Tioga Road wasn’t open yet but those high lakes were calling me and it was well worth it to me to take the long way around to get there. Tioga Road through Yosemite National Park will soon be open but here is a sneak peek from my adventure over there June 5 and 6 this past week. So I drove ...

Sally and I had reached a threshold where we just had to get out of the smoke and heat but with Hwy 41, 140, 120 and then 108 all closed to the eastern side, it was time get serious about our escape. So, we drove south down Hwy 99 to Bakersfield across Tehachapi and up 395. Smoke was following us ...

I love to hike up to the glacial fed Conness Lakes above Saddlebag Lake. I don’t know how the colors of the lake’s waters magically change from green to turquoise to deep blue before my eyes, so magic is the best explanation I can come up with. Where: Harvey Monroe Hall Research Natural Area, Hoover Wilderness, Inyo National Forest Distance: ...

Saddlebag Lake Campground in the Tioga Pass area had just opened and I wasted no time heading up there to check out the high country. Four days of camping gave my dog Sally and me plenty of time to wander by the high lakes in the area and get some fishing in! Where: Hoover Wilderness, Inyo National Forest Distance: 9.08 ...

Sally and I took a short but steep hike up to Gardisky Lake and were rewarded with amazing views of the surrounding high country, white puffy clouds reflecting in the lake and a surprise. Where: Inyo National Forest Distance: 5.09 Miles Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult Elevational Range: 9,732′ to 10,524′ Date: September 14, 2017 Topographic Quad Maps: Falls Ridge, June ...

The Conness Lakes are glacial lakes, fed by the largest glacier in the Sierra Nevada north of Tioga Pass. Their colors change with the sun and clouds from a greenish turquoise to grey to blue and when those clouds reflect in the waters of the high lakes and tarns, it is very special! Where: Harvey Monroe Hall Research Natural Area, ...

Six days of camping at beautiful Saddlebag Lake gave Sally and myself plenty of time to wander by the high lakes in the area and get some fishing in! Where: Hoover Wilderness, Inyo National Forest Distance: About 10 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 10,090′ – 10,359′ Date: August 17, 2017 Maps: Falls Ridge and June Lake Topogs Dog Hike? Yes ...