get a fire permit first- new one each year; and check roads and weather before you go!
The Ridgecrest BLM Office own web page with lots of great info.
Inyo National Forest has
some useful stuff on-line; see http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/
for campground info, roads, weather, etc. for the "East
Side" and info about Mt. Whitney trail permits.
Camp Fees for Inyo campgrounds: See above - 1-877-444-6777 or
use website above.
Inyo Forest Wilderness permit info, required for overnight hikes from end of June until Sept. 15 starts on http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ That page has the application forms for wilderness permits. Fees are $5 per person except for Whitney which is $15 per person. Link 2 Lists ALL the trails from Whitney to Mono Lake, quotas, special stuff, etc. etc. Permits are now issued at the NEW Lone Pine Interagency Visitor Center.
Whitney Trail Lottery -
yes, lottery, happens in February. Click http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/
to get application for lottery!! - however, that's done, so you
need to check with INF Wilderness Permit Office for any dates
that were not filled with the Feb. Lottery. Info only - 760 873-2485,
or check the website - open dates are posted. Permits required
from June 1 to November 1. Quota enforced! Apply after 1 February,
by mail or FAX only. You need a Whitney Zone permit for both overnight
and day use, AND for North Fork; one person applies; $15 per person. See on Inyo NF
web page.
Remember that you need a permit for this trail whether you're
doing a day hike out of the portals or an overnight hike.
For all other trails( and North ForkWhitney - Mountaineer's Route), overnight use only, click http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/Applications accepted March 1 and beyond; Fee is $5 unless you're entering the Whitney Zone, then it's $15.
You may call USFS offices for more information about permits, and get Wilderness Permits for overnight travel: Mt. Whitney Ranger District, Lone Pine (760) 876-6200; White Mountain Ranger Dist, Bishop (760) 873-2500; Mammoth Lakes Dist., Mammoth Lakes (760) 924-5500; Cannell Dist, Kernville (for Kern Plateau area) (760) 376-3781; Greenhorn Dist, Lake Isabella (for Greenhorns, Western Divide) (760) 379-5646. The Lee Vining Ranger station duties are now being done at the Mono Lake Visitor Center just north of Lee Vining. (760) 647-3044. Lone Pine USFS office does not handle permits during the winter - go to the Interagency Visitor Center south of town.
Fishing Season - general trout season opens the last weekend of April (April 26, 2008) and closes Nov. 15, but you can fish ALL YEAR in the Owens River from Crowley Lake to Tinemaha Reservoir, Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Haiwee Reservoir and Diaz Lake; and 4 miles of the north fork of the Kern River, upstream of the Johnsondale Bridge. Inyo County has an "early opener" for streams from Independence Creek south to Haiwee.
Look at History of these areas at the end of the Historical Society home page
Click here for a list of Museums, Information Centers, and Chamber of Commerce in the areas mentioned - address, phone, web page, and e-mail contact...
Ridgecrest itself
has lots to see and do: shopping, dining, and everything else
- should you have questions about these, come to the Maturango
Museum for information on motels, restaurants, etc. We have
tons of brochures.
The Ridgecrest Chamber of
Commerce also has tons of info, phone books, etc.
Ridgecrest Area Convention
and Visitors Bureaualso has info at 1-800-847-4830. We do
movies also! Spend at
least a day exploring town, and of course the Maturango Museum.
Learn about the plants and animals you will find in your explorations
and get an idea of the interesting geology of our area. Our Museum
store has guide books, post cards, and lots of other neat stuff!
The Northern Mojave Visitor Center corner has free pamphlets
and literature about things to do and most of these places to
go. . Here is a list of some interesting places nearby which you
can visit in a day using Ridgecrest as a "home base"...
Everything here is within 3 hours of Ridgecrest.
Maps to use:
Other stuff:
Click here for a list of Museums, Information Centers, and Chamber of Commerce in the areas mentioned - address, phone, web page, and e-mail contact...
-using the Maturango Museum as a starting point for estimating times and mileages. Driving times here are at a reasonable speed, one way with no stops. Be sure to allow for stops along the way!!! Adventures are listed more or less in order by direction; north, east, south, and west of Ridgecrest. Tab directly or just read the whole thing...
Right IN Ridgecrest - BLM's Rademacher Hills trail - which you can access from several spots near Cerro Coso College, at the end of Gateway Blvd, and the end of Richmond Rd, etc. Wanders 8 miles along the ridges above the college, GREAT views of our fair valley! See map on BLM Ridgecrest Office web page.
*west on Hwy 178, north on Hwy 395 to Brown Road intersection, turn left (west) onto dirt road; go south of the gravel pit works, cross the new (white) aqueduct, stop near the old (black) aqueduct; about 2 miles.
Sand Canyon's little stream usually runs all year, feeding
the cottonwood grove and supplying needed water for a wide variety
of desert animals. It is a great place to take a picnic any time
of the year. Birding is always great along the stream. The area
above the second stream crossing is now wilderness area, so you
can't drive back there, but you are most welcome to walk the washed
out roads anyway and explore. Mountain lion and bear tracks are
often seen - watch for these animals!! Back about 2 miles is an
old ranch and an old Indian village site near a grove of Foothill
(Digger) pines. There are some grinding holes in various rocks.
No facilities; no drinking water
*east on Hwy 178 about 20 miles, south on signed dirt road 5 miles: caution - don't go if it has just rained!! The whole place turns to a quagmire!!
These strange formations are actually tufa towers just
like those of Mono Lake, only these are bigger and thicker. Tufa
forms underwater from a reaction of a freshwater calcium-laden
spring coming up and mixing with the carbonates of the lake waters
with the help of precipitating blue-green algae. As you drive
out to the towers, note the "bathtub rings" all around
the valley from the ancient Searles Lake which was over 600 feet
deep as the glaciers melted from the last "ice age"
in the Sierra, some 20,000 years ago. This is when the tufa formed.
The 500 strange calcium carbonate towers are quite delicate, some
140 feet tall - please don't climb on them!! They can't be replaced.
The whole area is open for exploration - just don't get stuck.
Better to walk around than to drive... Take pictures at low light,
dawn or dusk. Movie companies use the area a lot!! Star Trek has
filmed here several times.
one pit toilet, no water.
*east on Hwy 178 about 25 miles; elev 1659 ft.
Searles Valley Chemical Company is the main presence
in this conglomeration of West End, Argus, Trona and Pioneer Point.
Once a year in October the Searles Valley Gem and Mineral Society
holds their annual show with lake tours for hanksite crystals,
and the plant is open to tours. The Trona Historical Society has
a small museum open on weekends. Searles Lake is partly owned
by IMC and partly by BLM. It is incredibly rich in many minerals
which were deposited over the eons by continual erosion and deposition
from the mountains. Borax and related chemicals are extracted
from the mile-deep sediments. The lake brine is mixed with carbon
dioxide at the Argus plant and soda ash is produced. It is used
extensively in the production of glassware. The Trona plant boils
the brine to extract potash, used in fertilizers, and borax products.
