High Sierra Topix

I ended a trip at North Lake once, and showered at the other resort, not Parchers. You buy tokens in the store, then go to the showers to the left. I remember they asked non guests to avoid certain hours so as not to inconvenience the people staying there.

ya'll a bunch of wimps

Usually take a quick dip in and jump back out right in the creek where the North Lake Road crosses the Sabrina branch on the bridge. Just like every day up in the high country. We always bring along swim trunks to be decent so as not to excite the pikas and marmots.

On the other hand I do recall we used that laundarette shower in Bishop on a trip years ago while on a multi-week road trip. And yeah I have used the Bishop park pool too on hot summer days. If already down at US395 and heading north, another good spot to jump in a creek is to take the Rock Creek Road at Tom's Place and just drive a short ways up the road as the creek is ever near and no one is likely to be around.

Im all for jumping in a lake or creek and cleaning up and will have fresh clean clothes stored in the car, but my concern is only for the long flight home. I don't want to be the smelly guy someone else gets stuck next to.

I do the same thing, find a creek, use a container I have in the car to was off and then change
into a fresh pair of clothes, but that is for the drive home and not to get on a plane which
I too would rather use one of the local facilities to take a shower at.

These are indeed helpful ideas. Truth be told, I usually went home grimy and funky from backpacking trips, but a wash up was always nice when available (did this at Lodgepole a couple of times after long trips, for example).

A tradition for many on the East Side has been for folks to go to Hot Creek before heading home. I never liked doing this because unless I was staying over (in a motel) on the E. Side, because I find sitting in hot springs after a long hike so relaxing that I just feel like going to sleep rather than taking the long drive back home.

I have 3 go-to spots to grab a shower and get cleaned up before heading home:
- Whitney Portal hostel in Lone Pine
- Brown's Town campground in Bishop
- Mono Vista RV camp in Lee Vining

All charge around $5 for a nice, long hot shower. Shave & cruise on out with a clean pair of (cotton) shorts, t-shirt & flip-flops and I'm good to go.

I was waiting for Hobbes to chime in here

Not a shower option, but I often end a trip with a swim in the Owens River. South of Bishop, just north of Big Pine, Hwy 168 cuts east and crosses the Owens River. There's a nice swim hole on the NW side of the bridge, complete with a rope swing.

Mike

I usually bathe daily or every other day out there, and have fresh clothes waiting for me in the car. But even so I crave a hot shower more than 10 cheeseburgers when I exit the backcountry. Almost all truck stops have very nice showers, but are more expensive. You get your own private room with a sink, power outlets, towels, soap, and large shower room.

Here is a list of all showers in the eastern sierra

http://climber.org/data/showers.html

Hobbes wrote:I have 3 go-to spots to grab a shower and get cleaned up before heading home:
- Whitney Portal hostel in Lone Pine
- Brown's Town campground in Bishop
- Mono Vista RV camp in Lee Vining

All charge around $5 for a nice, long hot shower. Shave & cruise on out with a clean pair of (cotton) shorts, t-shirt & flip-flops and I'm good to go.

Also the Chevron/Subway in Independence. Came in very handy a couple years ago after a Kearsarge Pass exit.