Trip Prep

 
 

Timing Your Trip

Seasonal Closures

Snow in the Sierras always sticks around longer than you expect, making it hard to predict what’s open at any given time. Here’s a great resource with up-to-date conditions on prominent roads and campgrounds in the area:

Peak Seasons

High Sierras Activities:  Mid May - Mid October
Hiking/Climbing Down in the Valley:  Early April - Early November
Skiing/Snowboarding:  Late November - Late April
Mountain Biking:  Mid June - Mid October

 

Incredible Night Skies

On a moonless night, the protected eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas provides one of the most vivid and jaw-dropping night skies in the state of California.  You can thank the mountain range for blocking out light pollution from California's big cities in the west.

Resources:

 

Trip Research & Wilderness Permits

Where & When are Permits Required?

Any overnight backpacking trip in the Inyo National Forest, Ansel Adams Wilderness and John Muir Wilderness areas. Car camping at designated campgrounds and day hiking in these areas do not require permits.

Overnight Wilderness Permits - Inyo National Forest

As you'll see on the Eastern Sierras Wilderness Permit Boundaries map below, both the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wilderness areas are divided straight down the middle. Inyo National Forest contains the eastern halves of these territories where Hwy 395 runs, and Sierra National Forest holds everything west of Inyo.

Even if you're doing a thru hike that takes you westward into Yosemite or Sierra National Forest, you'll probably be applying for overnight wilderness permits through the Inyo National Forest system.

Wilderness Camping

Any form of wilderness camping outside of a designated campground (basically backpacking) in Inyo National Forest requires an overnight permit.  See instructions below:

Reserving your Permits through Reservation.gov

  1. On the landing page for Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permits, select your desired trailhead or starting point, either on the Permit Area Map or the Trail List. You'll see a long list of options to select from, so if you're confused on which location to pick, you may need to do a quick Google search of your hike to confirm.

  2. Select your desired permit type and trip date while referring to the legend at the bottom of the page to find open permits (dates marked with an "A" are available). Reservations are on a first-come-first-serve basis up to six months (168 days) in advance of any given trip date.

  3. Remember that your online reservation is not the permit itself. You still need to pick up the physical permit in-person at the nearest ranger station on the day of (or day prior to) your trip.

Note: If your desired location is not listed, it most likely has a separate permit application process.

 

Sierra Nevada Trip Planning Resources

National Park Service (nps.gov)  - Your best resource hub & information center for all national parks and monuments in the Sierra Nevada mountains, including Yosemite, Sequioa & Kings Canyon, Devil's Postpile and Death Valley.  Use this as a starting point for wilderness permits, maps and updated safety alerts.  Some reservations for campsites and permits are handled directly through this website; other times it will send you to Reservation.gov.

USDA Forest Service: Inyo National Forest   - Your best resource hub & information center for all non national park wilderness areas in the Sierra Nevada mountains, including the surrounding areas of Lone Pine, Big Pine, Ansel Adams, etc.  Use this as a starting point for wilderness permits, maps and updated safety alerts.

Reservation.gov - Reservation website for campgrounds and wilderness permits in the Sierra Nevada area.  Generally (but not in all cases), National Park and Forest Service websites will direct you here to select and book your campsite.

SierraWild.gov - General information on trip planning, specifically geared for the Sierras.

Inyo National Forest Ranger Districts

Click to Expand. | Mammoth Lakes and Surrounding Wilderness Permit Areas.
Courtesy via the USDA Forest Service

Eastern Sierras Wilderness Permit Boundaries

Click to Expand. | Mammoth Lakes and Surrounding Wilderness Permit Areas.
Courtesy via SierraWild.gov

Eastern Sierras Overnight Wilderness Permit Locations

Reservable Overnight Wilderness Permit Locations in Inyo National Forest. Click to Expand. | Courtesy via Reservation.gov

 
 

Maps

Mammoth Mountain

Camping

 
 

Budgets

Itemized activities

Baseline Essentials

Food
$30 per day

Gas
Calculation: (total miles round trip / vehicle MPG) * price of gas
Example trip from Los Angeles: (640 / 25) * $3.60 = $92.16

Firewood
$36 per day

Mountain Biking at Mammoth

Day Pass: 2018 prices TBD

Snowboarding at Mammoth/June Lake

Mammoth Day Pass: $120-160 (peak season walk-up pricing)
June Lake Day Pass: $87-119 (peak season walk-up pricing)

Deals:

  • Buddy Pass from a season pass holder - 50% off day passes

  • Costco - 5 single day passes for $450 ($90 per pass)

  • Liftopia - Mammoth Mountain

  • Mammoth Mountain Flash Sales - usually announced through social media

 

Example Budget for a Recent trip to Mammoth

Trip Parameters
Budget is based on 2.5 days of adventure including travel time.  The trip starts from Los Angeles (640 miles), using one car with three people.  Departure time starts Friday afternoon (Day 0) through Sunday night (Day 2). 

Baseline Expenses
Individual Expenses: Food & Alcohol - 2.5 days = $120 (we splurged)
Group Expenses: Gas ($3.70 per gallon: $85) / 3 people = $28.33 per person
Group Expenses: Lodging ($60 per person - group rate) * 2 nights = $120 per person
Total: $268.33 per person

Day 1: Snowboarding at Mammoth Mountain
Day Pass: $81 (buddy pass rate) * 1 day = $81

Day 2: Long Valley Hot Springs
$0 - Thank God

Trip Total
$349

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