The Westend plant produces boric acid and other sodium sulfate
products. These products are shipped all over the world by way
of daily trucks and the Trona railroad. The huge coal-fired cogeneration
plant produces steam for the plants but also a whole lot of electricity
to add to "the grid."
Gas, store, , rest stop with nice bathrooms.
On your way there - the white mud hills in Poison Canyon near "fish rocks" have Pleistocene fossil snails and clams in them from when this whole area was underwater during the last ice ages. They're small, 5-8 mm, white, fragile, but 20,000 years old! Stop and have a look!!
*south on 395, west on the "Garlock cutoff" to Garlock.
To reach Burro Schmidt's tunnel, head west from Garlock about
2 miles and look for a marked white barrel where you turn right.
Follow "EP 100" signs. The road to the tunnel turns
south at the sign. Usually you can do this with 2wd high clearance
and good tires!
A side trip to Bickel Camp
is in order if you have high clearence and sometimes 4x4 is
needed. Check this website and BLM maps for directions. It's a
wonderful collection of innovative machines and mining tools,
a unique home - just an interesting place of a real gold miner!
Other roads in the hills can get quite rough. BLM is developing
a series of interpretive signs and road numbers to connect various
of the mining camps in the El Pasos and neighborhood - go get
a map so you know what roads to take. Ask them which require 4x4!!
Garlock was the headquarters for miners in the Rand District and the hills behind Garlock for quite some time because there was good water nearby. When water was piped to Randsburg from the "steam wells", the buildings and people of Garlock just moved up the hill! A few interesting buildings remain, but some of the land is private property - respect the fences!! A historical marker tells interesting tales of this little town.
A trip up into the hills brings you to Burro Schmidt's tunnel. Miner Schmidt hand dug a tunnel right through the mountain - the view south into the Fremont Valley and Koehn dry lake is spectacular!! Bickell Camp is nearby on the Bullion Trail, ask for a tour of the site. There are many active gold mines in the area - respect the claim boundaries!!!! There are also several roads suitable only for 4x4 vehicles, so ask BLM and get maps before you venture too far, get in trouble and wish you did have a 4 wheel drive vehicle!
Ask BLM office in Ridgecrest about the "Bullion Trail"
project they are working on to sign and connect some of the interesting
mining claims and sites in the El Paso mountains. They have maps
and directions. Some requires 4x4, most not, just high clearance.
No facilities, no water.
*south on Hwy 395 about 20 miles, turn right one mile to the town of Randsburg
Just celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Rand Mining District, Randsburg hasn't changed much. Old buildings along the main street are full of charm and interesting things, antiques, even an old marble saloon bar and soda fountain in the General Store. Some of these buildings were moved up the hill long ago from Garlock when gold was discovered in the Yellow Aster. The mine has always been a rich source of gold and now ever more so with new mining techniques. The Museum is open on weekends and has a fine collection of mining era relics and photos. Visit the 5 stamp mill behind the building! The nearby communities of Johannesburg and Red Mountain are of the same vintage. Interesting stores, bars, hotels are still open. Stop at the Kelly Mine head frame. Both strip mining and underground mining take place today in the area. Be careful when you explore!! Respect private area signs. Beware open mine shafts!!
* west on Hwy 178, north and south on Brown Road
It started as "Siding 16" on the Southern Pacific Railroad which ran to Lone Pine in 1909, then it was Magnolia, and got its own post office as Inyokern in 1913. The name was changed even though Inyo county starts some 11 miles north of this Kern Co. town. There is a lovely town park south of the school. Inyokern celebrates "Magnolia Days" each year. The Inyokern Airport was built by the WPA in 1935 and enlarged by the military when they moved into the valley in 1943. It now is the civilian airport for the area with full services and commuter airlines as well as private flying clubs, glider towing, etc. Several long distance records have been set by gliders from IYK. The runways easily accommodate small jet aircraft. Many commercials are filmed on runway 28. The Airport folk sponsor an annual air show and fly-in.
Brown, "Siding 18" at the northern end of Brown road,
was important when the original Los Angeles Aqueduct was constructed
in the early 1900's. George Brown built a hotel there to house
workers.
Today it is an important agriculture area. Alfalfa is the main
crop grown in the Indian Wells Valley, but pistachio trees do
well here too. Other farms have many other plants, and there is
a Christmas tree farm. Inyokern area also has ostrich farms and
llamas are found here and there...
The Indian Wells Valley Lodge is situated at one of the good springs
which attracted both animals and the early travelers through the
valley. The Indians used the waters for many years, the Death
Valley 49er rescue party used the waters, and today the Indian
Wells Brewery Co. at the Lodge uses the waters. The nearby Homestead
Restaurant is also on good water and is a longtime building of
the area.
*west on Hwy 178, south on Hwy 14, west on Hwy 178 toward Lake Isabella; at .9 mi, turn south at signed dirt road just across aqueduct bridge, follow signs and "your nose" to the rock outcrop, about 2 miles. Access to the rocks is closed from February through June to allow the raptors peace and quiet during their nesting season.
This is a remnant of Sierra granite all by itself; used,
by robbers who plagued the stage coaches and freight wagons bearing
gold and silver ore on the nearby wagon road. Today it is the
home of many desert animals, including the very dangerous Mojave
Green Rattlesnake and nesting great horned and barn owls and prairie
falcons. Check with BLM on road and access conditions. Great views
of the valley are had from there. It is a nice place for an evening
dinner picnic in the summer. It affords great rock climbing opportunities.
No facilities; no water
If you wandering around in this area, you might want to investigate some of the old wagon road traces that are still left much as they were in the 1900's and visit the sites of some of the stage stops. There's a site north of Red Rock Canyon State Park, one near the crossing of the aqueduct on the way to Robber's Roost, one just north of the Indian Wells Lodge. You'll need to stop by the Maturango Museum and pick up the Historical Society's book "Indian Wells Valley Stage and Wagon Stops" to guide you. It has great pictures of what used to be there, directions, maps, etc.
*west on Hwy 178, south on Hwy 14, west on Hwy 178 8 miles to the top of the hill. Elev. 5250 ft.
This road passes through lovely Joshua tree forests!! The display
of wildflowers in the late spring is spectacular. Snow stays on
the top of the pass in the winter. Chains may be required!
At the top of the pass, the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the highway.
This trail goes from the Mexican border to the Canadian border.
You should hike the trail north for about 5 miles for a wonderful
view down Indian Wells Canyon to the Indian Wells Valley; continue
about 5 miles farther to a good place to climb (a second class
scramble) to Owens Peak. Continue north to Kennedy Meadows crossing,
through Aug 2000 fire area, north to Trail Pass and Horseshoe
Meadows, and eventually it joins up with the John Muir Trail through
the Sierra to Yosemite. To the south, the trail goes first to
a BLM campground (pit toilet, sometimes water) and then
into the Scodie Mountains at the tail end of the Southern Sierra
Nevada.
