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Sensational Eastern Sierra
The scenery surrounding Twin Lakes is so amazing that many visitors never leave the valley during their stay.
Below Twin Lakes is prime California ranchland; above Twin Lakes is classic Sierra wilderness. Within the valley are huge forests of fir and pine, small clusters of aspen, massive granitic ridges and volcanic crags, vast snowfields, mountainsides carpeted with every imaginable wildflower, high alpine lakes, lush stream zones, raging waterfalls, babbling brooks, and a vast array of wildlife, including mule deer, brown bear, beaver, coyote, squirrels, chipmunks, bald eagles, hawks, ducks and of course, waterways teeming with trout.
Just outside Twin Lakes are Buckeye and Travertine Hot Springs and the little town of Bridgeport, with a menagerie of shops, restaurants, summer events and classic courthouse. Less than an hour's drive away is Bodie, perhaps the west's best preserved ghost town. In the same general direction is Mono Lake, one of the most unique environmental features of the eastern Sierra, with its unusual tufa formations and fascinating visitors center.
A little farther south is the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park and the high sierra backcountry of Tioga Pass. Beyond that is quaint and picturesque June Lakes and the Mammoth Ski Resort with its upscale mountain village and renown summer festivals. On the far edge of Mammoth Lakes are the towering hexagonal stacks of Devils Postpile National Monument.
Despite all of these world-renowned attractions, many other less famous but no less spectacular vistas are awaiting those who choose less traveled roads. Just to the north of Bridgeport lies the spectacularly rugged Sonora Pass, while immediately to the south lie several other canyons worth exploring, especially Green Creek and Virginia Lakes. Green Creek is a charmer; a fly fishermen's paradise, the valley rewards hikers who make the short jaunt to Green Lake, a pristine alpine canyon rimmed by granitic outcroppings, volcanic crags and a hanging water fall.
Below Twin Lakes is prime California ranchland; above Twin Lakes is classic Sierra wilderness. Within the valley are huge forests of fir and pine, small clusters of aspen, massive granitic ridges and volcanic crags, vast snowfields, mountainsides carpeted with every imaginable wildflower, high alpine lakes, lush stream zones, raging waterfalls, babbling brooks, and a vast array of wildlife, including mule deer, brown bear, beaver, coyote, squirrels, chipmunks, bald eagles, hawks, ducks and of course, waterways teeming with trout.
Just outside Twin Lakes are Buckeye and Travertine Hot Springs and the little town of Bridgeport, with a menagerie of shops, restaurants, summer events and classic courthouse. Less than an hour's drive away is Bodie, perhaps the west's best preserved ghost town. In the same general direction is Mono Lake, one of the most unique environmental features of the eastern Sierra, with its unusual tufa formations and fascinating visitors center.
A little farther south is the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park and the high sierra backcountry of Tioga Pass. Beyond that is quaint and picturesque June Lakes and the Mammoth Ski Resort with its upscale mountain village and renown summer festivals. On the far edge of Mammoth Lakes are the towering hexagonal stacks of Devils Postpile National Monument.
Despite all of these world-renowned attractions, many other less famous but no less spectacular vistas are awaiting those who choose less traveled roads. Just to the north of Bridgeport lies the spectacularly rugged Sonora Pass, while immediately to the south lie several other canyons worth exploring, especially Green Creek and Virginia Lakes. Green Creek is a charmer; a fly fishermen's paradise, the valley rewards hikers who make the short jaunt to Green Lake, a pristine alpine canyon rimmed by granitic outcroppings, volcanic crags and a hanging water fall.