Finally an early week... recommendations?

I’ve been a lurker for a while because work has kept me way too busy for way too long. But I finally have a chance to explore on for two days as I head back to Lodi from El Centro. I plan on running up 395 and was wondering if there are any place I should check out??? Thanks in advance

 

hot springs everywhere

 

Bristlecone Pine Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/specialplaces/?cid=stelprdb5129900

If you have time go all the way out White Mtn road. It ends a the White Mtn trailhead at ~11k ft.

 

devils postpile, rainbow falls, obsidian dome, hot springs, mono lake, could check out bodi ghost town. Mammoth lakes area is nice as well. If the snow is melted and the road is open.

Another 209 guy.

 

White mountain road and the ghost town sound like a pretty good trip to start exploring with.

 

As others have mentioned and some others...

1) Mono Lake, South Tufas... Filming location of Clint Eastwood's High Plains Drifter

2) Alabama Hills... Tons of movies have used this area for decades from the old westerns to the Transformer movies. Easy off-roading available as well.

3) June Lake Loop... Just a beautiful drive and lots of places to pull over and explore. Normally see deer somewhere.

4) Convict Lake... Photos are best in the morning. I always see deer there.

5) Mammoth Lakes... Also beautiful and very photogenic location.

6) Bristle Cone Pine Forest... Not too many folks visit here, popular with photographers. It is one of the oldest forests in the world. Many of the trees are unmarked because they were alive when Jesus Christ walked the Earth.

7) Bodi Ghost Town... The consummate representative of the California Gold Rush. The last person buried there was in the 1960s I think who was born there.

8) Hot Creek Geological Site... A popular representative of the hot spring in the area. Decent hiking and hawks are normally fishing in the creek.

There are more locations, but those are the ones I can think of for now.

 

Forgot about Alabama hills, the mobius arch

 

There's also Manzanar internment camp. It's a bit of a sobering place visiting it. Beyond Manzanar, there is the reward mine and I've seen pictures of groups driving their jeeps through it.

I would second Alabama Hills, I camped at Tuttle creek just outside of Lone Pine and it's a great place in the shadow of Mt. Whitney for only 7 dollars a night. Hot Creek, there's good year round fly fishing there as well as a geological hot spring further down from the fishery.