*west on Hwy 178, north on Hwy 395 to junction with Hwy 14 at Brady's gas station, turn west on to dirt road just south of the buildings under that huge billboard; go west about 2 miles. Note: BLM has cut a new road west at Leliter Road, but it has a steep, very sandy spot in it requiring 4x4.! Use the "old road" at Brady's!
Short Canyon is THE place to go for spring wildflowers!! There is a small stream to investigate, and even a small waterfall. When you get to the old aqueduct (buried, but covered with a concrete "road") you have 2 choices: straight ahead takes you over a cattle guard and to a parking lot. From here hike up the hill and continue on this trail to the stream. Go as far as you like - the trail continues on up into the Joshua tree forest. This hill is a wildflower paradise in the spring!
Left along the aqueduct - you can turn west (right) on a road
which will dead-end and leave you a short hike to the waterfall
near the cottonwood tree. Continue along the aqueduct road south
and east up over the hill to pick up the "new" aqueduct
and contour around the hills to eventually drop down into Indian
Wells Canyon. From up on the aqueduct there are fantastic views
over the entire Indian Wells Valley!!
No facilities: no drinking water
*north on Hwy 395 past Little Lake; There are a few petroglyphs and some grinding holes on the columnar basalt rocks by the Railroad bridge- access from the side road (Old 395). The lake is private property with no public access at all. You might be most interested in stopping by the Maturango Museum to pick up the Historical Society's new book "Zig Zag Post Office," a history of the Little Lake area, the people who lived there, the post office locations, and more about the making of Little Lake (a dam), moving the train and roads around the marsh that was there, etc.
3 miles north of Little Lake, turn east (right) on dirt Cinder
Road just south of "red hill," a volcanic cinder cone
and cinder mine- active during the week, watch for large trucks!;
watch for BLM sign to turn south (hard right) to Fossil Falls,
about another .7 mile with a left turn in there... to the parking
lot. Picnic tables, pit toilet. New accurate archeology
and geology signs. NO trash pickup, please haul yours out!!
**BLM has created 11 camping places each with nice table and BBQ
pit on signed side roads, pit toilet and water in season.
A .21 mile hike takes you to an 80 foot waterfall, now dry of
course, cut through the basalt basement rocks of the area. The
"fossil" part of the falls is that the Owens River used
to run through here during Pleistocene times as the glaciers melted
and fed the China Lake-Searles Lake system. The waterfall cuts
are fascinating - lots of pockets and holes. The rock is solid
to climb on, but be careful!! In the winter when we get our rains,
the river runs again and there is water falling once again. This
area is very popular with rock climbers. Native Americans long
ago camped along this stream; archaeologists have investigated
several sites. There is abundant obsidian here, from the source
at nearby Sugarloaf mountain to the east. Do not collect arrowheads
or obsidian chips!! - leave them where they are as a record
of the past for others to see. (besides, it's illegal to collect
archeological artifacts of any kind any place!)
BLM campsite! Tables, BBQ, pit toilets, water in season. 12 sites among the basalt rocks. Just north of the Falls trail parking lot - watch for signs.
NEW - Little Lake Overlook: follow signs - go past the Fossil Falls turnoff and continue ahead and head east about 3 miles - all the way across the valley to the Power Lines - turn south on Power Line Roads, go 3.1 miles to the sign indicating turn to the parking lot. Walk a short ways to the overlook. !! 2 nice benches, 3 intrepretive signs about the area, the birds, the geology. You're on top of the volcanic cliff overlooking the lake. (Don't jump, the lake isn't that deep!)
Across the way on the Sierra escarpment, you can see the remains
of the old Sacatar wagon road coming down from Kennedy
Meadows. This road was the main trading route before the highway
was put in over Walker Pass. Wagons and cattle were brought to
the Owens Valley from the Central Valley by way of this switchback
road. Settlers in Kennedy Meadows even drove down that road to
Brown! It is now in wilderness area, but you can hike on it.
Picnic table and pit toilet; no drinking water, no trash collection,
camping in designated campground sites.
* north on Hwy 395 to Kennedy Meadows sign north of Pearsonville; up Nine Mile Canyon road to Chimney Peak, then north another 15 miles over Pine Pass into the Kennedy Meadows area; elev. 6500 ft. NO GAS anywhere up here!!
Less than an hour from the desert to the mountains!! Kennedy Meadows offers commercial establishments for food (Grumpy Bear's, Ireland's Cafe), NO GAS!! propane and groceries at the Kennedy Meadows General Store ; the Kennedy Meadows campground with great fishing and also at the crossing of the South Fork of the Kern River 0.5 miles west of the store. Permanent and vacation homes abound here, but there is no electricity. Pay (with credit or calling card, no $) phones located at Grumpy's, and General Store.
August 2000 fire burned 74,000 acres of mostly wilderness area, but backfires were set along the paved road from before Pine Pass all the way to Troy Meadows. These fire scars will be there for the rest of our lifetimes.... ie. it will be at least 50+ years before we get enough brush to ask as nurse trees for new Pinon trees to sprout in the burned areas. The fire area will be interesting to watch recover - grasses and tons of wildflowers, then shrubs, and finally trees. The oldest trees up there are around 150-200 years old, so it's been that long since it last burned. Pinon Juniper isn't very fire adapted.... Within the burned area there are many islands of unburned land - a refuge for the animals and a seed back for recovery of plants. Recovery will happen, but very, very slowly!! It depends upon water and snow - and the Southern Sierra just doesn't get much. Alas. None of the homes in the Kennedy Meadows area proper were affected. Homes down in Pine Canyon burned. The campgrounds are all OK.
To add insult to injury, another huge 150,000 acre fire occurred August 2002. It burned the upper regions of the Plateau and down the Sherman Pass road, mostly in "mixed conifer" forest, but the chaparral and drier areas really took a hit! Same story - it's a wonderland of wildflowers for the next many years, and the USFS will be planting trees as soon as they finish chopping down the burned ones.
Farther along this road are green meadows, more campgrounds, more fishing, hiking, horse trails, OHV trails, mountain lookouts, etc. See "Blackrock" in the "2 hrs." from Ridgecrest section.
*south on Hwy 14 about 20 miles, 35 miles from Ridgecrest. Elev. around 3000 ft.
Greatly enlarged by the California Desert Protection
Act, Red Rock Canyon is a huge area of lovely colors to explore
on foot or by auto. There are some 4x4 roads to explore, and OHV
areas are on either side of the park. Stop by the Visitor Center
at the former "Ricardo" site where there is the nice
campground with 50 spaces, water, pit toilets. Visitor center
open weekends. Evening campfire programs spring and fall weekends.
The new Visitor Center has displays, books, maps and lots of information
about the many trails in the park. Hike Haugen Canyon. Visit "the
red cliffs," the most famous area of the park - these cliffs
show up in many commercials, movies, etc.
In your explorations, watch for rattlesnakes - sidewinders and
Mojave rattlesnakes live here too!! (as well as many nonpoisonous
snakes)
Campground with 50 primitive sites, drinking water, toilets, $12
per night; no gas - nearest is in Mojave or Ridgecrest.
