the eastern sierra: california’s outdoor wonderland

When I was less than a year old, my parents began taking me up to the Eastern Sierras for winter skiing and snowboarding and summer hiking and fishing. I’ve always felt that the Sierras were in my blood, and, in a way, they are.

My ancestry includes the Kuzedika Paiute, who lived on the shores of Mono Lake, as well as the European immigrants who settled in the area, marrying into the Paiute tribe. From a young age, I was taught all about my heritage, meeting distant relatives who always made us feel welcome and researching and writing many a term paper on my people.

When I first brought Logan up with me to go camping with my family, he was less than impressed at first. (I’m not sure if it was overwhelming to spend a week and a half in a tent with me or sharing a campsite with my family) Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, Logan was used to less of the high desert landscape and much more of the forest and high mountain outdoors.

Over time though, the Sierras have grown on him and now, he is just as excited to plan our next adventure to check out a trail we’ve never hiked or a new lake we’ve never fished. The magic of the Sierras won him over and it’s one of his favorite places to experience.

Now that Logan and I have a family of our own, we take every opportunity to explore what we can while the kids are young. As long as we have a campsite to park our trailer, gas in the truck and a baby carrier to hike with, we are good to go!

We just returned from our latest adventure to the Easter Sierras, with everything from hiking the Convict Lake Loop trail to walking the dusty streets of Bodie, a beautifully preserved ghost town near the Nevada border. Though a week sounds like a long time, it is never enough time to see and do all that we would like while there.

Camping in the quaint town of June Lake, on Highway 158 just off Highway 395, we arrived after dark thanks to a slight mishap – read blown trailer tire tread.

This is a perfect example of why we always plan travel days book-ending our trips – it is never worth it to plan an activity the day you arrive or leave, just in case you run into trouble like this.

June Lake RV has long been our favorite camping spot thanks to the warm welcome from Victoria and her camp hosts and the convenience of its central location in town. It doesn’t hurt that June Lake Brewing and the Ohanas 395 food truck are within walking distance, kid-friendly and have AMAZING beer. (Note: we are not sponsored by any of these businesses, they are just that good.)

In addition to the beer and food, our campsite is centered between June Lake and Gull Lake, both excellent fishing spots. Logan was able to wheel his kayak from camp to Gull Lake in less than five minutes a couple of mornings and shore fished June Lake easily with a five-minute walk to his spot. Also, the general store is a three-minute walk up the hill so any last minute needs are easily covered.

We look forward to sharing more of our favorite spots and recommendations with you in our upcoming travel journal posts, so enjoy!

– Dee