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!
High Resolution Photos: If you want to see high resolution photos of any of the photos you see here, use the following links. If you wish to purchase prints of any of the photos, please contact me here. To view my best Inyo National Forest & Mono County photos from 2019 to 2022, use this link. To see all of my photos from Inyo National Forest & Mono County on this trip, use this link.
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 Canon DSLR. The photos are from Mammoth Lakes, CA and the Inyo National Forest. The photos are from the various lakes and spots around Mammoth Lakes, CA, Bald Mountain in the Inyo National Forest, and more.
This blog post contains photos I took on 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. We also drove up Bald Mountain in the Inyo National Forest in California. After Bald Mountain, we visited Virginia Lakes in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in California (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
After Minaret Vista, we went to go explore the various lakes around Mammoth Lakes in the Inyo National Forest.
A scenery photo of forest and Glass Mountain Ridge (in the distance). The photo was shot on Lake Mary Road (near Twin Lakes Vista) in Mammoth Lakes, CA/Inyo National Forest.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 37' 30" N 119° 00' 21" W
A scenery photo of Lake Mary and Mammoth Crest (in the distance). The photo was shot near Lake Mary Road in Mammoth Lakes, CA/Inyo National Forest.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 36' 21" N 119° 00' 11" W
A scenery photo of Lake Mary and Mammoth Mountain. The photo was shot on the Lake Mary Marina Pier at Lake Mary Marina in Mammoth Lakes, CA/Inyo National Forest.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 36' 00" N 118° 59' 59" W
After we were done exploring the lakes, we explored various spots in Mammoth Lakes, CA and looked at the autumn foliage in town.
A scenery photo of Mammoth Lakes, CA, Glass Mountain Ridge (in the distance on the left), and White Mountains (in the distance on the right). The photo was shot at The Bluffs on Le Verne Street in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 37' 22" N 118° 59' 06" W
A scenery photo of Mammoth Lakes, CA, Glass Mountain Ridge (in the distance on the left), and White Mountains (in the distance on the right). The photo was shot at The Bluffs on Le Verne Street in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Photo shot at the same spot as above.
A scenery photo of autumn foliage on aspen trees. The photo was shot near Old Mammoth Road in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 37' 57" N 118° 58' 25" W
A scenery photo of autumn foliage on aspen trees. The photo was shot near Old Mammoth Road in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 37' 58" N 118° 58' 25" W
A scenery photo of autumn foliage on aspen trees. The photo was shot near Timber Creek Road in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 37' 56" N 118° 58' 30" W
A black and white process of the photo above.
A scenery photo of autumn foliage on aspen trees and Timber Creek Road. The photo was shot in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 37' 54" N 118° 58' 31" W
A scenery photo of autumn foliage on aspen trees and Timber Creek Road. The photo was shot in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 37' 55" N 118° 58' 31" W
A scenery photo of autumn foliage on aspen trees. The photo was shot near the intersection of Timber Creek Road and Old Mammoth Road in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 37' 55" N 118° 58' 27" W
Up next, we left Mammoth Lakes, and drove up to Bald Mountain Lookout on Bald Mountain in the Inyo National Forest.
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 (in the distance), Paoha Island (in the distance on the left), Eastern Sierras (left), and forest. The photo was shot at Bald Mountain Lookout on Bald Mountain in the Inyo National Forest.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 47' 03" N 118° 54' 06" W
A scenery photo of Eastern Sierras (in the distance) and forest. The photo was shot at Bald Mountain Lookout on Bald Mountain in the Inyo National Forest.
Photo shot near the same spot as above.
A scenery photo of Mono Lake & Paoha Island (in the distance on the right), Eastern Sierras (in the distance on the left), and forest. The photo was shot at Bald Mountain Lookout on Bald Mountain in the Inyo National Forest.
Photo shot near the same spot as above.
A scenery photo of Eastern Sierras (in the distance), Lake Crowley (in the distance on the left), and Mammoth Yosemite Airport (in the distance in the center). The photo was shot at Bald Mountain Lookout on Bald Mountain in the Inyo National Forest.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 47' 00" N 118° 54' 05" W
A black and white process of the photo above.
A scenery photo of Mono Lake (in the distance), Paoha Island (in the distance in the center), Eastern Sierras (in the distance on the left), and forest. The photo was shot at Bald Mountain Lookout on Bald Mountain in the Inyo National Forest.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 47' 03" N 118° 54' 06" W
After enjoying the scenery at Bald Mountain, we began our drive to Virginia Lakes in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (cellphone photos only). Before we got there, we stopped by West Portal Scenic View Point/Aeolian Buttes Viewpoint (Forest Road 01S116) on the side of US-395 in the Inyo National Forest.
A scenery photo of Mono Lake (in the distance), Paoha Island (in the distance on the right), and Negit Island (in the distance slightly right of the center). The photo was shot at West Portal Scenic View Point/Aeolian Buttes Viewpoint (Forest Road 01S116) in the Inyo National Forest.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 50' 35" N 119° 04' 03" W
After Virginia Lakes in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (cellphone photos only), we 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