BLM Jawbone Station Regional OHV Facility Visitor Center - open every day 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. right at Jawbone Canyon turnoff. Lots of info, maps, friendly people to answer questions. Water, Toilet. (Jawbone Canyon store is back again in a trailer. - get gas and groceries in Mojave or Ridgecrest.)
Head west from the Jawbone Canyon BLM Station on a paved road for a ways. High OHV impact use area, but it's a pretty canyon. Can camp here anywhere, with fire permit. Continue on the road north at the end of the canyon, up over hills and whatnot, past Butterbread Springs, and down into Kelso Valley with its lovely Joshua tree forests. Private lands mostly, but pretty places to explore. The road continues north to Kelso Creek and comes out near Weldon on Hwy 178. West from Kelso Valley, try the Geringer Grade up into the Paiute Mountains. Visit Claraville site and pretty meadows up there. You can work your way over to Bodfish. See Kern Co. AAA map, or USFS Sequoia NF map. no facilities, no water; ,see above warning about gas and groceries!
*south on Hwy 14 to California City (see maps); east on main street to the park; at stop turn left, follow DTNA signs 1.4 mi north, then turn left (at signed intersection) onto dirt Randsburg Mojave road, go about 3 miles to sign, turn left (north), continue to parking lot.
This large area was set aside because it once had the largest population of the endangered desert tortoise in the entire area. Unfortunately a respiratory disease introduced from captive tortoises turned loose in the area has killed many of the tortoises here. Also predation by ravens on the smaller tortoises has been a problem in recent years due to the closing of the landfill dumps in the nearby towns. These dumps allowed an artificially high population of ravens to develop and now they are very hungry. But - you can still encounter these interesting animals and many, many others as you explore the area. In the spring there can be very good displays of wildflowers as the area has been fenced from sheep grazing for about 10 years. In good years there are patches of "desert candle," a strange mustard, along the road to the preserve.
Inside the gate take the path to the ramada and read the excellent
display plaques. Learn all about the life cycle of the tortoise,
and about the other animals and plants in this area. Do keep track
of the T post markers on the outlying trails- it's easy to get
turned around and lost, as you can't see the cars when you are
out there!! Watch for rattlesnakes - they live here too!!!!
The DTNA is located north of California City. Year-round facilities
include two outhouses for visitor use, an interpretive kiosk and
self-guided nature trails. The nature trails consist of a plant
loop and an animal loop, each approximately 0.5 mile long, and
a shorter main loop. The three trails have numbered interpretive
trail posts with corresponding trail guides. There is also a discovery
loop which is approximately 1.75 miles long.
The Bureau of Land Management established the Desert Tortoise Natural Area in 1976 as a Wildlife Habitat Management Area and then in 1980 the area was designated as a Research Natural Area.
Pit toilets, no water. Best time - spring!! The tortoises estivate in the hot summer and hibernate in the winter.
3 miles west of Hwy 14; take Rosamond Blvd west, to Tropico Rd. Follow signs. Admission Free, but they sure do accept donations and memberships. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily except Wednesdays. Members are invited to special twilight tours and other things. (661) 2456-3332 See and hear! most of the cats on their Cat House Web Page
This Feline Conservation Center is a serious breeding effort for many kinds of felines from all over the world. Cats are traded back and forth from world zoos, and the breeding efforts are quite successful as evidenced by the many kittens you will see. You can walk close to most of the cages and watch the kitties - including Bengal tigers, snow leopards, Margays, leopards, jaguars, fishing cats, black panthers, etc.
Hwy 58 between Mojave and 7 miles west of Kramer Junction (4 Corners). A "company town" mostly, servicing the huge U.S. Borax mine near there. There is a huge new Visitor Center overlooking the mine's pit- turn north on Borax Road and follow signs to Visitor Center. $2 fee. Fascinating view, interesting exhibits, video. They have a set of the real borax wagons (and 20 plastic mules).
Also visit the Twenty Mule Team Museum in the little town, and the newly opened Aerospace Museum. Great stuff, photos!!
*west on Hwy 178, south 3 miles on Hwy 14, west on Hwy 178 over Walker Pass (5250 ft), to the lake area. Elev. 2580 ft.
It takes you an hour + to reach the lake and about an
hour to go around it. There are campgrounds on the west shore,
and you can "primitive camp" at any of the beaches around
the lake. USFS has even put some toilets at the most popular beaches.
Boat ramps are available at a couple of places. Jet skis and wind
surfing are popular in certain areas only. Fishing from shore,
float tube, and boats. Rental craft are available. Get maps and
info at the Visitor Center on the SW side of the lake near the
"main dam."
The reservoir dam was constructed in the late 1940's and filled
in the 1950's. It supplies irrigation water for the farmers in
the Bakersfield area, so lake levels rise in the spring and drop
in the summer and fall.
Many communities surround the lake with facilities, gas, food.
Visit Kern Valley Canyon
Connection (See Kernville, under the 1.5 hrs. heading)
* north on Hwy 395, 85 miles from Ridgecrest.
This little town is a jumping-off place for more adventures as well, but be sure to investigate the downtown area, and be sure to stop at the Lone Pine Interagency Visitor Center just south of town. They have the best collection of books and maps of sights/sites in the area!! View Mount Whitney. Get permits, pamphlets, tons of information about everything in the Owens Valley, Death Valley, and wherever else.
West from Lone Pine - the Alabama Hills are Sierra granite even though they look like they should be sandstone... Their weathered shapes show up in many, many old west movies - Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, Glenn Ford all rode here. Every Columbus Day weekend in October Lone Pine stages their "movie festival" and they show many of the movies made here and invite the movie stars to come. Many dirt roads to explore, places to picnic. Try Lubkin Canyon to Tuttle Creek Road loop south, or Movie Road to Moffat Road north in the hills. No facilities in the hills at all. No water.
West from Lone Pine up the Whitney Portal road are 2 campgrounds and you wind up at 8300 feet at the Portal Pond fishing place and picnic area. Store, water, toilets in season.
East from Lone Pine, Hwy 136 meets up with Hwy 190 to Death Valley on the southeast side of Owens Lake. Visit Keeler, south end of the narrow gauge railroad to Carson City (depot is still in good shape) and important during the silver boom days of Cerro Gordo; and Swansea, the terminus of the salt transport works from Saline Valley (with binoculars you can see well the tram towers near the ridge NE of town) and a smelter for the silver and lead ores of Cerro Gordo.
*from Ridgecrest: east on Hwy 178 through Trona and into the Panamint Valley. Turn left at the Death Valley/Wildrose junction. Turn left onto Hwy 190. Go one mile west of Panamint Springs, turn left onto a signed dirt road heading west (high clearance is helpful as the road is quite washboardy!!) Follow the white pvc line.
From Lone Pine or Olancha - take Hwy 136/190 east, past Darwin turnoff, past Father Crowley Point- fantastic views into Panamint Valley and down into colorful Rainbow Canyon- and wind down the switchbacks into the Panamint Valley. Just at the bottom of the hill, turn right (west) onto a signed dirt road. You can see a white pvc pipeline heading west up the wash - this is the road you want!!
