High Sierra Topix

We are coming up from LA on a Saturday night. We plan to start hiking out of Tuolumne Meadows Sunday morning.

Does anybody have a favorite place to pull over and sleep between 11 PM and 6 AM, past Bishop (395) and before Tuolumne (120). Where you could pull over in your car, lay out your pad and sleeping bag and get 6 hours of sleep?

Any feedback appreciated. The Sheb

I've found that the Glass Creek campground is a suitable place for a quiet and free night's sleep when I'm heading along 395. We usually head out from the Bay Area after work and get there pretty late, but it's usually deserted and we pull into a site and sleep in the truck.

I pull off on dirt roads and sleep in my truck. I've had CHP knock on the window once, just to make sure I was ok.

Snow Nymph wrote:I've had CHP knock on the window once, just to make sure I was ok.

That happened to me once when I was catching some shuteye at a turnout on 180. I just told the officer I had been getting drowsy, and pulled over to be safe. That seemed to satisfy him. As he started to walk away he suddenly turned around and asked "you haven't been drinking, have you?" "No, officer, I haven't been drinking." And that was that.

If you have a high clearance vehicle, there are a lot of nice places off of 395 where you can drive dirt roads to snooze. These are all shown on the USFS (Inyo National Forest) map. I recall spending a night along some part of Rush Creek, downstream of 395 once. A legendary spot that has became a bit too popular is the enormous turnout on eastbound 120 above Tioga Lake (just east of the park entrance). For decades (60's, 70's, 80's) my dad and I would pull off there on our trips from the Bay Area to the east side. My dad would take off Friday after work, and we'd reach that turnout in the wee hours of the night and sleep in the back of our '66 Suburban which we had all rigged up for the purpose. In the beginning (60's, early 70's) we were the only ones doing this, but by the late 70's more were beginning to snooze there and we were seldom the only ones sleeping in our cars. They now actually have an outhouse there.

If it is hot and you don't mind driving out of your way a little, go thru Mammoth, take the scenic loop road, go down it a few miles until the "No Camping" signs are no longer evident and find a dirt road/camp area. Some late night traffic, but nice and cooler and you can get something for breakfast in town the next morning if needed.

Go up on Friday night

Forrest Service pay ($5) camp grounds such as Tuttle Creek ( just up the road west from Lone Pine) abound along 395.

My fav crash is the Forrest Service camp ground on road to Taboose pass. I think it is first left turn after Independence. If you get in late enough and out early enough, they may not catch you

There are many roads leading off 395 that provide some kind of local access. If you just follow one of those off of the main hiway, and pull over so that you are not blocking traffic. Plop your pad and bag down and grab a snooze. You will be up before sun up with the coyote yelping and can wash at a gas station to fill up (or restaurant).

The obsidian dome area (west side of 395) is a good place...or used to be.

Go west from Toms Place. There are FS several campgrounds (which may be full by Saturday). But there are turn outs early on the road that you can sleep in car or luxuriate in the desert looking up at the stars.