Eastern Sierras

[Whizz Bang]

Hey Guys,

I have been deployed to Africa for the last 5 months, and am nearing the end of my deployment. I'll be home soon enough, and maybe even soon enough to tackle something pelagic from a yak (it would figure I miss THIS summer).
The proximity to the end of deployment always starts the daydreaming and I have settled on taking the family to the Eastern Sierras.

Why? You guys. I love the posts I have seen and am going full Clark Griswold on this one. But I need more input and guidance please!

Our info:

June Lake Loop Area but I want to show my midgets the Crystal Cavern and some giant Sequioas too if I can drive there in a sane amount of time.


October 7-whenever I'm told we have to stop.
Trip length 7-10 days
2 adults, 1x5yo. Girl, 1x3yo. Boy
Tent Camping until Sarah makes me rent something with walls and a shower.
Recreation: Trout fishing and absolutely crawfish trapping if Saba will expound on his may bug report. Also bug collecting, hiking, and observing wildlife.

Questions:

Given the age of the munchkins, and that we love privacy and trees if possible, what are the best campgrounds/campsites to aim for?

How would you structure your trip in that timeframe? Is Crystal Cavern,Sequioas, Yosemite doable? How?

Crawfish? Saba brother , which traps are best? Kayak drops or from shore? Anything else you want to share, cause I will grind this one out either way.....too much fun for the kids and I have too many relatives living on bayous in Louisiana to not try.

Where to eat in June lake when we don't want to cook?

Showers? Does my wife or filthy children get one? Where?

Weather, first 2 weeks of October, what am I likely dealing with?

Any help is hugely appreciated! There is a lot that I cannot effectively research here in the armpit of Africa. They (Big brother, NSA, Google, the IT guy down the way) perhaps assume that I am a retarded ISIS operative who believes that striking America's quiet lonely places is the perfect way to sow fear? maybe. Maybe mapquest is just saying "Fuck Off Arab, we don't have to show you shit!" Again, solid maybe. Either way, Yelp has been unhelpful. So I turn to you guys. Help please.

Tight lines.

E

[MrPukaShell]

October will be a little cool in the evenings and mornings. I was up there in June on the loop and killed the trout trolling my Johnson on lead core. I used the chrome and pink one with the little fish tail on it. Another productive lure was the Shimano Dr. Minnow. The Tiger Bar has decent food. The June Lake Brewery had some nice brews. Did not eat out much as we rented a house so I can't chime in on the campgrounds. We fished Silver and June. Make sure you stop at Mahogany Smoked Meats in Bishop. Their smoked Bacon and Jerky are second to none. I suggest you try the jerky the looks like a hockey puck. You just tear off a little chunk and stick it in you cheek just like chew, that puck will last you all day. You will also want to stop at the Schat's Bakery in Bishop. Great breads, like the Bacon Chili Cheese Bread or the Chili Cheese Bread.

You are close to Yosemite from the June Loop so that is doable.

Would like to know more on the trapping Dad's so I am waiting for a reply on that.

Post lots of pictures and thank you for your service.

[WARRIORMIKE]

Virgina Lakes is awesome that time of year, or anytime. Plus they have cabins. Also Mcgee Creek lodge is good too. Reasonable pricing

[Geno Machino]

Originally Posted by MrPukaShell

October will be a little cool in the evenings and mornings. I was up there in June on the loop and killed the trout trolling my Johnson on lead core. I used the chrome and pink one with the little fish tail on it. Another productive lure was the Shimano Dr. Minnow. The Tiger Bar has decent food. The June Lake Brewery had some nice brews. Did not eat out much as we rented a house so I can't chime in on the campgrounds. We fished Silver and June. Make sure you stop at Mahogany Smoked Meats in Bishop. Their smoked Bacon and Jerky are second to none. I suggest you try the jerky the looks like a hockey puck. You just tear off a little chunk and stick it in you cheek just like chew, that puck will last you all day. You will also want to stop at the Schat's Bakery in Bishop. Great breads, like the Bacon Chili Cheese Bread or the Chili Cheese Bread.

You are close to Yosemite from the June Loop so that is doable.

Would like to know more on the trapping Dad's so I am waiting for a reply on that.

Post lots of pictures and thank you for your service.

