11 Stops on the Ultimate Eastern Sierras Road Trip

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What if I told you California’s best road trip isn’t on the coast?

You’re probably imagining endless gorgeous coastlines, giant trees and awesome cities. But the Eastern Sierras road trip involves the country’s tallest mountains, lots of alpine lakes and a variety of desert landscapes.

It’s an absolute dream!

If you love impressive mountains, alpine conditions, and rugged landscapes, this is the road trip for you. This less-traveled route rewards travelers with awe-inspiring vistas and solitude.

Feel free to jump ahead in this travel guide using the table of contents!

During my 2 years road tripping across the US, I spent 2 whole months in the Eastern Sierras, exploring everything from Death Valley to Lake Tahoe.

It’s now one of my favorite road trips in the USA (third place, to be exact).

Highway 395, the Eastern Sierras Byway, is a 250-mile stretch of road and it’s perfectly positioned for a road trip. They call it a scenic byway for a reason.

The road goes south-north on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California.

The views are amazing – it has jagged mountains, deep and narrow valleys, sparkling lakes (once they thaw), and piles of boulders that stretch on for miles.

But, apart from the views, Highway 395 also goes through a bunch of small towns. Each one has its charm, like the warmth of Bishop, the curated beauty of Mammoth Lakes and western allure of Lone Pine.

What makes the Eastern Sierras so special?

I’ve talked about the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range with the tallest mountain in the US outside of Alaska.

These mountains can be approached from the west too (straight from the coast), so what makes the eastern side so special?

Their immensity!

You can drive up to the mountains from the west and never notice you’re deep in the mountains. It’s kind of like the frog in boiling water analogy.

It happens because of the foothills on the western side. The land gradually builds up elevation, starting from miles away. And it’s so gradual that the immensity of the mountains doesn’t really hit you.

The opposite happens in the Eastern Sierras.

They have NO foothills.

So, the landscape goes from relatively flat to sheer cliffs rising almost straight up to over 14,000 feet. And they go on as far as the eye can see north and south.

The best way to experience their in-your-face immensity is to start the Eastern Sierras road trip from Las Vegas.

Starting the Eastern Sierras Road Trip

From the North: San Francisco

From the South: Las Vegas or SoCal

My Eastern Sierras road trip itinerary goes from south to north, because that’s how I did it. But it’s also the best direction to do it. It’s just more impressive.

See, the drive from the Bay Area is beautiful, with rolling hills and lots of green pine trees, but it lacks the slap effect after crossing the mountains. You kind of just bump into them.

Driving from Las Vegas, you drive straight towards the most impressive peaks you’ve ever seen. They start out as a thin white line on the horizon and before you know it, the Sierra Nevada range is towering above you.

And it’s even more impressive because you just drove from the hottest, lowest point in all North America – Death Valley.

You can follow this same itinerary if you’re driving from Southern California. Better yet, make it a loop and drive down Big Sur back to SoCal to get the best of both worlds.

If you’re driving from Northern California, do this itinerary, but backwards! It would make for an amazing San Francisco to San Diego road trip on the road less traveled… literally.

Pro travel tip: Use Discover Cars to rent rental cars for your road trip, choose full coverage insurance, and opt for trusted companies like Hertz and Sixt. Book your car with Discover Cars here.

Stops on the Eastern Sierras Road Trip

There are LOTS of potential stops in the Eastern Sierras. It can make planning the Highway 395 road trip a little overwhelming!

After 2 months in the area, I got a good feel for the best things to do in the Eastern Sierras, and I want to share that with you.

Let’s go over all the stops, then go over some potential itineraries and finish with lodging!

1. Death Valley National Park

This national park is huge, and there’s so much to do!

People always ask me if it’s worth going and I always say YES. The landscape is incredible, the variety of things you see is awesome, and it feels like another planet.

If you’re starting this Sierra Nevada road trip from Las Vegas, it forces you to go through Death Valley.

