Owens Valley, the hot and cool, you choose!

[generubin]

Anne and I just got back from a great 4 day trip in the Owen's Valley. The Owens Valley has been my stomping grounds for the last 35 years or so.

Gateway to Death Valley and Saline Valley, the Owens Valley offers heat if you want it at the lower elevations or cool breezes up high in the Eastern Sierra. We had a bit of both. A couple of night in the Alabama Hills with temps in the 90's, and a couple of nights at 10,000 feet at Baker Creek/Coyote Creek high above Bishop, days at 70, nights at 55.

The road to Baker Creek is 20 miles of very steep, sheer drop offs, sandy and boulder strewn road. The first 6 miles gains you about 5,000 feet of elevation. Overall, the 20 miles will take you about 2.5 hours. I've done this road about 4 or 5 times over the last 20 years. It is in worse shape than I have seen ever before. But the rewards are wonderful. We saw not another soul the whole time up there and the place is spotlessly clean. Camping with the Palisades Glacier nearby and in full view is sweet!

Some of the pics are Alabama Hills, some are Baker Creek, also called Baker Meadow.

 

[generubin]

A few more pics

 

[takesiteasy]

Good looking picnic! Seems like a great trip. I like the contrasting climates idea. It's been beastly hot and humid here, cool mountain air sounds awesome.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Gene, what are the peaks above the glacier and in the far left of your photo? I've never looked at the Sierra from quite that perspective.

 

[generubin]

Stew,

The taller peak is Palisade Peak at 14,000+. The glacier is Palisade Glacier the southern most and largest in the Sierra. Pics below are the lakes in the area just up from where we camped. One can hike to them in an hour or so. I didn't take these pics.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Nice pictures.Liked the glacier color water in the lakes.
Thanks Frank

 

[highz]

Nice getaway!

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Stew,

The taller peak is Palisade Peak at 14,000+. The glacier is Palisade Glacier the southern most and largest in the Sierra. Pics below are the lakes in the area just up from where we camped. One can hike to them in an hour or so. I didn't take these pics.

I've been up to 1st, 2nd and 3rd lake five or six times but never to the higher numbered lakes closer to where you were camped. One October we hiked up from 3rd lake to the more southerly lobe of Palisade Glacier were I snapped this:

 

[generubin]

Stew that is a beautiful picture!

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

x2 Frank

 

[Bosque Bill]

Nice report. Enjoyed the photos.

Gene, do you have an a/c or way to keep cool at night or are you just tough and sweat it out?

 

[generubin]

Bill,
The nights cooled down into the high 80's. It was perfect. Often in warm weather we just sleep outside under the stars. Unlike the deserts of say Arizona, most California areas of heat have a high mountain range nearby from which a cool breeze descends. Owens Valley always has a cool breeze in the evenings.
Gene

 

[generubin]

I just pulled this picture off of Anne's phone. Alabama Hills with Whitney and the Sierras in back:

 

[ski3pin]

very nice!