X2

Geno

[Hunters Pa]

Mighbe a bit chilly. I was at Gull lake a few years back in October and the mornings were below 30 degrees. May want to consider one of those services where they drop a trailer at a campsite for you. Easier & cleaner for the family and you show up with food and minimal gear as they provide the essentials.

And thank you for your service.

I have a crawdad trap or two if you need to borrow them. Let me know and I will look at what I have tonight

[Whizz Bang]

Thanks brother!
No need, I want to own some traps of my own so advice on the better or more effective designs would be solid!
As well as any anecdotes that you have on increased success re: bait or placement.

[Whizz Bang]

If it starts dipping that cold, I will be forced into a cabin with a quickness.

[T-Rex]

If you make it to Yosemite, Camp Curry has heated tent cabins which is a great option with kids. http://www.yosemitepark.com/curry-village-cabins.aspx

[2-Stix]

Originally Posted by T-Rex

If you make it to Yosemite, Camp Curry has heated tent cabins which is a great option with kids. http://www.yosemitepark.com/curry-village-cabins.aspx

Tioga Pass could be closed that time of year pending snow pack.

[FlyFishinYakr]

Just my .02...
First off the June Lake Loop is not as developed as Mammoth Lakes is and there is little in the way of grocery stores and variety of restaurants (like there is in Mammoth). That being said the June loop is hands down my favorite place to camp/stay and fish. It is centrally located between Rock Creek, Crowley/Convict lakes, Owens River, Hot Creek (if you Fly Fish Only!) and Mammoth Lakes to the south, Lundy, the Virginia Lakes, Bridgeport lake, East Walker River, Twin Lakes (Bridgeport) to the north. Weather permitting, if the pass is still open Yosemite is just over the hill
If there's already snow "on the mountain" finding a room if the weather gets bad might be a challenge. So be fore warned, check the weather before you go up. El Niño years can be unpredictable, it may start to rain and snow as early as September.
Gull Lake lodge was a favorite of my fishing buddies that I use to fish the Eastern Sierra's with. They have kitchenettes if you want (to save on the dining costs), for making breakfast for the children (ie. cereal or more if your so inclined). It's located a block away from Gull Lake an easy walk/roll with a Kayak (between June and Gull lakes) so if the wife wants to take the children sightseeing with the car they can sleep in and you still have access to the room at your convenience (for a nap, lunch break etc.). As previously mentioned "the Tiger Bar" is a good place to eat and was also a favorite of my buddies whenever we were up there (along with "Nik 'n' Willies" in Mammoth).
There's also Silver Pines Chalet (also a block away. It's a little place I used to stay when I was too lazy to camp. It only has a couple rooms adequate for a family stay (I always stayed in the smaller rooms) so you might want to research this before deciding on a stay here.
As mentioned by other members October weather can be sketchy up there, I can't count the number if times I camped out (since I was about 5 and I'm 55+ now) and woke up to a couple inches of snow in the morning!
Do yourself a favor and check out the fishing regs for this time of year. Don't forget to apply for your license if you haven't gotten one this year! I have witnessed Fish and Game wardens taking pictures, confiscating gear, fish, and writing tickets. Stop in at the Troutfitter (behind the shell station in Mammoth), Rick's Sport Center or Kittredge Sports in Mammoth or Ernie's Tackle shop in June Lake.
I would hate to see what should be a pleasant well earned vacation into a nightmare!
I also, thank you for your service!
Good luck to you.
FFY

[Deamon]

These guys have nailed it above. A few more favorites:

Taking the kids on the ferry (across the lake) at Saddlebag Lake. A low cost way for the fam to get on a boat and cruise to the other side of this lake. Jump off, walk around a bit and get back on when your ready. Round trip is like $11 per adult.

The kids might be a bit young but I'm usually stopping at Camp Manzanar. One of the Japanese relocation camps. The twenty minute movie shown literally brings me to tears every time. All at no charge (donations requested). With a map, you can drive the small property and envision what was where with some remnants of the past. The cemetery that held those that died during this time...babies, children...wow.

Devils Post Pile...

And then there's Mammoth Brewery...FREE beer tasting! Leave the kids in the car (on a cool day!) and go to this one...

