Best places to live for access?

[maxr22]

Hi Folks, first time posting here. Looking to tap into the wealth of experience and knowledge of the members!

My question to you is: What towns/communities would you recommend for someone in my situation to live for this summer?

I am able to work from home M-F 6am-3pm, and have every other Friday off. So ideally I would like to live somewhere I can get a few hours hiking or fishing on the weekdays, and every weekend I would hit the trail to backpack.

These are some short descriptions of trips I have done:
-Rae lakes loop in SEKI
-Weekend trip to mosquito lake in Mineral King Valley (OAB) (Some off trail travel here)
-Rush creek to thousand island lake (OAB)
-north lake to Piute pass/Golden trout lake (Some off trail travel here)

These are some of the areas and towns I have come up with so far:
-Oakhurst
-Shaver Lake area (right now I think this might be the best, it seems to be nicely forested, close to yosemite/seki, and has a lake)
-Groveland
-Bass Lake
-Sonora
-Twain Harte
-Bishop/Independence/Mammoth
-Tahoe Area?

I would like to be as close to the action as possible. Currently I live in San Diego and that means backpacking anywhere in the Sierras requires almost a 8 hour drive no matter what, and I am looking to cut that time down significantly. Thanks for taking the time to read this! Expect many field reports from me this Summer.

[Wandering Daisy]

You may want to look at maps of recent wildfire damage. "Nicely forested" may be burned. Shaver Lake and Bass Lake are ones to check out for recent fire impacts.

Realize that if you live mid-range on either side of the Sierra, getting to trailheads on the other side involve long drives. San Diego is a bit too far south, but from some of the suburbs north of LA, accessing both sides of the Sierra are similar drives.

Go to MapQuest or Google Maps and figure out drive times to all the trailheads you would like to use. It may also be wise to rent and test any location before committing to buying property. Warning, you will not have San Diego weather in many of your proposed locations. Bishop gets into the 100's in the summer! Sonora is also very hot. And winter? Hope you x-country ski. No ocean beaches to play on.

[c9h13no3]

Yeah, choosing where to live is about much more than outdoor access. And you're asking about places that are very different. Tahoe is a much different scene than Twain Harte. For vacation, you might not mind living 30 minutes from the nearest grocery store if you need to unplug, but it's different when you have to live there.

Tahoe is hard to beat for trails from the door, but it is crowded! Rents are high, there's bad traffic in peak seasons, and there's legit winter weather to contend with. Bishop & Sonora are near the opposite. 100 degree summers, it snows about once a year, and the recreation from the door isn't great. But you have world class everything an hour's drive away, and Sonora will be less touristy.

I agree with Daisy, start by renting. It can be fun to live in an AirBnB for a month, and try on a few places. The newly work from home folks I've known have enjoyed that process.

[TurboHike]

maxr22,

Welcome to the forum. It sounds like this is just for summer, correct? In that case, I would suggest checking out Bishop, Independence, or Lone Pine. You might have an issue getting a temporary rental in these locations, but it's worth a look. This would give you access to many fantastic east side trailheads. Lots of opportunity for 3-day backpack trips, assuming you can get the permits. Mammoth would also be good, perhaps more crowded, but easier to get a summer rental. Lots of good hikes there too. My main gripe with the west side is that a 3-day backpacking trip doesn't always get you above treeline for very long. If you like alpine vistas, the east side IMO is better for shorter trips.

[texan]

I think Bishop is one of best spots. I remember it was voted number# 1 for outdoor towns for recreation a while back. I forgot the magazine the story was published in.

Texan

[balzaccom]

We have a cabin in Twain Harte. Great location for Emigrant Wilderness, and pretty good for Yosemite. And it has a fabulous grocery store...a point not to be overlooked.

But as others have noted, Rush Creek is still a long drive away...and points South are even farther. On the other hand, we're only two hours from Sacto or Livermore if you need more people. And rents here are very reasonable compared to Tahoe

[dave54]

You stated you work from home. I assume that means you work on-line?
Reliability and speed of the local internet connection is a major consideration. Most small mountain towns have limited connection. Ours goes out frequently, and is not very fast when it does work. Not only internet, but all power goes out occasionally.

It is the price you pay to live here. (Lassen County). But I am a 20 minute drive a Wilderness trailhead. 30 minutes to LVNP, 5 minutes to a 7000 acre lake and I will be the only paddler on the lake. I can hop on my mountain bike and ride dirt roads and trails all day without seeing another person. I can walk to a fishing stream and bike ride to several others.
However, like I said, there are tradeoffs. Crappy internet. Major shopping is 2 hours away. No big city amenities. Housing is cheap but everything else costs more. The only jobs are seasonal and low paying.

[maxr22]

Yes in my situation, this would only be a short summer so no need to worry about winter/distance to grocery stores.

@Wandering Daisy Great point here about checking fire damage, looks like I'll use CalTopo's fire layer to vet the area and closest trailheads. Also, I think now it would make sense to try and be slightly north or south than midrange...I definitely envision myself going to the west/east side of where ever I choose to live.

@texan Thank you texan for throwing your two cents in, that is another vote for bishop/lonepine

@TurboHike Another vote for bishop/lonepine. Looks like I'll be concentrating on that area. And great point about the above treeline access.

I think I'll be focusing my search outside of the midrange now, and any tips where/how to find a rental (other than craigslist, zillow, airbnb)? or any other unique considerations?

[David_Caruso]

Save money and live Minden or Gardnerville areas of Nevada

[Gogd]

Owens Valley locations can be hot - perhaps making sure your rental has solar power will lower your utility costs. My vote is Bishop, Lone Pine, Mammoth in that order for outdoor access. But Mammoth will be cooler. Big Pine is another to add to your list, but it is a pretty sleepy village, maybe too slow if you need distractions.

Another rental listing to consider: VRBO. Local real estate/property management companies are also a good resource.
Ed