Follow the road along the wash 2.5 miles. Just as you
round a corner to head south, turn west at a large rock cairn
to a parking area. Hike 1.0 mi from here to the falls.
The main county road continues up the hill to Darwin, but
it is rough in places and usually 4x4 is needed, high clearance
for sure!!
A waterfall in the desert??!!
Two of them in fact - the lower one is easy to get to, the upper
one requires 3rd class rock-climbing skills. As you walk along
the hot rocky wash, you will pick up a trickle of water. Soon
you reach cattails, a sure sign there is water!! Then willows.
You clamber up the rocks and trail and duck under trees - it's
not all a flat hike and you might get your feet wet!- and soon
you are at the base of a lovely 15 foot high waterfall!! Watercress
and wild celery abound in the waters. Maidenhair ferns are tucked
under the big rock. It's paradise in the middle of nowhere!! Look
for signs of mountain lion tracks in the mud - they come here
to drink. Barrel cactus cling from the cliffs of the wash. Swifts
whistle, canyon wrens give their delightful down-scale call. It's
good any time of year. This hike does require scrambling up and
over things, ducking under stuff, and you have to work hard to
keep your feet dry.
No facilities: don't drink the stream water unless your
treat it properly.
*east on Hwy 178 through Trona into the Panamint Valley. Continue straight ahead at the Death Valley/Wildrose junction. At the stop sign beyond Wildrose picnic area, turn right uphill for about 8.5 miles, pass the Charcoal Kilns and continue to the end of the road at Mahogany Flat campground. The last mile of road is steep and very rugged - high clearance for sure- you may want to park at Thorndike Camp and hike up from there.
The trail to Telescope Peak is 7 miles long, one way.
The view from the trail and from the peak makes the whole thing
very worthwhile!! It winds its way around Rogers Peak, is fairly
level for a while, then climbs up the ridge of Telescope Peak
past bristlecone pines. Through the notch, it is still another
quarter mile to the true summit at 11,049 ft. You are 11,320 feet
above the Death Valley floor, as Badwater is below you!!
From here you can see west to Mt. Whitney and the entire Southern
Sierra crest, north to White Mountain Peak, east into Nevada to
Charleston Peak (beyond is Las Vegas), and south to the mountains
of the Mojave Desert. On a clear day you can see about 120 miles
in all directions!! Snow blocks the trail until mid May most years.
It is a great summer or fall hike if you want something cool to
do!!
*west on Hwy 178 to Lake Isabella town, south on Bodfish-Caliente road, past Havilah, into the Walker Basin (can continue on down to Caliente and Hwy 58)
Yearning for signs of the Old West??
Here they are!! This road from Lake Isabella to Caliente is the
old stage road which served the gold fields of Keysville, Kernville,
and Havilah for many years. Bodfish has the Silver Dollar
Museum (private, commercial) with many buildings left over from
gold-mining days around the lake, shows, etc.
Havilah was Kern County's first county seat! (Most of the
buildings have been moved to the Museum in Bakersfield). But charm
still abounds, so does gold - the Havilah Museum is open on weekends
except in winter. There are "doings" several times during
the summer. See Kern Valley area info.
The Walker Basin is a glorious little valley of cattle
ranches and wildflowers in the spring. On the south side, the
old Rankin Ranch house is now a dude ranch. The road on the north
and east side of the valley takes you to "the Cowboy Memorial,"
a private museum of a former rodeo cowboy who has a vast collection
of cowboy memorabilia, videos, branding irons, saddles, etc. etc.
Continuing on around the road east past the Cowboy Memorial takes you to the Piute Mountain School (mostly underground), and Twin Oaks and their roping arena. Caliente Creek is delightful in the spring. You WILL see "real" cowboys!!
*west on Hwy 178 toward Lake Isabella, turn north (right) at Kernville sign 2 miles past the Weldon Church; about 15 miles to Kernville area. Elev. 2700 ft. Visit Kern Valley Canyon Connection for lots of information about the area!!
This cute little tourist town is fun to explore. Riverside Park provides a nice shady picnic area on the North Fork of the Kern River where you can watch kayakers play in the river. Fishing opportunities abound all around here. White water rafting trips are available from several commercial outfits in the spring and summer, as long as the water holds out. The Historical Society Kern River Museum, 49 Big Blue Road, is open Thurs to Sun 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (760) 376-6683. The Cannell Dist. USFS office has maps and permits for wood cutting, river running, etc. The town has many festivals and art shows through the year, but the most famous is "Whiskey Flat Days" over Washington's birthday weekend in February.
Visit Keysville, site of several gold mines and even
gold today along the Kern River - turn just near the Main Dam
and bridge over the river. Mountain bike races are held in this
BLM area often.
Visit the Lake Isabella Visitor Center, USFS, overlooking
the lake at the Main Dam. Turn east at the sign. Nice views of
the lake too!
We're 1.5 hours from Barstow, Lancaster and Victorville and Lone Pine.
*continue up past Kennedy Meadows - see above under "one hour" section.
*Roads beyond Kennedy Meadows are closed to due to snow
from late November until Memorial weekend (though open to snowmobiles)!
Another 18 miles beyond the Kennedy Meadows store takes you into
"true" Southern Sierra mountain
country with streams and green meadows and summer
wildflowers. Fish Creek Campground is on Fish Creek,
as is Troy Meadows Campground. Troy is often used as a
base for OHV exploring the area. Motorcycles are allowed on certain
of the southern Sequoia National Forest trails. Ask at Blackrock
Station for maps and other information, woodcutting and wilderness
permits, etc. This area is also great for firewood cutting - get
permits and chain saw inspection at Blackrock or in Kernville.
West from Blackrock 5 miles is beautiful Beach Meadows, a popular place for horse people. North from Blackrock 8 miles at the end of the road at Blackrock are trails into the Golden Trout Wilderness Area. It is a lovely 2 mile hike into beautiful Casa Vieja Meadows, and another 3 miles down to Jordan Hot Springs.
South from Blackrock the road continues past some lovely meadows - Bonita, Paloma, all the way to Sherman Pass and down into the North Fork of the Kern River; south to Kernville or west to Johnsondale and over into the Central Valley via California Hot Springs or Camp Nelson!!
6 miles south of Blackrock, take the dirt road to the east 2 miles up onto Bald Mountain. Park and hike the rest of the way up to the fire lookout tower. It's 40 feet up off the rocks, but what a view!! - north to Mt. Langley and Mt. Whitney, west to the Kaweahs, east to Red Mountain, south to the Piutes. Visitors are welcome from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Bald Mountain itself has interesting geology - metasedimentary seafloor rocks, not Sierra granite, and as a result is very different botanically. A "botanical reserve" has been set aside to protect the flora here, which includes 5 kinds of pine trees, 2 fir trees, the western juniper, and a host of endemic plants. Pit toilets and drinking water only at the campgrounds and at Blackrock Station. Gas only at the Kennedy Meadows Ireland's Cafe.
