My parents and I spent 2 nights at Mammoth Lakes, CA between October 21 to October 23 in 2022. We explored Yosemite National Park, Inyo National Forest, Mono County, and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in California enjoying the scenery and autumn foliage. I took photos with my phone, my Olympus mirrorless camera, and my Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera. The photos will be split into several blog posts. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!
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Parts:
Cellphone: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Olympus: Part 1 | Part 2
Canon: Part 1 | Part 2
This is part 2 of the photos that were shot on my Olympus mirrorless camera. The photos are from the Inyo National Forest in California and Mono County, CA. The photos are from Hot Creek Geologic Site, Benton Crossing Road & Owens River Bridge, Minaret Vista, and Bald Mountain Lookout.
This blog post contains photos I took on day 2 and 3. On day 2, we explored Mammoth Lakes, CA (cellphone photos only), Hot Creek Geologic Site, Wild Willy's Hot Springs (Canon DSLR photos only), Lake Crowley (Canon DSLR and cellphone photos only), and Convict Lake (Canon DSLR photos only).
It was snowing quite heavily in Mammoth Lakes, CA on day 2 of our trip, so our family traveled out into the desert. The next few photos are from Hot Creek Geologic Site in the Inyo National Forest.
A scenery photo of Hot Creek & hot springs (bottom), clouds, desert, and mountains. The photo was shot at Hot Creek Geologic Site in the Inyo National Forest.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 39' 39" N 118° 49' 40" W
A black and white process of the photo above.
A scenery photo of Hot Creek, Glass Mountain Ridge (in the distance), clouds, and desert. The photo was shot at Hot Creek Geologic Site in the Inyo National Forest.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 39' 42" N 118° 49' 38" W
A black and white process of the photo above.
A scenery photo of Hot Creek and clouds. The photo was shot at Hot Creek Geologic Site in the Inyo National Forest.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 39' 42" N 118° 49' 40" W
A black and white process of the photo above.
After we were done at Hot Creek Geologic Site, we visited Brees Lookout approximately 1/4 mile down the road on the boundary of the Inyo National Forest and Mono County, CA. This lookout provides a great overlook of Hot Creek Geologic Site.
A scenery photo of Hot Creek Geologic Site, Hot Creek, hot springs (center), Eastern Sierras (in the distance), and clouds. The photo was shot at Brees Lookout in the Inyo National Forest.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 39' 44" N 118° 49' 37" W
A scenery photo of Hot Creek Geologic Site, Hot Creek, and hot springs (center). The photo was shot at Brees Lookout in the Inyo National Forest.
Photo shot at the same spot as above.
A black and white process of the photo above.
After we explored Hot Creek Geologic Site and Brees Lookout, we went to Wild Willy's Hot Springs in Mono County, CA (Canon DSLR photos only). Then after Wild Willy's Hot Springs, we dropped by Benton Crossing/Owens River Bridge, and then went to Lake Crowley in Mono County, CA (Canon DSLR and cellphone photos only).
The last of my day 2 photos from my Olympus mirrorless camera were shot at Benton Crossing/Owens River Bridge (near Benton Crossing Road & Owens River Bridge) in Mono County, CA.
A scenery photo of Eastern Sierras (in the distance) and Owens River. The photo was shot near Benton Crossing Road and Owens River Bridge in Mono County, CA.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 41' 56" N 118° 45' 47" W
A black and white process of the photo above.
A scenery photo of Owens River Bridge, Owens River, and Eastern Sierras (in the distance). The photo was shot near Benton Crossing Road and Owens River Bridge in Mono County, CA.
Photo shot near the same spot as above.
A black and white process of the photo above.
A scenery photo of Eastern Sierras (in the distance) and Owens River. The photo was shot near Benton Crossing Road and Owens River Bridge in Mono County, CA.
Photo shot near the same spot as above.
A black and white process of the photo above.
After taking some of my best photos ever near Owens River Bridge, we headed for Lake Crowley in Mono County, CA (Canon DSLR and cellphone photos only) before finishing up at Convict Lake in the Inyo National Forest (Canon DSLR photos only).
Next up, are my Olympus mirrorless camera photos from day 3, the last day of my trip. On our last day, we explored Mammoth Lakes, CA visiting several locations in the town, including the various lakes surrounding the town in the bordering Inyo National Forest (most of these photos were shot on my cellphone and my Canon DSLR). We also drove up Bald Mountain in the Inyo National Forest. After Bald Mountain, we visited Virginia Lakes in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (cellphone photos only) before heading home.
Our first stop of the day was Minaret Vista in the Inyo National Forest. We visited the vista on day 2 as well, but because of the heavy snowstorm in Mammoth Lakes and the Sierra Nevada mountains, we literally drove into a cloud, and was not able to see anything. On day 2, Minaret Vista was a total white-out. Since I knew the view would be really nice in good weather (thanks to Google Maps), I decided to give it another try on the last day of our trip.
A scenery photo of forest and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The photo was shot at Minaret Vista in the Inyo National Forest.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 39' 23" N 119° 03' 41" W
A scenery photo of forest and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The photo was shot at Minaret Vista in the Inyo National Forest.
Photo shot near the same spot as above.
A scenery photo of forest and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The photo was shot at Minaret Vista in the Inyo National Forest.
Photo shot near the same spot as above.
After we were done in Mammoth Lakes, CA, we went to Bald Mountain in the Inyo National Forest. We drove up to Bald Mountain Lookout on Bald Mountain.
Travel Tip: You may need a vehicle with moderate clearance to make it up the last 1.5 miles of dirt and gravel road up to Bald Mountain Lookout. Our family drives a 2006 Honda Pilot and we made it all the way up. The road to Bald Mountain Lookout is not paved, so you will be driving a little over 11 miles on dirt and gravel roads after you turn off of US Route 395. The road is very wide and in fairly good condition with exception to the last 1.5 miles. The hard part starts at the intersection of Bald Mountain Road and Bald Mountain Springs Road (Forest Road 02S481). The last 1.5 miles of Bald Mountain Road (Forest Road 02S162) is really steep, rocky, bumpy, and most of it is only wide enough for 1 vehicle to pass through. As you get close to Bald Mountain Lookout, there is another dirt road that splits from the main road (Forest Road 01S05H) that will lead you to another (lower) peak, but the road looks very narrow, rough, primitive, and only passable with an OHV (SxS), dirt bike, or mountain bike. Don't forget, the vehicle driving uphill always has the right-of-way. We were here on a Sunday, and we only saw 1 other vehicle on our drive in. Looking at the guestbook in the Bald Mountain Warming Hut, there were only 2 signatures (1 for each day) for the 2 days prior, so you will most likely not meet anyone on your drive. Bald Mountain Lookout is only accessible via snowmobiles, backcountry skiing, or snowshoeing when the road is covered in snow.
A scenery photo of Mono Lake, Paoha Island, and forest. The photo was shot at Bald Mountain Lookout on Bald Mountain in the Inyo National Forest.
A scenery photo of forest, burned forest, mountain, and clouds. The photo was shot at Bald Mountain Lookout on Bald Mountain in the Inyo National Forest.
A scenery photo of Eastern Sierras and Mammoth Yosemite Airport (left). The photo was shot at Bald Mountain Lookout on Bald Mountain in the Inyo National Forest.
After Bald Mountain, we went to Virginia Lakes in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (cellphone photos only), and then drove home via State Route 108 (Sonora Pass).
This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.
Parts:
Cellphone: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Olympus: Part 1 | Part 2
Canon: Part 1 | Part 2
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