Death Valley National Park has a few must-see features:

• Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America (282 feet below sea level)
• Natural Bridge, an arch in the middle of a gorgeous, narrow canyon
• Zabriskie Point, which is one of the most iconic viewpoints
• Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

Fortunately, all these features except for the sand dunes are on one stretch of road and are close to each other. Spending a full day on that stretch of road in Death Valley is the best way to quickly get to know the park.

And the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are on the way out of the park towards Lone Pine.

It’s what I did during my day in Death Valley National Park.

But you could spend lots of days there.

Some of the parts of the park I want to see someday are the Ubehebe Crater, Dante’s View, Telescope Peak, Panamint Dunes, Mosaic Canyon and Eureka Dunes.

The Eureka Dunes are way north in the park, and easier to access from Big Pine, which is later in this itinerary.

2. Two Destinations in Lone Pine

Lone Pine is a really cool western town that looks the part.

This town, but more specifically the Alabama Hills, has been the set of more than 400 movies.

The Alabama Hills are a weird rocky landscape that looks kind of like Joshua Tree National Park, but more rugged. That has made it an ideal location for filming Old Western movies and a lot of Sci-Fi. Plus, the towering mountains add to the vibe.

And they aren’t just any mountains. Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the continental United States, looms right above Lone Pine. The cliffs are so sheer that you can see the peak of Mount Whitney from town.

So, what are the best things to do in Lone Pine?

1. Explore the Alabama Hills: there are great hikes (my favorite was the Mobius Arch Loop) and you can do a self-guided movie set tour (map here). You can also rock climb and boulder in the Alabama Hills.
2. Visit the Museum of Western Film History
3. Climb part (or all) of Mount Whitney. The full summit hike is 21.2 miles long with 6,600 feet of elevation gain. But just hiking part of it is still worth your while! You can get to one of the many lakes on the way – Lone Pine Lake makes it a 6-mile hike. For any hiking past Lone Pine Lake, you need a wilderness permit.

3. Big Pine & Eureka Dunes (Back to Death Valley)

Only 40 minutes from Lone Pine is another small mountain town called Big Pine. There isn’t as much to do there, but what it does have is awesome.

First, you can visit the oldest living thing on Earth – a Bristlecone Pine near Big Pine.

Then, if you’re down for a tough hike, you can hike to the Big Pine Lakes. But you might want to take two days to do it (get a permit for overnight stays). It’s a nearly 15-mile trail with 3,800 feet of elevation gain, and you can choose to only do part of it.

These lakes are absolutely stunning.

Finally, you can take a long detour east to go back into Death Valley to see America’s second-tallest dunes.

The Eureka Dunes are an incredible sight to behold. The gigantic dunes are about 700 feet tall, and they lie in a basin with 7,000-foot mountain peaks all around them. When sand rolls down the top of the dunes, they emit a deep sound like an airplane and nobody knows why!

The problem with getting to the Eureka Dunes is that it involves 10 miles of a roughly graded road.

You need to be prepared with extra tires and safety equipment in case you break down. That’s why I wasn’t able to visit – I was NOT prepared.

4. Bishop & Hot Springs

I spent 3 weeks in Bishop to sport climb and boulder, and it was an incredible time! I also got to know Bishop and the surrounding area really well.

Here are the best ways to spend time in Bishop:

• Rock climbing: I’ve never climbed anywhere with a better view than in Bishop, specifically the Buttermilk Boulders. But I preferred the bouldering at the Happy & Sad Boulders. And then you can go sport climb at the Owen’s River Gorge and Pine Creek Canyon.
• Check out Lake Sabrina and hike the Blue Lake Trail. If it’s still too snowy (like it was for me), you can hike to Lake Sabrina from where the road is closed. It’s also beautiful.

• Hike in the Eastern Sierras: some popular and gorgeous hikes are the Little Lakes Trail, Bishop Pass Trail and the trails to any of the mountain range’s many peaks.
• Go to Keough’s Hot Springs to relax ($14 per adult) or network with locals to discover secret hot springs that haven’t been commercialized.