*north on Hwy 395 to Boulder Creek RV park - just before that, turn left on Lubkin Canyon Road (or continue on in to Lone Pine, take Whitney Portal Road 3 miles, turn south on Horseshoe Meadows road. Lubkin meets Horseshoe - turn south and go uphill, up those spectacular switchbacks which afford wonderful views of Owens Lake and the Alabama Hills, over Wonoga Pass, and to the road's end at a picnic area in Horseshoe Meadows, elev. 10,000 ft.
The picnic area is a delightful place to enjoy cool summer weather when it's over 100 degrees in the valley below. Explore the meadows and the creek. A road north leads to a parking area and the trails to Cottonwood Lakes. From the picnic area, trails head west to Cottonwood Pass (11,208 and Chickenfoot Lake), and south to Trail Pass and Mulkey Pass and the Pacific Crest Trail. Get hiking information and maps from the Lone Pine Interagency Visitor Center.
*north on Hwy 395 to Lone Pine. West on Whitney Portal Road 13 miles to the end at the pond and picnic area.
Lovely area for a picnic in the summer under the Jeffrey Pines! Fish the little trout pond here. Whitney Portal Campground (reservations required), backpackers camp at trail head parking lot, Lone Pine Creek Campground on the road up. Store; toilets; drinking water
The trail to Mt. Whitney starts here - it's "only"10.6 miles and 6000 feet elevation gain to the highest point in the continental United States. Get a hiking permit first! Ask at the USFS office in Lone Pine for the regulations and reservation system. Both overnight use and day use beyond Lone Pine Lake are now regulated - it's not all that simple to try for the peak anymore- there is a daily quota and you gotta get a permit... Good fishing and a lovely picnic place at Lone Pine Lake, 2.5 miles up the trail.
Don't forget that to go hiking in the Sierra requires permits and permits require reservations!! Most trails have an overnight quota system, and you'll even need a day hiking permit for Mt. Whitney trail above Lone Pine Lake!! (and even a special "full moon" stamp if you wish to hike it in one night. Fees apply, Quota system for Whitney trail in effect from May 22 to Oct. 15, for all other trails from last Friday in June to Sept. 15. See top of this page for info.
Not much is left here of this Japanese-American interment camp used from 1942 to 1945. It housed 10,000 people who set up schools, farms, etc. Their story is told in several good books at the Eastern Sierra Museum (see below). Stop at the Gate House to get a map of the drive tour; building foundations are labeled, 4 of the gardens have been uncovered, the road is graveled. The big green building, "the gym" has been restored as a Visitor Center and has displays. Be sure to visit the cemetery to the west and north where the big white pillar is. Great views of Mt. Williamson and the Sierra from there.
Just north of the road leading to the cemetery is the site of the former town of Manzanar. Some apple trees and remains of streets remain. It was very active during the early farming days of the Owens Valley, 1890 - 1905, providing apples and other fruits to the farmers and miners of the area. they're putting up a guard tower, and restoring several of the residence buildings. Very, very interesting!! Get a map at the VC.
*north on Hwy 395 to Independence, 100 miles north of Ridgecrest. In town, turn left (west) on Onion Valley road, and turn right when you reach the Museum grounds in about 3 blocks. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. except Tuesdays
Inside: wonderful collection of Paiute Indian baskets and obsidian articles; historical photos of Owens Valley settlers; mining things from Cerro Gordo; Manzanar information and collections; mineral collection;Norman Clyde's Sierra photo collection; printing press; music box (ask the attendant to play it for you!!); books; etc. They have added a huge new addition which features Manzanar photos and models...
Outside: farming equipment from early Owens Valley days; mining
machinery; railroad items; school house and many buildings from
the Owens Valley area, most with exhibits inside; Pelton wheel,
etc. It's a fun place to explore!!!!
Facilities in Independence.
*north on Hwy 395 to Independence and north another 2 miles to the divided highway; turn left at the sign, go 1.2 mi. to the hatchery.
An English Tudor style brick building,
all covered with ivy, in the middle of the desert? Yup, and it
was designed this way as a fish hatchery in 1916! A most delightful
place for a picnic under the sycamore trees beside a large pond
filled with huge rainbow trout and friendly mallard ducks. Visit
the rearing ponds north of the building. The building hatchery
area itself is not open to the public at this time, but there
are interesting displays in the lobby about how they gather Golden
trout eggs. Stop by on your way north or combine with the trip
above to the museum in Independence.
Rest rooms and drinking water in the lobby of the building.
And visit the 3 other State Fish and Game hatcheries up the road - Black Rock Springs 6 miles north of Independence on the east side of the road; Fish Springs just south of Big Pine on the west side of Hwy 395, and at Hot Creek near the Mammoth Airport.
*east on Hwy 178 through Trona, then into the valley. Go to Death Valley information file.
West of Lancaster; take Ave. D west to 170th Street West, turn south and follow signs, or take Lancaster Road west past 110th Street West and follow signs.
Visitor Center, a unique building built into the hillside, is open from March 15 to May 1, the peak poppy blooming season. Weekends 9-5, Weekdays 9-4. 8 miles of trails wind through the reserve, and all sorts of desert plants and animals may be seen during an easy stroll across the rolling terrain. The area includes Antelope Buttes, 3057 ft. Nature Walks with a Ranger are conducted at various times- the schedule is in the Visitor Center. Day use fee for the Park.
Sometimes the best poppy displays are found outside the park on the hills to the north nearer to Ave. D, Hwy 138. When will they bloom? Depends on the timing of the rains and whether the grasses get a head start and choke out the poppies! Call 661 942-0662.
A hop, skip, and a jump west of the Poppy Preserve on Lancaster
Road at 210th Street West.
Nothing much has been developed here yet, but this great hunk
of land was donated to the State by Arthur Ripley to preserve
just about the last good stand of Joshua Trees left in the Antelope
Valley. You may walk through this remarkable Joshua/Juniper woodland.
Someday there will be a nature trail and interpretive signs.
East of Hwy 14, take Ave. J to 170th Street East. 3000 acres. Primitive campground off 170th Street has 50 sites, some with shade ramadas; water and flush toilets and dump station. A Picnic site at Ave. J and 170th Street East is a great place for starting day hikes. There is a 2 mile trail to the top of Saddleback Butte, 3651 feet which affords great views in all directions. Campfire programs at the campground on Saturday nights Mar, Apr, May, Sept, Oct. Great Joshua tree woodland, granite, much wildlife including Mojave ground squirrels (when they aren't hibernating), great star gazing. Day use fee.
20 miles east of Hwy 14, take Ave. K to 150th Street East, go south 2 miles to Ave. M, go east on Ave M to the Museum. Open weekends only from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., mid-September through mid-June. It is closed during the summer.
