Sandwiched Between Yosemite And Death Valley National Park Is California's Extraordinary Hub Of Exploration

Most travelers are drawn to California's beaches and coastal cities, but the eastern part of the state is loaded with natural wonders begging to be explored. Tucked between popular Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Mountains and Death Valley National Park's surreal Mars landscapes sits the Owens Valley, home to the small community of Big Pine, the perfect jumping-off point for outdoor adventure.

Big Pine has two motels, bed and breakfasts, and several campgrounds within a couple of miles of Highway 395, itself a perfect road trip through California's most iconic mountain and desert scenery, which runs through the middle of town. From Big Pine, you're only about an hour and 15 minutes from Death Valley and an hour and a half from Yosemite, but there are lakes, hikes, waterfalls, and natural hot springs nearby as well.

Visitors can drive to Big Pine from Los Angeles (four hours) or San Francisco (around six and a half hours), but San Francisco International Airport also has direct flights into Bishop, just 15 minutes north of Big Pine where you can rent a car for your trip. There's also bus service via the Eastern Sierra Transit, which connects Bishop and Big Pine and has routes reaching as far as Reno, Nevada, to the north and Lancaster, California, to the south.

Yosemite National Park is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of North America and holds some of the iconic vistas in America such as the imposing granite face of Half Dome. However, peak travel seasons can overrun the park with tour groups and have forced a lottery system with some disturbing issues on the popular Half Dome hiking trail.

Luckily, the Big Pine Creek Trailhead is directly west of town and leads to epic views, waterfalls, and ends with a series of unreal-looking blue-green alpine lakes around 11,000 feet within the John Muir Wilderness. The trail isn't difficult, but it's almost 13 miles round-trip back to the trailhead, so you'll need a decent level of fitness and plenty of water and food for the journey. You can camp overnight to split the hike across two days, but camping in the John Muir Wilderness is limited and requires a permit reserved in advance. Campsites and cabins around the trailhead give you the option to start your hike as early as possible and start right from your lodging.

For less demanding exploration, drive north to the unspoiled eastern Yosemite gateway town of Lee Vining and skip the Yosemite crowds while taking in the stunning views on the Tioga Road. To the east of Lee Vining, you can also drive right up to the stunning Mono Lake, one of the most incredible spots that California locals say you need to visit in your lifetime. The striking Tufa Towers rise up from underneath the lake's waters, and the same salinity and chemicals in the water that formed the towers also make it unsafe to drink, but breathtaking to behold.

While the Sierras to the west hold alpine wonders, the White Mountains to the east of Big Pine are home to one of the world's most interesting forests, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. Methuselah, a bristlecone pine tree scientifically aged at 4,789 years in the 1950s, is considered the oldest living thing on Earth, but to protect it from potential vandalism, the location for this specific tree is kept secret by the Forest Service.

Even if you don't find Methuselah, this ancient grove is filled with bristlecone pines more than 4,000 years old and researchers may have discovered an even older tree in the same area that's more than 5,000 years old but, as it hasn't been verified, Methuselah still holds the oldest record.These striking pines can be easily viewed by taking a modest 4-mile loop trail from the visitor's center and the 45-minute drive from Big Pine along Highway 168 is itself a scenic driving tour of the White Mountains.

Driving south on 395 from Big Pine takes you toward Death Valley National Park and past the highest peak in the continental US, Mount Whitney. The 22-mile round-trip hike to the summit of Whitney is a serious undertaking that requires plenty of training and planning to execute. Thankfully, you can take in the majesty of this imposing peak from a distance in Lone Pine or get a closer look from the eastern foothills of the Sierra by driving to the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area. If you venture into Death Valley, the hike to Telescope Peak lets you view both the highest and lowest points in the continental United States.