Road trip: June Lake and Mammoth Lakes stand in shadow of Mt. Whitney: Part 1
John Muir, reflecting upon the scenic and alien land just east of Yosemite National Park, described it in 1864: "a country of wonderful contrasts, hot deserts bordered by snow laden mountains, cinders and ashes scattered on the glacier-polished pavement, frost and fire working in the making of beauty”.
We have been that way six times in the last six years, and just completed the four hour-plus drive into that still wintery landscape. On the heels of one of the deepest winter snowfalls in the last seventy years, Tioga Pass through Yosemite, Sonora Pass above Sonora and Ebbetts Pass above Bear Valley were still closed by snow, so we followed Highway 88 across the Sierra, past a still snowy Kirkwood Resort, connecting to Highway 89, then to southbound Highway 395. The entire spine of the Sierra remains deep snow above 8,000 to 9,000 feet, making for the most marvelous photos. But we had dry roads and several fairly sunny days, punctuated by one wicked, noisy thunderstorm on our first evening camping at Silver Lake on the June Lake Loop.
Getting to the June Lake/Mammoth Lakes area is part of the fun. Your drive down Highway 395 takes you along several wild rivers like the Walker, through several interesting tiny towns like Walker and Bridgeport, with its historic courthouse and venerable Bridgeport Inn. Just south of Bridgeport is the turnoff into the mountains to the historic Gold Rush town of Bodie, wonderfully preserved in a state of “suspended decay” by the Bodie State Historic Park managers. Alas, the road is currently closed for flood repairs, but should reopen later in June.
Only 5% of Bodie’s original buildings remain – though an impressive remainder! Above the town stands the old Standard Mine and Mill, on the west slope of Bodie Bluff. Though the old mill buildings are unsafe and closed to the public, the mill extracted more than $15 million in gold over its 25 year run and remains an imposing presence over the town. The town below features evocative structures like the Methodist Church, erected 1882 and the old sawmill, used for cutting firewood for winters when snow reached 20 feet deep, winds up to 100 MPH and temperatures down to 40 below zero!
Along Bodie's Main Street you'll find the old post office, the IOOF Hall, Miner’s Hall with adjacent morgue, Boone Store and Warehouse, the old firehouse and Wheaton and Hollis Hotel (the hotel lobby, complete with bar and pool table, and several other structures, look like gold prospectors just left minutes earlier)!
Stroll down Green Street to the red-brick hydroelectric building. In 1882 a hydroelectric plant was built on Green Creek above Bridgeport, developing 3500 volts and 130 hp. Electricity was run 13 miles over power poles set in a straight-line - the theory being that electricity could not be made to turn a corner! This engineering breakthrough spread throughout the world, and soon similar power plants became a worldwide standard.
Just south on Highway 395 is Mono Lake, 760,000 years old, one of the oldest in North America. It has no outlet and is fed by six major streams that keep it from evaporating. With minerals flowing into the lake for eons, it's 2.5 times saltier than the ocean and extremely buoyant. Though no fish can live in the alkaline waters, it's flush with life - millions of brine shrimp and alkali flies feed thousands of migratory birds.
Touring the shoreline tufa tower gardens is an experience like no other. Tufa tower formations are the result of springs rising up from the lake floor and depositing minerals as they grow upwards. Once 40 or 50 feet under the lake's surface, they have been revealed in stark, alien contrast over the past 90 years, as LA water interests siphoned off tributary streamflow, causing the lake surface to drop by 60+ feet. To reach the South Tufa Reserve, take Hwy. 120, 5 miles east off Hwy. 395; a one mile easy hike takes you through some of the most intriguing topography, the towers rising like ghost ships plying the ancient lake.
We continued south on 395, turning southwest on the June Lake Loop Road to reach our campsite on Silver Lake. The loop road courses past the big Grant Lake Reservoir, Silver Lake, Gull Lake and June Lake, all with campgrounds and all lying at the foot of the rugged Sierra with snowcapped peaks rising 10,000 or more feet. At night, huge streams and waterfalls thundering from above lulled us to sleep. Plenty of hiking options (we use the app AllTrails) will take you deep in to the Sierra, and fisherman experience sleepless nights waiting to fish on these lovely lakes and streams.
Our first night we experienced a noisy, impressive Sierra thunder storm, which pelted our vintage Scotty trailer and campground with plenty of rain-bursts, but the next day dawned mostly sunny. After exploring interesting June Lake shops, we had lunch at the highly-rated and historic Tiger Bar and Café. An afternoon hike on the bluff northwest of the lake yielded some lovely vistas and incredible photos of the snowcapped Sierra. We were ready for the next morning’s tour into Mammoth Lakes, just 25 miles further south. That tour, including a stop at Devil’s Postpiles National Monument and the headwaters of the San Joaquin River, will have to wait until next week!
For more information: Bodie State Historic Park, parks.ca.gov/Bodie; June Lake Loop Chamber of Commerce, junelakeloop.org; Mono Basin Visitor Center, fs.fed.us/r5/Inyo; for Camping, recreation.gov.
Where are you traveling? Contact Tim, tviall@msn.com. Happy travels in the West!
This article originally appeared on The Record: Road trip: June Lake and Mammoth Lakes stand in shadow of Mt. Whitney: Part 1