4. Mammoth Lakes – Ski Town

Mammoth Lakes is a vibing ski town with gorgeous views. It’s so high up and gets so much snow that the ski season can go all the way until June.

I definitely experienced that, since I went in April and there wasn’t that much you could do other than ski. If you’re a skier – you’re in luck!

But if you don’t ski, there are still LOTS of things to do in Mammoth Lakes:

1. A stunning hike to the Devil’s Postpile, which is a basalt rock formation, and Rainbow Falls, a 100-foot waterfall.
2. Explore THE mammoth lakes right outside of town. The town has several lakes right next to each other in the shadow of Mammoth Mountain. You can drive up to the lakes and hike from there, or you can bike to them.
3. Bike everywhere on Mammoth Lake’s network of bike paths. This is what I did – I rode through town to explore Mammoth Lakes and then did the tough ride to Twin Lakes Vista. It was steep going up and the lake was still completely frozen over, but the ride and the view at the end was amazing!
4. While Mammoth Lakes is west of Highway 395, Wild Willy’s Hot Springs and other hot springs are to the east of the road right before Mammoth Lakes. These hot springs are so cool and the view as you relax is ridiculous.

5. Yosemite National Park (in the Summer/Fall)

As if the Eastern Sierras road trip wasn’t already astounding, you can choose to make a detour to one of the most beautiful places in the world: Yosemite National Park.

You can get to Yosemite through the Tioga Pass. It’s a road that crosses the Sierra Nevadas and is open from early June to sometime in November (depending on snow). It takes you from Highway 395, through the Tuolumne Meadows and down into Yosemite Valley.

It is sort of a long detour, but SO worth it!

The pass wasn’t open when I did this road trip, but I went all the way around the Sierra Nevadas a few weeks later and explored the national park.

There’s lots to do in Yosemite Valley, even with a short stay:

• Stop and hike in the Tuolumne Meadows, since you’ll be passing through no matter what.
• Hike to the top of the valley. It’s the ultimate experience and you get the best views. The two best options are: the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, which gets you up close and personal with one of the tallest waterfalls in the USA, and the Four Mile Trail, from which you have a view of the Yosemite Falls the entire way. It ends at the iconic Glacier Point.
• Watch the sunset and/or sunrise from Tunnel View, Inspiration Point, Sentinel Dome or Glacier Point (you can drive there).
• Hike to see Bridalveil Fall, Vernal Falls and Mirror Lake.

For more details on what to do in Yosemite for a short trip, read my full 2-day Yosemite itinerary!

Suffice it to say, Yosemite is now one of my favorite national parks for road trips.

6. Bodie + Mono Lake

These are two short stops you can get to know on the road to South Lake Tahoe.

Mono Lake is a huge lake with really weird formations. It has tufas rising straight out of the ground around it and out of the water, with the Eastern Sierras looming above in the distance.

If you visit Mono Lake, go to the South Tufa area to see the amazing tufas and Panum Crater. Swimming in the lake is allowed, and it’s quite the experience because it’s very salty, which makes it easy to float.

It costs $3 to get into the South Tufa area.

Bodie is a really cool ghost town that costs $8 per person to see. It’s actually one of the larger ghost towns out there – a California gold-mining town frozen in time.

7. Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. It’s also the second-deepest lake in the US, after Crater Lake, and it’s the largest lake in America in terms of how much water it has… after the Great Lakes.

“Going to Lake Tahoe” can mean a lot of things, like going to South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, one of its many ski resorts or any of the towns and neighborhoods around the lake.

There’s SO much to do around Lake Tahoe.

But the main attractions, to keep with the theme of this road trip, are lakes and mountains.

