I. Road Trip Cinema

With a few exceptions for spurs, diversions, and loops, the majority of the trip is experienced from U.S. 395, a north-south route which serves as the spine of California. If you’re coming from the southern portion of the state, you’ll meet up with U.S. 395 shortly after a visit to Red Rock Canyon State Park. Here the Eastern Sierra’s southern terminus meets the El Paso Mountains, and after miles of western Mojave chaparral, the canyon’s brilliant striations are startling. Ricardo Campground provides an extended stay, but the day use area offers dramatic views and a restroom. In other words, it’s the perfect place for a quick stop before hitting the road again. 

Continuing north, the mountains ascend gradually and then all at once: brindled hills fold gently into the desert and then cut increasingly irregular gashes into the horizon before disappearing under snow, clouds, or both. In road trip cinema, it’s a climactic shift in the narrative—and the scenes only get better as the miles slip by. 

It’s worth timing a northbound road trip around breakfast or lunch at Lone Pine’s Alabama Hills Cafe. Though the portions are mammoth (especially suited to the appetites of hungry hikers), be sure to save room for a slice of their seasonal berry pie—whatever the season, it’s sure to be excellent. Lone Pine is at once a mountaineering basecamp for those hoping to summit Mt. Whitney’s 14,505-foot peak, a museum town for Western film history buffs, and a portal to the famed Alabama Hills. Within the Hills, the Mobius Arch Loop Trail is an easy half-mile ramble with stunning views of Mt. Whitney framed within its namesake arch. 

Thirty minutes north of Lone Pine, hang a right onto CA-168 toward the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. Living history is one thing to read about and entirely another to see with your own eyes. The Great Basin bristlecone pine grows only in the western United States in elevations between 9,800 and 11,000 feet. One of two oldest known living trees, Methuselah, is 4,847 years old. These facts are worth noting, but leave them in the car—it’s better to experience these elder statesmen of the Bronze Age in person. Schulman Grove offers three trails: the 1-mile Discovery loop gets you up close and personal with the trees—and sweeping 10,000-foot views as a bonus. For a longer excursion, try the 4.5-mile Methuselah Grove trail or the 3.5-mile Bristlecone Cabin Trail.

II. Water, Water Everywhere

If the plan includes a multi-day itinerary, Bishop is a great spot to eat, refuel, or even set up a home base. In these parts, points of interest are geographically spread out, but Bishop still presents a central hub whether your exploration sends you due west into the mountains, northwest to the lakes, or northeast toward hot springs. 

Even though many of the Sierra’s alpine lakes are only accessible to hikers, the range’s lower slopes brim with picturesque gems. The average passenger car can still gain access to plenty of stunning views during the warmer months. From Bishop, follow SR-168 west into Bishop Creek Canyon (a bit of a misnomer as you’ll gain quite a bit of elevation here) and bear left at the fork for South Lake, or continue straight to visit North Lake and Lake Sabrina. Depending on when you visit, you might catch the earliest signs of autumnal color at these higher altitude lakes before it gradually descends into the valley. 

If you continue along 395 as it bears west, Lake Crowley will come into view first. Just a little further on, a left turn at Convict Lake Road will take you a short distance into the canyon and dead end at the radiant Convict Lake. High above, Mount Morrison’s northern escarpment abuts the aspen-flanked shoreline—get here first thing in the morning to witness alpenglow reflected in the mirror-still water.

Due east of this mountain idyll, the Long Valley Caldera cradles a serpentine system of hydrothermal springs and fumaroles. There are several points along this superheated tangle where the water gurgles to the surface at the prime temperature for soaking—tubs of various sizes and levels of accessibility. A quick search online will offer detailed descriptions of the springs, but a turn onto Benton Crossing Road from 395 points you in the right direction. 

If you prefer more frequent (and reliably private) soaks, continue on Benton Crossing Road due east until it dead ends into SR-120 and bear right until you arrive at Benton Hot Springs: a charming enclave that includes an historic B&B, rental houses, and 11 campsites—all of which boast private (or semi-private) hot spring-fed hot tubs. The thermal spring flows to the surface at 140 degrees and cools as it meanders downhill to the eighty-year-old inn. With the whispering song of cottonwoods in the warmer months and stunning snow-capped peaks in the colder months, it’s a four-season must-see.  

III. Ghost Towns and Hot Springs

G'head. Ditch your inhibitions, your bathing suit, and whatever ails you. The Eastern Sierra are replete with hot springs, whose healing promises range from Fountain of Youth! to Namaste, y'all. Visit Travertine late in the day for an unobstructed view of the sun as it sets behind the Sierra. The Inn at Benton Hot Springs offers ten camping sites each with tubs fed by natural springs, for a private soak under the cottonwoods. There are plenty of resources for finding the springs, so feel free to opt for whichever suits your needs, whether you ditch the bathing suit or not. 

While its sprawling parking lot may indicate weekends spent lousy with tourists, Bodie State Historic Park offers a striking look at a town whose inevitable entropy has been permanently put on pause. Suspend disbelief and enjoy wandering the dusty pathways of a town built (and eventually destroyed) by dreams of gold. 

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