Day 18: To Onion Valley campground

July 27, 2009

I got away from the Lone Pine motel at 7AM to beat the heat and enjoy the mountain views in early morning sun. Just north of Lone Pine are the reddish Alabama Hills which look very scenic lined up in front of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

View of the Alabama Hills and Sierra Nevada mountains from Lone Pine.

US 395 runs down the middle of the Owens valley staying around 4000 feet elevation. Not far to the west are the 14,000 foot highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the continental U.S., but it doesn't even stand out because so many other peaks are almost as tall. The Sierra Nevada mountains rise VERY abruptly on the east side, and the short desert vegetation and wide basin allows one to see the mountains all the time. You don't see the high mountains often on the west side because trees and foothills obstruct the view most of the time.

Looking up a gravel road towards the Sierra Nevada.

I stopped and looked around the few outdoor exhibits at Manzanar National Historic Site. I arrived at 8:30 and didn't stay until 10AM when the visitor center opens.

Manzanar National Historic Site. During World War 2 it was an internment camp for American citizens of Japanese descent.

Lone Pine to Independence was mostly flat with a gentle tailwind. Easy and scenic riding with the Sierra Nevada to my left and the sun behind me.

US 395 offers nonstop views of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Independence is an economically depressed town. The main thing keeping it going is Inyo county government. The supermarket is closed. Several motels closed. Cafe closed. The only place open is a gas station/convenience store with an attached Subway restaurant. I bought what I could at the store because there won't be a store where I camp the next two nights.

Old farm and mining implements at the Inyo County Museum in Independence.

In Independence I turned left on Onion Valley road. It starts innocently enough in town and leads to 3 campgrounds. In 14 miles the road climbs from 4000 feet elevation to 9200 feet elevation. That's a 5200 foot climb with a 7% grade. I climbed 2000 feet just to get across the valley to the foot of the mountains. What appears to be a gently rising valley is actually rising steeply. Then the road climbs into the mountains. Winding up ridges with switchbacks high above a rushing creek. The temperature dropped from the 90's to the 80's. The views looking down were amazing, but it was hard to see up into the mountains looking into the sun. I could see that the road is constructed to be invisible from below, so it doesn't scar the mountain view.

Looking down on the Owens Valley while climbing to Onion Valley campground. The town of Independence is in the center right, 4000 feet below.

Looking up while climbing to the Onion Valley campground.

The last view of the Owens Valley before rounding a bend to Onion Valley campground.

Trees become gradually more common at the higher elevations and the scene becomes positively lush at the Onion Valley campground. I could see 3 waterfalls on the surrounding mountains and two creeks flow through the campground. The campground has many trees. A huge change from the desert basin.

I started the climb at 11AM and arrived at the campground at 4:30PM. A 5200 foot climb in 5 1/2 hours is pretty good for me. The temperature was 95F in Independence and 80F at Onion Valley. The weather is great if you go high enough!

View from my campsite at Onion Valley campground. Elevation 9200 feet.

Tomorrow I do a day hike to Kearsarge Pass in the high Sierra. Most people use this trailhead for multi-day backpacking trips across Kearsarge Pass to the high country of Kings Canyon National Park. About half the campground is occupied by backpackers who are just starting or finishing trips.

It's a physically ambitious plan to detour off highway 395 and climb from 4000 feet to 11,700 feet. But so far the bike part of the climb has offered magnificent scenery and a magnificent escape from the heat and traffic.

One downside of the lush surroundings was that mosquitoes came out in force at dusk. I retreated to my tent at 8PM and promptly fell asleep. The climb wore me out.

Distance: 34.4 mi (55 km)

Climbing: 5416 ft (1640 m)

Average speed: 5.1 mph (8.2 km/h)

Max speed: 17 mph (27 km/h)

Today's ride: 34 miles (55 km)
Total: 877 miles (1,411 km)

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