High Sierra Topix

My girlfriend and I are planning a 5 day trip in June, and her parents are now considering joining us after the trip to spend a couple days day-hiking. I know a lot of the wilderness areas are dog friendly, and her mother is excited about taking her dogs on hikes. I have never paid for accommodations on my trips, as I usually camp at the trailhead to get acclimatized. I was wondering if anyone could recommend something between Bridgeport and Bishop. So far I've been peeking at a couple of the places on the way up to Sabrina lake and South Lake, as they both seem pet friendly and more charming than something in town. But I have to imagine the Mammoth and June Lake areas have other options. If anyone has a recommendation, or knows of any online resources, I would highly appreciate it.

Try these to search engines, have both requesting place for June Lake:
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=mo ... e+lake,+CA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.tripadvisor.com/SmartDeals-g ... Deals.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Around Father's Day, usually above 11,000', the trails are snow covered.

Don't know if any of these are pet friendly, however.

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Parcher's Camp. Bishop

About a mile below South Lake and trail head up to Bishop Pass.

http://www.parchersresort.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Tamarack Lodge Mammoth

This is a bit toward better living...

http://www.tamaracklodge.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In the Lake Mary area just west of Mammoth. Excellent restaurant. Around 8,000' near lakes. A trail head not too far away. Of course close to Mammoth and all the feeders to JMT.

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Glacier Lodge, Big Pine, CA (a bit south of Bishop)

http://www.jewelofthesierra.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It had been a funky place to stay with a top notch restaurant until it burned down a few decades ago. It has been rebuilt. Great roll out of bed and get on trail head first thing place. Trail to Big Pine Lakes.

Rock creek lodge looks great, but sits at about 9k so there may be significant snow on the trails above the lake in June. All the newer cabins have a frig and stove. Sits on rock creek close to the lake and the valley above the lake has many lakes easily accessed with dogs. It is set up sort of isolated in the woods unlike June or Mammoth which could be either good or bad depending on what you are looking for.

motel 6 in bishop is cheap,clean,free wifi and i think they are pet friendly.
motel 6 in mammoth was good the last time i stayed there 5yrs ago.
one motel to avoid in bishop is the Townhouse-mold spores,filthy,broken furniture,rundown etc.

Regardless i would check the room out of any motel before paying because it may not be as nice as what you see on their website.Check out the negative reviews on the web-the owners can post positive reviews of their own place and pay to have negs removed-yelp etc.

Rock Creek Resort, by the lake, does NOT take dogs, but Rock Creek Lodge, a few miles south does (I hope I have these names straight). The small cabins are pretty funky and dark, but the newer larger ones seem nice. Crystal Crag Lodge on Lake Mary in Mammoth Lakes is my old favorite, nice owners and pet friendly and close to lots of hiking, but may have a 7 day requirement in summer. 2 story motels can be noisy. White noise fans are usually necessary if you are staying in town or on 395, and make sure the air conditioner is actually in the bedroom, not the hallway or bathroom!

Thank you for all the advice. Regarding snow, I am crossing my fingers, as last year in early June the Sabrina lake area was completely snow free, and this year seems roughly in line snow wise (and we are going mid-to-late June).

I don't have a specific recommendation but do have a suggestion on a place to look for options: Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO):



My extended family likes to stay in Mammoth Lakes area. It's more mountain town than seclusion, but there are a million trails plus the less enthusiastic party members can take the bus down to Reds Meadow/Devils Postpile area or drive up to Bodie (or a million other day trips that require minimal hiking). And then in the evening after everyone regroups you can BBQ or go out for a nice meal and play cards or something. There's a range of accommodations from funky little cabins to multimillion dollar estates for rent.