The Eastern Sierra: California's Other Mountains
Most people think of the Sierra Nevada from the west — Yosemite Valley, Kings Canyon's Giant Forest, the Sequoias. The eastern escarpment is different in every way: a dramatic fault scarp that drops 10,000 feet from the Whitney Crest to the Owens Valley in less than 10 miles, creating one of the most abrupt mountain fronts on Earth. Mammoth Lakes sits at the center of this world, at 8,000 feet elevation, with the John Muir Wilderness behind it and the Great Basin's volcanic and geological wonders spread out below.
This 10-day itinerary uses Mammoth as a hub with 4–5 nights of overnight backpacking into the John Muir Wilderness, day trips to Mono Lake and June Lake Loop, and a Devils Postpile morning hike. No other location in California packs this density of high-caliber outdoor experiences into a single 10-day window.
Trip Overview
- Duration: 10 days
- Base: Mammoth Lakes, CA (lodging + camping options)
- Backpacking nights: 4–5 nights John Muir Wilderness
- JMT/John Muir Wilderness permit: Required for overnight trips; quota system at recreation.gov. Day hiking: no permit. Book 6 months out for peak season.
- Devils Postpile: Mandatory shuttle fee $8/adult during peak season (July–early September)
- Best months: July–September (snowpack clears, peak wildflowers July–August)
- Nearest town: Bishop, CA (40 miles south, major resupply)
Days 1–2 — Arrival and Convict Lake
Arrive in Mammoth Lakes and acclimatize for the first day — Mammoth sits at 7,880 feet and altitude adjustment before heading higher prevents AMS. Walk the Mammoth Lakes Basin loop (Twin Lakes, Lake Mary, Lake George, Lake Mamie) for easy first-day hiking at 9,000 feet. These four lakes are connected by an 8-mile trail through pine forest with wildflower meadows above.
Day 2: Drive 12 miles south to Convict Lake (elevation 7,583 ft). The 2.6-mile trail around the lake gains 450 feet to the high point above the lake's north shore, with views back to the cirque walls of Laurel Mountain and Bloody Mountain rising 3,000 feet above the water. The lake itself is electric blue from glacial flour — stunning reflection photography at dawn.
AllTrails: 4.8★ (2,341 reviews) — search "Convict Lake Loop"
Days 3–7 — John Muir Wilderness Backpacking Loop
The heart of the trip: a 4-night loop from the Duck Pass Trailhead (9,100 ft) into the John Muir Wilderness. This loop covers Duck Lake, Purple Lake, McGee Pass, and the Mammoth Pass approach — roughly 40 miles of high Sierra at its finest.
Day 3: Duck Pass Trailhead → Duck Lake (11,000 ft), 10 miles, 2,000 ft gain. Duck Lake is a large alpine lake ringed by granite and sparse whitebark pine; the creek outlet has excellent camping.
Day 4: Duck Lake → Purple Lake via the Purple Lake Cross-Country Route (experienced navigators) or the longer trail via Cascade Valley, 10 miles. Purple Lake sits in a deep granite bowl at 10,000 feet with campsites directly above the outlet.
Day 5: Purple Lake → McGee Canyon. Cross McGee Pass (11,900 ft) and descend into the McGee Creek drainage — a wild canyon with excellent trout fishing in the creek. Camp near Grass Lake at 10,200 feet.
Day 6: McGee Canyon → Mammoth Pass area, 12 miles. This is the long day; the trail climbs back to nearly 11,000 feet before descending toward Horseshoe Lake.
Day 7: Return to Mammoth Lakes.
r/WildernessBackpacking▲ 2.8k upvotes"The Duck Lake area has all of the Sierra scenery with a fraction of the JMT crowds. Pack for sun and afternoon thunderstorms every day."
Day 8 — Devils Postpile and Rainbow Falls
Devils Postpile National Monument requires a mandatory shuttle from Mammoth Lakes Ski Area ($8/adult, runs July–early September). The Postpile itself is a 60-foot wall of perfectly hexagonal basalt columns — a lava flow that fractured as it cooled, creating what looks like a giant pipe organ standing in the forest. The trail continues 1.5 miles to Rainbow Falls (101 feet, prismatic mist effects at midday), making a satisfying 5-mile round trip from the shuttle stop.
Day 9 — Mono Lake and June Lake Loop
Mono Lake (45 minutes north) is an ancient inland sea with no outlet — minerals have concentrated for millennia into a lake three times saltier than the ocean. The tufas (calcium carbonate towers) emerging from the lake's south shore are unique geological formations found nowhere else in the US. Walk the South Tufa Trail (1 mile, flat, free) at dawn or dusk for extraordinary light on the formations. Swimming is allowed and the dense salinity makes you nearly unsinkable.
Afternoon: drive the June Lake Loop (Hwy 158) — four lakes (June, Gull, Silver, Grant) in a glacially carved canyon with incredible fall color mid-October. June Lake village has a good brewery and the best pizza within 40 miles of Mammoth.
Day 10 — Hot Creek and Departure
Hot Creek Geological Site is a geothermal hot spring along Hot Creek (closed to swimming since 2006 due to scalding boil-ups, but dramatic to walk beside). The boardwalk trail overlooks bubbling hot springs in the creek, steam vents, and the surreal sight of fly fishermen working cold-water sections 50 yards from boiling vents. Free, always open, 10 minutes from Mammoth.
Gear Notes
- Bear canister — required in John Muir Wilderness (Mammoth Ranger District provides loans)
- Sunscreen and sun hat — high-elevation UV is intense; sun exposure above 10,000 feet is roughly double sea level
- Microspikes — Duck Pass snow lingers into July most years
- Afternoon thunderstorm protocol — be off exposed ridges by noon
