Backpacking

Backpacking Areas

• Mammoth Ranger District

  Mammoth Lakes Ranger District is located in the northern half of Inyo National Forest, and is centered around the town of Mammoth Lakes, CA.  While known for winter sports, it is also a mecca for mountain biking and fishing enthusiasts when the snow melts. Hiking and equestrian trails go into wilderness areas of Sierra Nevada.

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• Mammoth Lakes Area

  A year round destination for recreation!

• Convict Creek Trail
• Deer Lake Trail
• Duck Pass Trail

  Several trails in this area offer a variety of hikes beginning behind Coldwater Campground. Climbing over Duck Pass to join the John Muir trail, the Duck Pass trail climbs the forested hillside behind Coldwater Campground and goes past Arrowhead, Skelton, and Barney lakes before going over Duck Pass. A side trail to Emerald Lake offers an alternate route to Skelton Lake or the option of a loop past Barret Lake returning to the west side of Lake Mary. Common destinations beyond Duck Pass include Duck Lake, with an intense deep-blue color with Pika Lake behind it, and Purple Lake a few miles beyond.

  Download  area map for trail names.
  To purchase more detailed maps or guidebooks of the area, visit sierraforever.org

• Laurel Lakes Trail
• Mammoth Pass Trailhead
• Red Cones Trail (Mammoth Pass)
• Sherwin Lakes Trail
• Valentine Lake Trail
• Reds Meadow Road

  Spectacular views from Minaret Vista survey this canyon full of recreational opportunities. Camp, fish, hike and explore Devils Postpile National Monument, Reds Meadow Resort and Agnew Meadows. Devils Postpile National Monument website has additional shuttlebus information.

• Beck Lake Trail
• Fern Lake Trail
• Fish Creek Trail
• High Trail
• John Muir Trail - North of Devils Postpile
• John Muir Trail - South of Devils Postpile
• Minaret Lake Trail
• River Trail
• Shadow Creek Trail
• Mono Lake Ranger District

  Mono Lake Ranger District is the northernmost district of Inyo National Forest. The western portion of the district is adjacent to Yosemite National Park, and includes one of the most spectacular and accessible areas of the Sierra Nevada. To the east is Mono Lake, and the world's largest stand of majestic Jeffrey Pines.

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• Black Point Fissures Trailhead
• June Lake Loop

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• Bloody Canyon Trail
• Fern / Yost Lake Trail
• Glass Creek Meadow Trailhead
• Parker Lake Trail
• Rush Creek Trail
• Lee Vining/ Mono Lake

  The northernmost part of Inyo National Forest, Mono Lake and the gateway to Yosemite are near the community of Lee Vining, California.

   

• Gardisky Lake Trail
• Gibbs Lake Trail
• Glacier Canyon
• Lakes Canyon Trail
• Lundy Canyon Trail
• Saddlebag Lake Trail
• Warren Fork Trail
• Mt. Whitney Ranger District

  The Mt. Whitney Ranger District is the southernmost district in the Inyo National Forest. On its western edge is Mt. Whitney, highest point in the contiguous United States. The district extends from the crest of the Sierra Nevada to the Inyo Mountains.  Recreation activities include hiking, fishing, climbing, horse riding, and more.

  More Information for Mt. Whitney Ranger District

• Horseshoe Meadow Area

  Horseshoe Meadow is a vast 10,000 foot high meadow, surrounded by lodgepole pine forest. Getting there is an adventure in itself; the road to Horseshoe Meadow climbs over 6,000 feet, as it winds its way up from Lone Pine. Three campgrounds are located in the Horseshoe Meadow Area. Trails from Horseshoe Meadow provide access to the Golden Trout Wilderness and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park. The road to Horseshoe Meadow is closed from approximately November to May due to snow.

• Cottonwood Lakes Trail
• Cottonwood Pass Trail
• Trail Pass
• Independence Area

  Independence, CA, is located on Highway 395, 15 miles north of Lone Pine and 45 miles south of Bishop. The Sierra Nevada and Inyo Mountains are accessible from Independence. Recreation activities include hiking, backpacking, fishing, backcountry skiing, snowboarding, and off highway vehicle exploration. Also see Onion Valley.

• Baxter Pass Trail
• Sawmill Pass Trail
• Shepherd Pass Stock Trail
• Shepherd Pass Trail
• Kern Plateau

  Located at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada, the Kern Plateau is vast area of forest covered hills and mountains, punctuated by by green meadows. The gently rolling landscape contrasts sharply with the rugged Sierra to the north. This area was not glaciated so the terrain is much gentler than most of the Eastern Sierra. The Kern Plateau is popular with stock users due to the ease of travel, abundant water and open meadows.