• In the mountains, the best thing to do is ski – and the season goes until late April. Skiing and the Eastern Sierras road trip might not perfectly align, but there are also hundreds of hikes to do in the mountains around Lake Tahoe. You can also rock climb, and there are bike paths almost the entire way around the lake.
• When it comes to smaller alpine lakes, there are SO many. Some that are worth exploring and hiking around are Marlette Lake, Donner Lake, Fallen Leaf Lake and Cascade Lake.
• And then, of course, there’s Lake Tahoe. Make time to visit the best beaches, like Emerald Bay, Pope Beach and Sand Harbor Beach. But the best way to enjoy Lake Tahoe is to get out on the water, whether that’s on a scenic cruise to Emerald Bay or a gorgeous kayaking tour over crystal clear water.

And just like that, Lake Tahoe is the official end of the Eastern Sierras scenic byway.

After spending all that time on the road from Death Valley to Lake Tahoe, I spent most of my time in Tahoe resting.

My favorite things were long walks and picnics on Lake Tahoe’s best beaches, walking through the Olympic Valley ski resort (The Palisades), and hiking above Donner Lake.

We also got about 1 and a half feet of snow in early May. Sitting inside our cabin, I felt like I was inside a 24-hour Lofi video on YouTube.

8. San Francisco (Capping it Off)

I spent 1 day exploring San Francisco after my Sierra Nevadas road trip!

Assuming you’ll continue driving towards the Bay Area and San Francisco to fly back home, here are some things to do on a quick day trip to San Francisco:

• Visit the Golden Gate Bridge (duh). It’s best enjoyed from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Drive all around the place, but make sure you get to the Golden Gate Observation Deck. A cool, less-visited place to explore is Black Sands Beach.
• Drive across the bridge and explore the Palace of Fine Arts. The place is absolutely stunning – I felt like I was in Bridge to Terabithia or something!

• Fisherman’s Wharf is a popular place to eat fresh crab and sourdough bread. It has become almost too touristy recently, but it’s still a cool place!
• Visit two iconic San Francisco destinations: the Painted Ladies, if you’re a Full House fan (Lala is, so we had to go), and the crooked street that is Lombard Street between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets.

San Francisco was cool, but I have to say, being back in such a big city is a punch to the gut.

The Eastern Sierras road trip is an outdoorsy adventure the whole way, but it’s peaceful and calming. Though it usually starts in a big city, like Las Vegas, LA or the Bay Area, you quickly leave all that behind for small towns where “traffic” isn’t part of the vocabulary.

It’s a wonderful road trip on the road less traveled, and I highly recommend you give it a go!

So, what could a Sierra Nevada road trip itinerary look like?

7-day Sierra Nevada Road Trip

1 week makes for a tight schedule in the Eastern Sierras, but it’s doable if you’re short on time.

Here’s how I would spend a week doing the Eastern Sierras road trip:

• Day 0: Travel to Las Vegas and drive to Death Valley National Park to spend the night
• Day 1: Explore from sunrise to sunset for a spectacular 1 day in Death Valley
• Day 2: Alabama Hills and Bishop
  • Morning: drive to the Alabama Hills and hike the Mobius Arch Loop (easy) or Lone Pine Lake (hard)
  • Afternoon: drive to Big Pine to see Crater Mountain and end the day at Keough’s Hot Springs.
• Day 3: Rough drive to Eureka Dunes & finish day at Keough’s Hot Springs.
  • If you choose not to brave the terrible road to the Eureka Dunes, skip this day and go to Yosemite Valley for Day 6 (after Mammoth Lakes) instead.
• Day 4: Drive to Bishop and explore.
  • Morning: Hike around Lake Sabrina and have lunch at Aaron Schatt’s Roadhouse.
  • Afternoon: explore Pine Creek Canyon and consider doing the Little Lakes Valley trail. Then, drive to Mammoth Lakes to spend the night.
• Day 5: Mammoth Lakes (ski if it’s the season)
  • Morning: either hike in Devil’s Postpile National Monument or bike to the lakes above town (Twin Lakes, Lake Mamie, etc.)
  • Afternoon: take it easy in this awesome ski town. Go to a café, a great restaurant or just relax
• Day 6: Drive to Lake Tahoe, stopping at Mono Lake and Bodie. Once there, go straight to the beach and enjoy, or take a sunset cruise on the water.
• Day 7: Tahoe and Beyond
  • Morning: go on a hike in Tahoe (I loved hiking in Donner Summit Canyon to a bench with a perfect view)
  • Afternoon: travel to San Francisco or whatever your next destination may be!