It's a large unique house built into the rock butte with interesting surrounding gardens. Built in 1928 by Howard Edwards and bought in 1939 by Grace Oliver, both of whom loved and collected extensive Indian artifacts. The collections represent most of the Southwestern American Indian tribes - Kachinas, items from the Channel Islands and California Coastal region tribes, and Great Basin areas. There is a self-guided nature trail which winds through the gardens and buttes. Special American Indian artist programs on 2nd weekend of every month that the Museum is open. Day use fee. Check out their web page!
*west on Hwy 178 to Lake Isabella area; from south shore, take
Wofford Heights, Hwy 155 turnoff; in Wofford, take Hwy 155 Evans
Road uphill to Alta Sierra, Shirley Meadows.
From the north shore, continue through Kernville and around to
Wofford Heights; take Hwy 155 Evans road (right).
This is a steep climb up
to Greenhorn Summit at 6102 ft. Alta Sierra is full of summer
cabins and a small campground. From the summit, Hwy 155 takes
you down through Glennville (elev 3100 ft) and into the
Sierra Foothills. The Glennville area is wonderful for spring
wildflower displays - whole hillsides of white popcorn flowers,
or yellow goldfield, mixed with blue lupine and brodaea.
South from the Summit is the Shirley Meadows ski area,
open for skiing as snow permits. North from the Summit are dirt
roads exploring many interesting places in the Greenhorn Mountains.
Be sure to get a USFS Sequoia National Forest map so you can keep
track of where you are!! Creeks, a few small primitive camp grounds,
meadows, peaks, firewood cutting areas, berry-gathering places
- much to do in the lovely Greenhorn Mountains!!
14000 Alfred Harrell hwy, Bakersfield, CA (661) 872-2256 After you head down the hill on Hwy 178, not too long after things flatten out and you have your breath back, turn north following CALM signs. It's a wonderful collection of native California plants and animals - coyotes, eagles, deer, bobcats, tortoises, etc. Nice place to spend some time, great for kids!!
Cerro Gordo - fantastic silver mining area, now a private Ghost Town -
Amazing web site with all sorts of neat info- road is steep and rocky, recommend 4x4, especially going down!
we're 2 hrs. from San Bernardino, Bakersfield, Magic Mountain (Saugus);
9200 ft. See Kennedy Meadows info under "one hour" section, and Blackrock info under "two hour" section. This is a great summer loop drive from Kennedy Meadows to Kernville or wherever!! This high road does not open usually until Memorial Day weekend, snow permitting, and closes again usually in November as the deep snows dictate. Check with USFS on road conditions. It is paved all the way, one end to the other and you'll sure see burn damage!.
Up here, in the red fir forests, you can see forever to the north - Mt. Whitney, Mt. Langley, the Kaweahs, the Kern Plateau. As you drop down the west side of the pass, you see across to the Greenhorns (and the smog of the Great Central Valley...) Hike to Sherman Peak, about 2.5 miles.
Note: there are great descriptions and pictures of most of the following sites at The Sierra Web
*north on Hwy 395 to Big Pine, 120 miles. North of town at the big Sequoia tree, take Hwy 168 east up to Westgard Pass, and turn left, north, into the Bristlecone Pine, White Mountain area.
Road is closed by winter snows from November until around
Memorial Day.
Stop at the shack for a map of the area. Continue on uphill. Grandview
campground at 8400 ft. is the only official campground in
the area, pit toilets, no water. Continue up to Sierra View,
at 9500 ft. a grand view across the Owens Valley (best in morning
light). Continue to Schulman Grove Visitor Center at 10,000
ft. It's a neat new log affair, lots of space for displays, lots
of goodies for sale, and the addition now features their new movie
about the ancient trees. Great place!
There are 3 trails here. A one-mile loop takes you to Pine Alpha, the first bristlecone dated at over 4000 years old and some lovely views. A 4 mile loop takes you up to a view to the south to Telescope Peak and below you Deep Springs Valley, then down past the oldest trees in the world, including the unmarked Methuselah tree, dated at over 4600 years! A new trail leads from the Visitor Center south to the mining cabins you see from the road as you drive in. From there it connects to the 4 mile trail. Makes an interesting diversion.
The bristlecone pines are very slow growing because of the harsh conditions up so high and the poor dolomite soils, and because of the temperatures - the growing season is usually just 6 to 8 weeks each year. Because of this, their wood is very dense and hardy. The dates have been determined by counting the minute tree rings. When the wood was subjected to C14 dating, the tree ring age and the radiocarbon age didn't match. It is because of these trees that scientists discovered that their assumptions about the formation rate of C14 in the air had been wrong; they recalibrated the C14 scale according to bristlecone data, which shifted dates in some parts of the world's archaeology sites and chronology of who did what when. These trees "changed history" - or better, corrected it for the archaeologists. They are gnarly and twisted, and magnificent against the dark blue sky!! Keep an eye on the weather. You don't really want to be this exposed in a thunderstorm!
The road continues beyond the Schulman Grove, but it is a rough dirt road from there. If the weather looks good, head on up to see these trees. If thunderstorms threaten, don't go!! Be sure your car is healthy and happy at these altitudes before you attempt this drive!! 11 miles takes you to the Patriarch Grove at 11,500 feet where the gnarliest of the trees are. The Patriarch tree itself is 9 feet in diameter, and is really several trees (3? 5?) grown together, but it is impressive!
No gas!! No water. Toilets at both groves. Gas up and fill up and take food from Big Pine!!!!
* north on Hwy 395 to Bishop, 135 miles. At the first signal, Line Street, turn left; go about a mile to the Museum on the right.
Inside: displays of Paiute Indian life - food gathering, housing, pine nut roasting pits, etc. Nicely done. Small gift shop with books and jewelry. Outside: village scene, reed house, etc. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. most of the time.
*north on Hwy 395 to Bishop, 135 miles from Ridgecrest. Continue north on Hwy 6, 5 miles to Laws; turn right to the Railroad Museum.
Like trains?? The "Slim Princess" was one of the many engines on the narrow gauge railroad which served the Owens Valley until 1960. The Carson and Colorado railroad ran from Keeler near Owens Lake to near Carson City, NV. The station building has two model railroad layouts to play with, the museum has many railroad books and other railroad goodies for the enthusiast, and the grounds have many buildings moved here from the Bishop area and filled with displays of one sort or another. Ring the bell in the engine or the bells near the church!! A new building filled with wonderful wagons of all sorts, including a Budweiser wagon! LOTS of huge mining equipment. Great collection of train books and calendars, train videos, plus books on the local area. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Picnic tables, water.
Go to Death Valley information file; just a reminder that these fun things are only 3 hours from Ridgecrest!!
*south on Hwy 395 to Kramer Junction (4 Corners). East on Hwy 58 to Barstow. North on Interstate 15 for 20 miles. Turn south at Ransor Road/Afton Canyon exit. 3 miles of dirt road.
The Mojave River flows on the surface all year here through this canyon. Visit a delightful desert riparian area. BLM campground. The Union Pacific tracks come through here, and a train bridge crosses the Mojave river. Catch polliwogs, watch birds, etc. Many 4x4 roads in the area!
