The 395 and Owens Valley-Eastern Sierra Region

Just made it back home from a quick solo out and back to Mammoth before the snow is complete shit. Several lifts were closed and it was 4-20 so the remaining open lift lines were busy with Barney's galore in silly ass costumes. I stayed at a place in Bishop that made Motel6 look like the Ritz-Carlton, and got stuck on upper Buttermilk as the sun was getting low. There was nothing I could winch off of within range, and before i resorted to burrying a traction board to winch off of, the gool 'ol shovel and some digging did the trick to free me before sunset relatively unscathed. This was my first time doing the Buttermilk Road loop and it progressively became much sketchier than I expected. A Snow drift and some hidden foliage did it.

 

Not sure how I feel about that. A big part of me no longer trusts the forest service to do the right thing anymore.

 

OVRO will be opening for a open house June 8th.

 

So I finally got to check out Mazourka peak trail, Badger flats and Papoose flats last week. Thank you to everyone who gave some pointers a few pages back.

Weather was perfect and finished the trail just before the strong winds came in.
The trail was amazingly fun, took me about 4 hrs to complete S to N (with lots of stops along the way) did not see a single vehicle the whole time.



Stayed at Convict lake a few days, and was headed to June lake for another day or two but didnt stay too long due to the strong wind and incoming rain.
Ended up eating fish-less fish tacos as not a single trout wanted to bite

 

So, I'm headed up into the Inyo (from the Owens Valley side) soon for my first ever trip into the area.


Right now I've mapped a bunch of stuff between Swansea to Big Pine - Death Valley Rd, and the plan is to just putz around, but it's always nice to have a few spots that are recommended stops.

Main "thoroughfares" I have planned are:
* Swansea - CG road -- the loop
* Mazourka Canyon Rd -- to the peak
* Papoose Flat Rd | FR-09S15 -- to/from Big Pine - Death Valley Rd, depending on direction of travel.

I'm all ears if folks have places that I shouldn't miss. - mines, overlooks, fun roads, etc. Via PM is 100% cool if you'd like me to keep a location under wraps or not mention it at all.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPhujb6Sv2s&t=637s

 

Got back from another fun trip up the 395. Took some time off and spent about a week putting around now that the snow is starting to melt. It's impressive, we were boating on some lakes while others were still completely frozen over. Good news is it's looking like it'll be a nice summer in the Sierras!

Here is my picture guide to current 395 conditions (from Big Pine to June Lake). Weather was in the mid 70's to mid 80's all week with a fair amount of wind.

Flowers are blooming everywhere (photo from Bishop):


Fishing was good (photo from Bishop):


Lake Sabrina is low but with the remaining snow I'm sure it'll refill by mid-summer (photo from Bishop):


June lake was beautiful as always (photo from June Lake Loop):


South Lake is frozen and low but melting quickly (photo from Bishop):


Owens River weather and fishing was perfect (photo from Big Pine):


Owens river gorge is breath taking as always (photo from Mesa Camp):


Areas below 9,000' are pretty much snow free minus a few patches here and there (photos from Bishop)






The Marmots are out and about! They are curious and slow creatures so tread lightly and watch for them in the road! (photo from Bishop):


4Runner did great as always, even with the Kayaks blowing us around everywhere (photos from Benton Crossing):




And finally we tried to concur Wheeler's Crest but the road is completely washed out! It looks like a dirt bike/horse/hiking bypass is being carved out above the road but nothing a car could (or should) go down. If anyone knows who to contact about getting the road repaired or how to organize a group event in the area I'd be more then happy to reach out to them or drive up to help!




Overall 8/10 trip! The wind made my allergies a nightmare but you can't beat the views!

 

I honestly didn't know that we had marmots in the Sierras. The only time I've ever seen them has been in the Rockies.

 

They have been notorious for eating coolant lines in Mineral King for a few decades now:

https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/marmots.htm

 

Yup they are all throughout the Sierra's! Usually they hang out around 10,000' in the rocks so you may need to hike or drive a bit to find them.

 

The porcupines do this too!

 

Peppermint spray.

 

Yea but how do they taste. Asking for a friend.

 

After the coolant, a little sweet.

 

There was also a peppermint aftertaste to the one I had.

 

You got stuck with 4wd and lockers? Or neither?

 

I always wonder about those high wind nights and roof top tents. Sounds brutal.

 

One year, we arrived pretty late in the afternoon and there were tents scattered across Panamint Valley. Those that were staked or held down with rocks were shredded. We slept in the truck and it was howling and shook all night.