2-week Eastern Sierras Road Trip

Now, with 2 weeks in the Eastern Sierras, you’ll get a lot more bang for your buck!

2 weeks is the ideal amount of time to spend on this epic road trip.

Since a 2-week road trip is very personalized and flexible, I won’t go into as much detail. But here’s a tentative 2-week itinerary. I’ll give you the outline, you fill in the blanks.

• Day 0-1: Get to Death Valley National Park and spend a busy day getting to know it.
• Day 1-2: Explore Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills, go on the best hikes and learn about the movies filmed here. But also make sure to get up into the mountains.
• Day 3-4: Spend these days at either the Eureka Dunes, staying overnight camping, or do a two-day hike to the Big Pine Lakes. You could do both too – one each day – if you’re very fit.
• Day 5-7: Explore Bishop and all the cool places around town.
• Day 8-9: Ski at Mammoth Lakes if it’s the season, visit Devil’s Postpile and just enjoy the ski town.
• Day 10-12: Drive through Tioga Pass and enjoy the beauty of Yosemite National Park.
• Day 12: Drive to Lake Tahoe, stopping at Mono Lake and Bodie.
• Day 13-14: You’ve worked hard, it’s time to rest hard in Lake Tahoe. Do some hikes, but mostly just enjoy beaches and water.

What about Lodging in the Eastern Sierras?

My road trip through the eastern Sierra Nevadas was pretty cheap because of a combination of inexpensive or free car camping and using Trusted HouseSitters to find free houses to stay in.

There is a TON of public land along Highway 395, which means there are a TON of options for camping for free. I use Campendium to find sites (free and paid) and see people’s reviews of them before going.

When it comes to hotels and motels all along the road, some of the smaller towns don’t have great options.

BUT, since these are small towns to which Californians have moved or where they have vacation homes, there are really nice houses all over the Eastern Sierras.

I stayed in people’s houses in Las Vegas, Bishop, Mammoth Lakes and 2 in Tahoe, and it was the way to go! You could do Trusted HouseSitters like I did, but you’d have to take care of pets. Otherwise, you could use a platform like Vrbo to book vacation rentals along the way.

Here’s where to stay during your Eastern Sierras road trip, in order:

• Death Valley has two incredible hotels, the best I’ve seen at any national park. They’re both right by all the main attractions in the park, so they’re really convenient. The Ranch is a more affordable option, while the Inn at Death Valley is more expensive, but absolutely gorgeous.
• In Lone Pine, stay close to the Alabama Hills in one of the most scenic rooms I’ve ever seen.
• Big Pine is so small that there are only 2 options. The Bristlecone Motel is the nicer of the two, and it has some cool western vibes.
• Bishop is such an awesome town, it’s worth staying in town. This beautiful house is 20 minutes from the mountains.
• Mammoth Lakes has a ton of amazing hotels and vacation rentals, like any good ski town. I would recommend a condo like the one where we stayed, close to all the skiing. Of course, the ski resort is also a great option.
• Yosemite Valley has two lodging options in the middle of the park. You need to book months in advance for the Yosemite Valley Lodge because it’s awesome and convenient. The other option is Curry Village, but it isn’t nearly as nice – but is just as convenient (and way more affordable).
• South Lake Tahoe has some of the nicest houses/cabins where we’ve ever stayed. Key features: big windows, neighbors far away and lots of trees, like this vacation rental (it’s also close to the Tahoe airport.
• If you’re also visiting San Francisco, stay somewhere in Southern San Francisco so that you’re close to the airport and the city.

Remember, these places are popular in the winter AND the summer, so make sure you book way in advance!

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