10 Eastern Sierra Must-Visit Stops On U.S. 395

Above, yours truly at Devil's Postpile National Monument.

Back in 2016, before California's gasoline prices got outrageous, I took a little jaunt up U.S. 395 in the Eastern Sierra.

I stopped at places like Manzanar National Historic Site, Bishop, Devil's Postpile National Monument and Mammoth Lakes. I also drove along Tioga Pass on Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park. 

There are places that I missed and RV Travel posted an article with video on ten places considered "must-visit" to RVers.

They begin it with:

U.S. Highway 395 in California runs along the Eastern Sierra and is home to arguably some of the most spectacularly beautiful scenery in the entire U.S. In the video below, join outdoor photographer Gabriella Viola on a trip along this famed highway to discover her favorite places and stops along the route.

Encompassing both Mono and Inyo counties, the Eastern Sierra is on the remote eastern side of California’s Sierra Nevada range. Gabriella says this rugged region is home to crystal-clear alpine lakes, granite peaks, hot springs, waterfalls, and much more. Even if you don’t intend to plan a trip, the video, created by a professional outdoor photographer, provides some amazing eye candy.

To read more, go here.

7 Overlooked Towns In California's Sierra Nevada Worth Visiting

Above, camping in Brown's Town Campground in Bishop in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There's one thing that Californians should add to their "bucket list" of things to do, that is to explore the Sierra Nevada area of the state.

A lot of history can still be gleaned from exploring towns that thrived during the Gold Rush years. World Atlas has posted a list of seven of them. 

I have been to most of them, mainly through chapter events of E Clampus Vitus (of which I am a member) that sprung up during the Gold Rush in many of these towns.  

World Atlas begins their list with:

The Sierra Nevada stretches more than 400 miles and is home to dozens of small towns, three national parks, and numerous wilderness areas. Some of the towns are better known and more travelled than others, but those that are overlooked shine in their own right. You will find history, nature, culture, and recreation in each of them. If you truly want to experience the soul of California's Sierra Nevada, these seven towns deserve a spot on your travel list.

To read more, go here. 

Section of U.S. 395 To Shut Down 15 Days In September

Above, The Beast at Manzanar Internment Camp in July 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The last time I drove U.S. 395 in California's eastern Sierra Nevadas was back in 2016. During that trip, I visited the Japanese internment camp Manzanar, stayed in Bishop and Mammoth Lakes and drove into Yosemite National Park on Tioga Road.

Those planning to drive U.S. 395 next month will find a part of it closed.

RV Travel reported:

Planning a trip along California’s eastern Sierra Nevada? Check your calendar and your routing. A beautiful section of U.S. Highway 395 in California will shut down for more than two weeks in an effort to protect wildlife.

California dubs the stretch of U.S. 395 as the Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway, and folks traveling it from the south will find it shut down on September 4 for 15 days. If coming from that direction you will need an alternate route to access the communities of Walker and Colville or to fish and camp at Topaz Lake.

Northbound motorists can take Highway 182 from Bridgeport and connect with lonely Nevada Route 338.

To read more, go here. 

Yosemite's Tioga Road Opens Tomorrow, For Two Hours

Above, the driver's view of Tioga Road. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Tomorrow is the first day of summer and it has been announced that Yosemite National Park's Tioga Road will be opening starting tomorrow.

The Mercury News reported:

Yosemite’s Tioga Road will open on Friday, the first day of summer, but initially only for two hours a day. 

The park announced that motor vehicles and bicycles will be allowed on the trans-Sierra route from 10 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. daily. 

No parking will be allowed, and the day-use facilities and other visitor services along it remain closed.  Opening dates have not been determined for those. 

The limited hours are necessary because crews need to continue clearing snow and doing other roadwork.

To read more, go here. 

Yosemite Roads Closed For Season

Above, The Beast at a Tioga Road viewpoint in Yosemite National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It looks like winter is fast approaching (even though it is still autumn) in Yosemite National Park.

Snowfall has closed popular roads within the park.

According to the Los Angeles Times:

Popular roads to Yosemite National Park’s backcountry have closed for the season because of hazardous driving conditions after a recent storm, according to a park news release Wednesday. 

Tioga Road (California Highway 120), the east-west route through the park, and Glacier Point Road have shut after the storm brought snow to higher elevations.

This is actually good news. We use the water that the Sierra Nevada snowpack provides. It appears that the snowpack is just starting to build.

 To read more, go here.

Yosemite: "Wettest Year Ever Recorded"

Above, Yosemite Falls in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

More on Yosemite National Park's waterfalls.

The blog, The Manual, posted that this year's snowpack in the upper reaches of the Eastern Sierra is the result of the wettest year ever recorded.

The wrote:

California’s Yosemite National Park spans nearly 1,200 square miles of diverse terrain including towering granite peaks, verdant valleys, wildflower-covered meadows, and breathtaking waterfalls. Avid hikers spend a lifetime hiking its trails and barely scratch the surface. Now, thanks to record snowpack last winter, dozens of “secret” waterfalls are emerging throughout the park.

To read more, go here. 

Yosemite's Waterfalls Are Back With a Vengeance

Above, the additional water has "burst out and created countless other small, new
waterfalls along the cliffs", according to the article. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Thanks to the almost twice as normal snowpack in the Sierras, waterfalls in Yosemite National Park are back with a vengeance.

According to Atlas Obscura:

Yosemite National Park is one of America’s most beautiful natural landscapes but years of drought have seen many of its rivers and waterfalls lose some of their majestic power. But thanks to heavy snowmelt, many of them are back with a vengeance, and so are the visitors. 

According to NBC Bay Area, the waters in the park haven’t been this powerful since 2010. 

To read more, go here.

National Park Service Started With A Camping Trip

Above, the Eastern Sierras along Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The start of the formation of the national park service began over 100 years ago when a president of the United States camped out with a well-known conservationist.

Quartz reported:

Picture the US president camping under the stars, huddled in blankets, sitting around a fire as a naturalist waxes poetic, explaining that Americans need the wilderness to retain their wonder and humility. But imagine this scene in black and white, or in sepia tone, because it happened long ago. 

In 1903, Theodore Roosevelt camped in the Sierra Nevada mountains with John Muir—father of the US National Park Service. “He met me with a couple of pack mules, as well as with riding mules for himself and myself, and a first-class packer and cook, and I spent a delightful three days and two nights with him,” Roosevelt recalled.

 Sounds like Roosevelt had a bully of a good time with Muir.

To read more, go here.

California Private RV Camping

Above, The Beast at Brown's Town Campground in Bishop, California. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It would have been nice to have known about this book before I left for the Eastern Sierra and Owens Valley a few weeks ago.

But, I do plan to eventually return to the area and I'll get the book first.

RV Life posted an article on the scarce number of campgrounds in California.

It begins with:

If you live n the Golden State you know that it’s getting harder to find private RV camping in California. Thankfully the authors of “Eastern Sierra and Death Valley Camping with Privacy” know how to help you find the solitude you’re seeking.

To read more, go here.