Exploring Mammoth Lakes and Tioga Pass

Hi Blog!

It feels good to be back online. We had spent a couple days at Benton Hot Springs where we had no cell service or internet. It was fun and relaxing being unplugged for a couple days. However, when we arrived in Lee Vining on Friday, we discovered that our Verizon Hot Spot would not connect. We uploaded a few photos using the phone, but we really missed using our computers to blog. We found a Verizon store in Mammoth Lakes. We might be able to go for a while without lots of things, but internet for our laptops isn't one of them. 

Can you say, "road trip"?

On Saturday, May 13, 2017, we jumped in the Jeep and drove south on US 395 toward Mammoth Lakes. We stopped at the Visitor Center to learn what we could about the area. Turns out, many of the roads around town are still closed for snow. We could drive up to the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, but decided to avoid the crowds of skiers. Instead, we drove up Lake Mary Road toward the numerous lakes that gave Mammoth Lakes its name. We could only drive as far as Twin Lakes, but it was well worth the trip. Here is the Lower Twin Lake:

Tamarack Lodge sits on the banks of Twin Lakes and maintains cross-country ski trails. We were able to hike around the lake on what was left of ski trails. They were a little slushy and wet in spots, but we were able to make it to Upper Twin Lake.

A wooden bride crossed the lake at the base of Twin Falls. As we crossed the bridge, we had a great view of the falls melting through the snow.

This area is so pretty, we just didn't know which way to look. Across the lake from the lodge are some rocky ridges.

Here is another look down the length of the lakes.

This area was formed by volcanic activity. The most recent craters erupted less than 650 years ago. There is a whole series of craters that run from Mammoth Mountain up to Mono Lake, where we are staying in Lee Vining. These craters and volcanic formations are separate and distinct from the general range of the Sierra Nevada, which were formed primarily by uplift from the collision of the Pacific and North American plates.  While the Eastern Sierras are towers of granite, the craters come in many sizes and colors. We love the red rocks on this lumpy hump.

We took advantage of all the town of Mammoth Lakes had to offer. After purchasing a new internet hotspot, we shopped for sundries at the drug store. We also stopped at a couple outdoor stores to see if there were any end of season sales. All that shopping builds up a powerful thirst. Lucky for us, Mammoth Lakes has its own brewery. We sampled beers and bites at Mammoth Lake Brewery before heading back toward Lee Vining.  This is a photo of the resort at Mammoth Lakes:

Being a little frustrated in our efforts to get up into the high country, we thought about other nearby adventures.  One of the adventures on our bucket list is driving over the Tioga Pass into Yosemite National Park. Unfortunately, the road is still closed because of all the heavy snow the area received this year. We decided to drive up toward Tioga Pass anyway, as far as we were able to go.  It turned out that we were able to get about four miles before our way was blocked.

However, just off to the left side we noticed a Forest Service Road heading into Lee Vining Canyon. The road led to several forest service campgrounds. This road wasn't blocked!  So we decided to explore the campgrounds in case we want to stay here next time.

The Aspen Campground is located at at the far end of the meadow shown in the photo below, and is full of - you guessed it - aspen trees which are just starting to leaf out!

From this distance, it is hard to see the Tioga Pass Road as it winds its way high above the canyon floor. At the end of Lee Vining Canyon, the road makes a large looping left turn and heads through the Tioga Pass. The furthest campground in the canyon is called Big Bend to commemorate the big bend in the road and Lee Vining Canyon.  Here's what the canyon looks like as we near the Big Bend:


On our way back out of the canyon, we stopped a few times to check out Lee Vining Creek. Here is one of our favorite waterfall photos.

We made the most of our day to and from Mammoth Lakes. Tomorrow, we hope to visit Mono Lake and Panum Crater. We would have loved to kayak the lake, but the weather has turned frosty cold. Tonight's low will be 32 degrees. Brrrrrrrrrr.  We neglected to bring our wet suits, so kayaking is probably out of the question.