  The Kern Plateau is home to California's state fish, the California Golden Trout, which have existed for thousands of years in Golden Trout Creek and the South Fork of the Kern River.

  For maps and guide books, visit the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (ESIA) webpage.

• Blackrock Trail
• Haiwee Pass Trail
• Kennedy Meadows - Pacific Crest Trail
• Olancha Pass Trail
• Wildrose Trail
• Onion Valley Area

  Trails from Onion Valley provide access to the John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon National Park. In the spring, Onion Valley is popular with backcountry skiers and snowboarders. The road to Onion Valley is usually open from May to November.

  Download area map for trail names

• Golden Trout Lakes Trail
• Kearsarge Pass Trail
• Robinson Lake Trail
• Whitney Portal Area

  The Whitney Portal is 13 miles west of Lone Pine, CA, at the end of Whitney Portal Road. It is in a heavily wooded canyon, with towering granite cliffs on either side. The area includes 3 campgrounds, a picnic area, fishing pond and a stream. Trails from Whitney Portal provide access to the John Muir Wilderness and Sequoia National Park.

• Meysan Lakes Trail
• Mt. Whitney Trail
• North Fork Lone Pine Creek Trail
• Tuttle Creek Trail
• White Mountain Ranger District

  White Mountain Ranger District extends from the crest of the Sierra Nevada to the White Mountains. There are lakes, ponds, rivers and creeks for fishing. Roads and trails explore a wide variety of terrain and life zones. Elevations accessible by car range from 3,900 ft in Big Pine to 10,100 ft at the end of Rock Creek Road.

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• Big Pine Area

  Camping, fishing, hiking and backpacking draw many visitors to the Big Pine Creek Area every year.  Beautiful First Falls is a short walk from the picnic area. Longer hikes up the north fork trail leads to glacier fed lakes, First through Seventh lakes and great views into the Palisade Glacier Basin.  Overnight stays in the John Muir Wilderness require a wilderness permit.

• Baker Lakes Trail
• Big Pine Creek North Fork Trail
• Big Pine Creek South Fork Trail
• Birch Lake Trail
• Red Lake Trail
• Taboose Pass Trail
• Bishop Area

  Bishop Area

• Bishop Pass Trail - South Lake
• Gable Lakes Trail
• George Lake Trail
• Horton Lakes Trail
• Italy Pass Trail
• Lamarck Lakes Trail
• Pine Creek Pass Trail
• Piute Pass Trail - North Lake
• Sabrina Lake Trail
• Treasure Lakes Trail
• Tyee Lakes Trail
• Upper Buttermilk Trail
• Rock Creek Area

  Rock Creek Lake and the nearby area attract visitors from all over the world.  Rock Creek Lake is a traditional alpine lake surrounded by Jeffrey pines.

• Hilton Creek Trail
• Little Lakes Valley Trail
• McGee Pass Trail
• Mono Pass Trail
• Tamarack Lakes Trail
• White Mountains

  This high desert mountain range is home to the oldest living trees in the world:  the Ancient Bristlecone Pines.  The range is anchored at the north end by the highest peak in the State of Nevada, Boundary Peak.  Water is scarce in this Great Basin Range but the views, hiking and exploring are tops!

• Boundary Peak Trailhead

  Located in Boundary Peak Wilderness, 13,140 ft Boundary Peak is the highest point in Nevada. From the summit, the view takes in the Mono Lake basin to the north, the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the west, the White Mountains Wilderness to the south, while Nevada’s Basin and Range extends to the eastern horizon.

  The hike to the summit of Boundary Peak is most often done as a long day hike by one of two routes: Trail Canyon or Queen Canyon. You need to have route finding and cross-country navigation skills, and we recommend acclimating to altitude for several days before undertaking this hike.

  For more information about climbing Boundary Peak, go to Boundary Peak Wilderness.

• Queen Canyon
• Trail Canyon
• Wilderness Areas

  Inyo National Forest contains approximately one million acres of wilderness, in nine wilderness areas. Wilderness areas include the Hoover,  Ansel Adams, Owens River Headwaters, John Muir, Golden Trout, South Sierra, Boundary Peak, White Mountains and Inyo Mountains. Three of these were among the first wilderness areas designated by Congress in 1964.

  Approximately 30 million people live within a few hours’ drive. Forest visitors may use a network of trails that extend from Inyo National Forest into adjacent wilderness areas of Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The iconic John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails pass through these continuous wilderness areas and encompass some of the most spectacular landscapes in the United States and provide forest visitors with "outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation”.

• Ansel Adams Wilderness
• Boundary Peak Wilderness
• Golden Trout Wilderness
• Hoover Wilderness
• Inyo Mountains Wilderness
• John Muir Wilderness
• Owens River Headwaters Wilderness
• South Sierra Wilderness
• White Mountains Wilderness