Visit Mono County: High Sierra Jeep Adventures Tour

–Written by my husband.  Mono County and June Lake are decidedly one of the most scenic areas in all of California. This special spot nestled into the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada is one breathtaking scene after the other, one our family fell in love with  after we spent an extended weekend in the area. To experience this alpine wonderland from the highways, byways, creeks and lakes is a thrill for all. Infused with the spirit of adventure we arranged a back country Jeep tour.  High Sierra Jeep Adventures promised easy access to some of the most rugged and beautiful country the high sierra has to offer, and they DELIVERED. Two custom build Jeep Wrangler YJ’s met us in the parking of our accommodations and we were introduced to our local guides Ian & Lundy and their canine pal HI. After some small talk and safety instruction two kids and I were handed the keys to one of the jeeps and instructed to follow as the wife and other daughter rode in the other jeep with the guides. We have been on tours in other areas where the guide was the driver and there is no question that driving is much more fun than riding along, in fact our guides encouraged my wife and me to take turns driving to really get the most of the experience. On the road out of town the kids got a kick out of the CB radios used to communicate between the jeeps while touring. High Sierra Jeep Adventures offers a wide range of tour variation and is able to customize an excursion based your interests so be sure to tell your guide what you’d like to see for the best experience. In a few minutes we left the pavement behind in a cloud of dust and hit the trail. Our tour began with a winding up, down, and over gentle rollercoaster ride through the pine and sagebrush forest east of highway 395. As we gained elevation leaving the highway we were treated to a new vista at every turn. As the view opened up to the south we could see volcanic buttes and domes with the scenic Mammoth Mountain area in the distance. Then around a curve the left and the desolate Inyo National Forest is spread out in the distance with the 14,000’ tall White Mountains as the horizon. Another curve and we stop on the rim of a crater with a 200’ drop off the drivers side door and the devilish crags of the Mono Craters on the other side . (my daughter is only pretending to drive of course) Continuing along we climbed to a ridge with a commanding 360 degree view.  We took a short walk off the trail where we found a USGS marker from 1933 and our guides gave us a little background on the LA aqueduct and water diversions from the eastern sierra to southern California. Turns out that tunnels for the aqueduct where directly beneath us and remnants of equipment used in the construction of the tunnels and pipelines where strewn amongst the surrounding hillsides. Back in the Jeeps we wound our way down and northerly out of the mono crater area toward the town of Lee Vining. As we left the forests of pine behind we traversed the Aeolian Buttes region of the Mono Basin National Scenic Area.

After a few miles of sage scented dusty trails we hopped on the highway for a few minutes of pavement before we reached the Alpine portion of our tour. A sharp turn off Highway 120 and the jeeps climbed up up up up the north wall of Lee Vining Canyon. Leaving the pavement behind we continued to climb through verdant forests of pine, fir, and hemlock with beautiful meadows fringed with quaking aspen and small creeks crossing the trails beckoning the jeeps to splash and frolic.  The cool mountain air was a refreshing contrast to the dry dusty sage and pine of the beginning of our tour. The driving actually got more interesting as trails got steeper and some loose rock and mud added to the fun. Traveling up the eastern slope of Lee Vining peak we continued to climb until we reached an old settlers log cabin. We got out to stretch our legs and wonder how deep the snow must get during the winter here at 10,000 feet (almost 2 miles above sea level).  Continuing to the end of the trail we arrived at an abandoned gold mining camp from the early 20th century complete with old buildings and equipment in various states of disrepair. As evening was approaching we made it back to the jeeps for a thrilling descent down the mountain. Our route back down the mountain included a cruise through one of the largest mountain mahogany forests in the state and breathtaking views of Mono Lake nearly 4000 feet below.Our sincere thanks to our guides Ian and Lundy for the very informative and interesting tour. Not many activities are truly able to entertain kids, teenagers and parents at the same as this jeep tour did.  I may have even heard my teenager say she kinda loved this car!  We better save our money!  My wife was pleased that the ride wasn’t nearly as “herky-jerky” as she expected, though if you have long hair like my wife and daughters do, put it up!  It gets windy and wild in there and well full of dirt to be honest. High Sierra Jeep Adventures offers an unforgettable opportunity to get an up close and personal with the scenic eastern slope of California’s Sierra Nevada with the ability to drive yourself through it.  To get more information, visit http://www.highsierrajeepadventures.com/index.html or call 760-924-3333 to book your next unforgettable adventure!

Our tour was hosted as part of our press trip.  All opinions our own.