Lone Pine Campground

[McDave]

Here we are at Lone Pine Campground yesterday, one of my favorite campgrounds in the world. Several spots available for the asking both days I was here. Trout to be caught in Lone Pine Creek. My Whitney is in the background just to the left of Lupe, with Keeler Needle just to the left of it.

[NorCal Matt]

Beautiful! Where's Lone Pine?

[AlinCal]

Shhhh, don't tell everyone. We are starting our trip off with two nights there next weekend then on to Rock Creek for a week. Yahoo!
http://www.whitneyzone.com/wc_notes.htm

[AlinCal]

Was water running in secondary creek by your site? That is a great site when it's got water in it with a little beach under the tree

[Scorge-ION]

Originally Posted by NorCal Matt

Beautiful! Where's Lone Pine?

Pretty little town in eastern California's Owens Valley, wedged between the Sierra Nevada mountains and the White Mountains. Mt. Whitney, in background, is the highest peak in the lower 48 states.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owens_Valley
White Mountains on the east side of the valley get up above 14,000 feet. They're noted for their Bristlecone Pine trees, including the oldest known tree in the world. There's a high-altitude research center near the top of White Mountain, the highest peak. Scientists can drive to the research center. The highest point in Nevada is where the stateline crosses Boundary Peak.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_...ns_(California)
Below Mt. Whitney on the western side is the Alabama Hills. Many movies were filmed there: Gunga Din, Joe Kidd. Many cowboy TV shows were filmed there; it was a favorite of the Lone Ranger. It's an excellent mountain bike adventure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama_Hills
Ride hard, shoot straight, and make your mother proud!

[McDave]

Originally Posted by AlinCal

Was water running in secondary creek by your site? That is a great site when it's got water in it with a little beach under the tree

Quite a bit of water was running in Lone Pine Creek, which forms the northern boundary of the campground. Too much, really, for Lupe to go swimming safely, although we found a few backwashes where water had pooled and she went in. In one of them, she ventured a little too far out and was caught by the current, but fortunately fought her way back to shore before she was carried downstream.

People were fishing in the creek, and were pulling 10-12" trout out of the rushing water. All of my fishing has been in mountain lakes, and I picked up a few tips about fishing in fast water that I plan to apply in the future. Mainly use a short rod in the brush and keep dangling a fish egg again and again in the stream as it rushes by.

I'm not familiar with a secondary creek. Maybe I should have explored to the south of the campground?

[AlinCal]

The secondary creek only runs when excess water is diverted up stream, the main creek runs on North side of campsites (as you said) and secondary runs South of all campsites, by your picture it looks like your on the South side and if water was running it would have been just 20 feet off the back of your site if I have you placed correctly. We have stayed there many times and the secondary only flows when snow melt/runoff is high and probably not this late in the year.
Yes it is a challenge fishing a fast moving creek shrouded in trees and shrubs, I use bare minimum to no weight at all and toss upstream and let the bait flow with the water and toss again.
Did you get up to Whitney Portal? nice little stocked pond up there by the store/ restaurant. The burgers are legendary!

[McDave]

Yes, as a matter of fact, we made it to Whitney Portal, which was the main reason we were there. My wife had hiked into the wilderness 10 days before from Onion Valley over Kearsarge Pass. She had scored one of the coveted trail passes to exit over Trail Crest, and we were there in order to meet her at high noon on Friday as she hiked down into Whitney Portal. We got to Whitney Portal about 2 hours early, and rather than wait there for her, we hiked up the trail to meet her (hoping that she would be coming down the trail, of course). Finally, a couple of miles up the trail, I spotted her across a horseshoe bend in the trail. I told Lupe, "better go see Mom!" She looked up to me in puzzlement, as she neither saw nor smelled Mom, and stayed with me. But when Mom finally came around the horseshoe bend, she saw her, and ran up to meet her with obvious glee.

[AlinCal]

Wow that sounds great, wife and I have hiked up the trail to Lone Pine lake several times since you can go that far without a permit and we aren't really backpacker types but it is super beautiful to see.
We had about a ten year run where twice a year for a week at a time explored every road off 395 into the western Sierra from below Lone Pine to above Lee Vining. With family we had always gone to the same places at Silver Lake or up Lee Vining Creek and as nice as that was we knew we were missing too much.
So many amazing places to see especially if you can hike the trails past the end of the pavement.

[McDave]

After we left Lone Pine Campground, we spent a couple of days at McGee Creek Campground, which is very similar to Lone Pine Campground, except without the spectacular view of Mt Whitney. McGee Creek thunders by the campground similar to Lone Pine Creek, and is also popular with fishermen. There is a trailhead several miles up the road from McGee Creek Campground, from which you can walk up McGee Creek a long ways, all the way to McGee Lakes, about 7-8 miles, and beyond, but it is a beautiful hike however far you decide to walk. McGee Creek Campground is also known as a particularly beautiful place to view the wildflowers in the spring.

[AlinCal]

My absolute favorite hike is above Rock Creek Lake and with the trail head parking at 10,000 feet much of the work is done for you(by your car), the downside to that is it also makes it somewhat crowded for a Sierra trail.
Numerous lakes along the way and beautiful creek crossings.

I think this is spring 2010