manguja

My husband and I are flying in and out of LAX at the beginning of June. We are first going to Mammoth Lakes. Does anyone know if the pass will be open to Yosemite, and if it would be a good trip to do Yosemite as opposed to Sequoia or Kings Canyon? We want to do some camping. We only have a few days to make it from Mammoth Lakes back to LAX. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Placename

There is no guarantee that Tioga Pass ( the east entrance to Yosemite) will be open in early June. You will have to check on the Yosemite National Park website.

It has been an unusually winter with a great amount of snow. There is snow forecast for this week.

If Tioga Pass is closed, there are other Sierra passes, but there is no guarantee they will be open. Currently Sonora Pass is closed, and Carson Pass may close with this upcoming snow storm.

Do you have reservations for camping in Yosemite? Most all reservable campsites for Yosemite in June are taken. I would not go to Yosemite unless you have reservations.

Barbara

Here's an interesting page from the Yosemite website about this:

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tioga.htm

boom_boom

The park service tries to open Tioga by Memorial Day, but we've had a "snowy" winter and it may be later this year. Check you can check road conditions before you leave at http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi

Dbacks

The road should be open by Memorial Day. And yes I would recommend Yosemite over the other parks. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The camping has been sold out for awhile, but you can always check for cancellations or reserve one of the tent cabins in Curry Village. Those cost much more than camping but it will get you into one of the wonders of the world. And it is basically a white canvas tent on a wooden base with a couple beds in it. So it can be called lazy mans camping.

Otis_B_Driftwood

There is plenty of camping options in the Eastern Sierra around Mammoth Lakes. Tioga may open next week but you can't count on it because it's still snowing up there.

Jean

From the link provided by Barbara, this comment is dated 5/20/10:

"Plows have reached Tioga Pass and will now be working on widening the road. Plowing continues Monday - Saturday. Average Snow Depth is 4 to 6 feet. Plowing operation will continue today.

"Once plowing of the Tioga Road is completed, additional work must be completed before the road can safely be opened."



As a mix of rain and snow is predicted for tonight and tomorrow, I wouldn't count on Tioga Pass being open in 5 days.

manguja

Thank you for the responses. We won't be making the trip out of Mammoth until the 1st full week in June,so that still leaves a little time for the pass to open I guess. In the chance that it doesn't does anyone have a preference on the best route to still catch some cool sites and make it back to Pasadena in a few days from Mammoth?

Otis_B_Driftwood

Maybe you could elaborate on what you are looking to do. The drive from Mammoth Lakes to Pasadena, if you don't cross the Sierra, is only 5 hours.

Jean

There is a lot to see between LAX and Mammoth on the eastern side of the Sierra.

Vasquez Rocks
Red Rocks Canyon State Park
Fossil Falls http://www.desertusa.com/mag07/jul07/fossil.html
Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery
Alabama Hills
Museum of Lone Pine Film History
Manzanar National Historic Site
Bristlecone Pine Forest (detour off 395)
Devil's Postpile (if the road is open)
Convict Lake
June Lake Loop (north of Mammoth turnoff)
Mono Lake (north of Mammoth turnoff)
Bodie ghost town (north of Mammoth turnoff)


http://travel.latimes.com/articles/l...95drive22apr22

http://www.greatescapes.com/ci_10501723

You can download an audio driving tour:

http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal...95-road--6484/

manguja

Jean--thanks for the info!
Otis-B--to answer your question, we are looking to find some decent camping, see some amazing sites, and maybe do a day hike. Probably just spend a couple days and nights getting back to Pasadena area from Mammoth Lakes instead of driving straight 5 hours, as that is how we will be getting there initially. We are considereing Death Valley, but thinking maybe not the right time to be camping there. We would just like to stay in some peaceful areas before spending the last night back in the Pasadena area, as the last part of our trip will be visiting the Gamble House and flying out of LAX. I appreciate all the tips.
Thanks again

Placename

Tioga Pass will not be open for Memorial Day.

Received at least 5" of snow last night. More snow predicted for Friday, May 28.

Dubious if Tioga Pass will open by the time of your trip. Sonora Pass is also closed. ( SR 108)

sf7307

I have no suggestions for the "nature" part of your trip, but be sure to read my thread on dining in Pasadena! Also, if you have all day in Pasadena, I would HIGHLY recommend the Huntington Gardens & Library in addition to the Gamble House. When you're at the Gamble House, pick up the guide they sell in the bookstore (for $1.50 I think) to houses in the neighborhood and take the walk -- the Gamble House is the only one you can tour, but it's not the only one worth ogling.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...n-pasadena.cfm

Otis_B_Driftwood

Jean lists many of the attractions of the Eastern Sierra. It's one of my favorite areas of California and the weather in June is usually great.

Unfortunately, the Devil's Postpile area will not be open until June 18th according to the NPS website. However, the road to Bodie and the Bristlecone Pines should be open unless we have another late blizzard which is unlikely. Both of the places are well worth visiting. There is a campground (Grandview) on the Bristlecone Forest road that is usually pretty empty except on holiday weekends.

Bridgeport is also a great place to visit. It's one of the most scenic towns in the West and there are a couple of natural hotsprings nearby. One of our favorite campgrounds is Buckeye. It's a 20 minute drive from town on the edge of the Hoover Wilderness. There's a great trail leading into the mountains from here and a nice hotspring just down the road. It's a great place to relax and get away form everything.

There are also dozens of other great campgrounds in the Inyo National Forest. Many of these are located at trailheads into the High Sierra. None of them should be very crowded in early June.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreat...pgrounds.shtml

Jean

For a day hike, consider Twenty Lakes Basin from Saddlebag Lake.

http://www.saddlebaglakeresort.com/Hiking.htm

janisj

>>Dbacks on May 25, 10 at 2:23pm

The road should be open by Memorial Day.

dbdurand

I suggest you consider making your last camp site in either the Angeles National Forest or the San Bernadino National Forest. Then it's only 2 hours or less to LA, but many of the camping areas might as well be a thousand miles away. And there are lots of hiking trails, some easy and some challenging, such as the hike to the top of 11,500 ft. Mt.San Gorgonio.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/recr...p-single.shtml

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardin...ng/index.shtml