*approach from Barstow and Baker on Int 15 or from Essex on Int 40 out of Barstow. See San Bernardino County map!
This huge section of the Eastern Mojave Desert was set aside as Mojave National Preserve (a National Park with hunting allowed) by the California Desert Protection Act of 1994. There are magnificent lava fields, huge Joshua Tree forests, many springs, the Kelso Sand Dunes, the largest dune system in California, and, when conditions are correct, these dunes "sing," the 1928 Spanish style Kelso Train Depot Info Center, (open wed-Sun now, every day after Mar. 18) "the old government road" - the freight and mail crossing before the trains came, and many, many other things to investigate.
The entire area is magnificent and well worth exploring!! 1 campgrounds are available with water - Hole in the Wall, at 4000 ft; Mid Hills campground at 5600 ft. was severely burned by the 2005 fire and then flooded - might not ever be back in service. :-( No other services are available. Dispersed camping is allowed at "traditionally used place". Visitor Center at Hole In the Wall 760 928-2572 and some day at the Kelso Depot. No gas!! Gas up in Baker or in Ludlow.
The Mojave Desert Visitor Center in Baker, CA under "the world's tallest thermometer" has tons of info and maps about both the MNP and Death Valley. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Info center- 760 733-4040
Included within the Preserve is the
Real limestone caves you can tour!! Labor Day through Memorial Day tours are at 10, 1:30, and 3 on weekends, 1:30 weekdays, and during the summer (it's at 5000 ft. so it's not all that hot up there and the caves are 65F all year), tours are at 1:30 on weekends. Fee is $3. 760 928-2586
Giant Sequoia Trees - "Trail of
100 Giants" in Giant Sequoia National Monument:
* west on Hwy 178 and north to Kernville; continue north 20 miles on Mtn. 99 to the Kern River bridge, another 4 miles to Johnsondale R-Ranch resort; continue west on Mtn. 56 seven miles to a stop sign at Hwy 190. Turn north onto Hwy 190 and go two miles to the Redwood Meadow "Trail of 100 Giants Trail Head" Picnic Area. Redwood Meadow campground is another .2 miles beyond. Both are "fee areas."
This easy paved, wheelchair accessible loop trail takes you
through the Sequoia grove closest to Ridgecrest and it has some
magnificent trees in it!! At least two giants on this trail are
20 feet in diameter and others are even bigger! Feel free to poke
around in the grove! Redwood Meadow itself is a delight.
The campground is always quiet and a great getaway place for summer
and fall use!! 14 sites, $15 per night. Holey Meadow camp and
Long Meadow camp are nearby, both now designated as "group
sites", rent the whole place.
Water only at Redwood Meadow in season. No other facilities nearby.
Hwy 190 continues north along the Western Divide of the Sierra
to Quaking Aspen camp, Ponderosa Lodge, and Mountain Home State
Forest.
M56 continues west to California Hot Springs and Ducor. The Portuguese
Pass road 2 miles above Johnsondale takes you south eventually
to the Greenhorn Summit.
The road is closed due to snow at Johnsondale R-Ranch each winter. You may use snowmobiles beyond this point, or go skiing, of course.
We're 3 hours from Los Angeles, 4 hours from San Diego and Las Vegas, 6 hours from the Bay Area.
And we're 4 hours from Joshua Tree National Park, 4 hours from Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park and 6 hours from Yosemite Valley, 5 hours from Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park, and 8 hours from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Return to the top of this page
Return to Maturango Museum Home Page
Curious about the history of these places? So was I, so I've been developing a chronology of when things happened in our area and neat spots in Kern, Inyo, and Mono Counties involving the places named above. See the bottom of the Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert Page.
Death Valley National Park Visitor Information
assembled by me and kept as current as possible.
Official NPS Death Valley home
page with a lot of good links to useful hiking, driving, geology,
wildflower info Sierra
Guides
Mono Lake page
Mono Lake Committee has a huge list of use fullinks, live web
cams of town and the lake, etc.
The Official NPS Yosemite Home
page
Yosemite Association Yosemite Online
among other things like a cam, lists the YA classes offered in
the park.
Yosemite Fund Page lists
park projects like rockfall restoration, has pictures, etc.
Bodie State Park page
Mammoth Mountain page
Ski area and Mammoth Lakes information links from there
Giant Sequoia National
Monument
Eric Rench site - Eric
has lots of neat stuff about our area and parts of the west, trains,
etc. etc.
RV exploring page
has lots of super links to National Parks, National Monuments,
and National Forests plus RV information and great ideas of places
to explore.
Carrizo
Plains National Monument page (on the San Andreas fault just
west of Kern Co. in San Luis Obispo Co.,) Nature Conservancy and
BLM effort to restore native California grasslands. See Tule Elk
and Pronghorn running wild and free!
BLM home page
National Park Service page
Kerncrest Audobon Society
home page -- great places to find birds in our valley, neat
field trips, lectures, etc.
California Historical Societies
might give you ideas of other places to visit! We're listed
in there even...
also California Historical
Societies and Museums even more places to visit! Find us listed...
Each spring is very different! I'll try to post good wildflower
looking places up on top in the Webmaster's Corner....
Short Canyon and Sand Canyon have streams which will flow for
a while. They're your best bet..
Owens River, Pleasant Valley Reservoir ( both open all year
for fishing)
South Fork Kern River at Kennedy Meadows
Kennedy Meadows, Pacific Crest Trail
Blackrock - Casa Vieja, Jordan Hot Springs
Telescope Peak
Mt. Whitney (permits required)
Cottonwood Lakes (permits required)
Fall Colors:
usually mid October to Nov. Owens Valley - Big Pine to Bishop
to Round Valley
Bishop Creek
Hilton Creek, McGee Creek
June Lake Loop
Lee Vining Canyon
Lundy Canyon
Conway Summit
South Fork of Kern River, Weldon area - nice gold cottonwoods
in October
Walker Pass gets snow sometimes!!
Kennedy Meadows- Chimney Peak, plowed to Pine Pass
Shirley Meadows Ski Area - in the Greenhorn Mountains; 2 chair
lifts, ski rental, ski lessons
Whitney Portal- as snow permits the road to be open
Onion Valley- as snow permits the road to be open
Bishop Creek- plowed up to Aspendell
18 hole Golf Courses are found at: China Lake, Lone Pine, Bishop, Death Valley, California City, Lancaster, Kernville.
OHV open areas include: the Spangler Hills just south of Ridgecrest, and near Red Rock Canyon, Dove Springs canyon and Jawbone Canyon. Check in with BLM for details.
Mountain Biking trails are all over the hills behind the college, south of town, and in the canyons of the Sierra west of town. Keysville on the west side of Lake Isabella.
Return to Maturango Museum Home Page
Look at History of these areas at the end of the Historical Society home page
This page written by Janet Westbrook. If you have time, check out my Home Page!
Opinions expressed herein are entirely mine!!
If you have suggestions of things to add or corrections
to make, send me an e-mail message at jwest@ridgenet.net.
Revised on 2/7/07