Jim

[Saba Slayer]

It looks like everyone else has more than filled your vacation plans with some great stuff to do and see in the Eastern Sierras....so...here's a little Crawdad info.
If you can get a back copy of KayakFish Magazine for the fall issue of 2014 you'll find plenty of "how to" info in an article I wrote called "Buggin Out in the Sierras".

Gull lake was the best spot on the Loop for these little mini lobsters although June and Silver also have some spots that hold em too. At June we dropped the traps along the south side by the main road. At Gull the best spots seem to be along the trees and the campground as well as in front of the marina at the east end. We used chicken parts for bait and cans of cat food with holes punched in them as an attractant.
The traps were from Promar. I like the square and the round expanding traps the best...easy to bait-up and store. This square one is the TR-501...but the TR-502 has a little larger opening and a piece of netting attached to the opening that prevents the Crawdads from getting out of the trap.



We let the traps soak overnight and they usually have plenty of critters in them the next morning.
Feel free to contact me with anymore questions...? O
Oh yea...one more thing...the breakfasts at Silver Lake Resort are GREAT!
I believe the smokehouse in Bishop is called Meadow Farms...it's on the right side of the road as you go north out of town. Be sure to get some smoked Louisiana hot links to put in the crawdad boil.
Good Luck

[Whiteboy]

Originally Posted by Saba Slayer

It looks like everyone else has more than filled your vacation plans with some great stuff to do and see in the Eastern Sierras....so...here's a little Crawdad info.
If you can get a back copy of KayakFish Magazine for the fall issue of 2014 you'll find plenty of "how to" info in an article I wrote called "Buggin Out in the Sierras".

Gull lake was the best spot on the Loop for these little mini lobsters although June and Silver also have some spots that hold em too. At June we dropped the traps along the south side by the main road. At Gull the best spots seem to be along the trees and the campground as well as in front of the marina at the east end. We used chicken parts for bait and cans of cat food with holes punched in them as an attractant.
The traps were from Promar. I like the square and the round expanding traps the best...easy to bait-up and store. This square one is the TR-501...but the TR-502 has a little larger opening and a piece of netting attached to the opening that prevents the Crawdads from getting out of the trap.



We let the traps soak overnight and they usually have plenty of critters in them the next morning.
Feel free to contact me with anymore questions...? O
Oh yea...one more thing...the breakfasts at Silver Lake Resort are GREAT!
I believe the smokehouse in Bishop is called Meadow Farms...it's on the right side of the road as you go north out of town. Be sure to get some smoked Louisiana hot links to put in the crawdad boil.
Good Luck

Not to hijack thread but what type of crawdads are in grant lake. I caught one that was 10 plus inches. A mini lobster and bright blue.

[Whiteboy]

Go to laurel lake most beautiful lake in the area. You can camp for free below it. Just outside of mammoth. Hit hot tubs near benton crossing. Check benton crossing out. (That's a very regulated area make sure you check the dates carefully) check out the mono craters. There's a lot more to see in that area. There's jess farm (think that's the name) alpers breeders. Make sure you hit lundy lake. There is so much history in those montains lots of old mines. My favorite is above Lee Vining. Once you turn off 395 and head up tioga pass look for the signs to boy scout camp. It is one of the coolest mines and views in the entire area. Then don't skip bridge port. There's a lot to see and do there. Go to Bodie it's a bit out of way but best preserved ghost town in the country. Twin lakes. On Tioga pass there are a few lakes. Have had 60 trout days up there. And by day I mean couple hours. June lake loop is cool but follow the streams inbetween the lakes. There's also a lot of rough camp sights around grant lake that are free and very secluded. If you want a trophies brook trout go to walker lake and head up trail head to little sardine. It has produced trophies brookies the past 3 times Ivery been there. All in the 4lb range. Beautiful fish. Grant lake has big German trout. Not many people bother to fish it. Go to Lee Vining campground head to power plant fish stream below that. Also good place to camp. I could just keep going. Spent a whole month there one year riding dirt bikes and fishing best month of my life.

[Whizz Bang]

Thank you all for the thoughtful and insightful replies. I have taken many notes and cannot wait to start my own family memories up there. Thanks for coming through again guys.
I will post for sure.

[Saba Slayer]

Whizz Bang...PM me your email address and I'll send you an e-mail copy of the magazine article...