A unique stargazing experience has landed in the Eastern Sierra.

Convict Lake is the place I always recommend to any friend visiting the Eastern Sierra—the hike circumnavigating the lake is short enough, at about two miles, for novice trekkers, but the terrain is so varied that to accomplish it feels noteworthy.

There isn’t really anything better than a good old fashioned giggle-fest, which is what a trip to Woolly’s Tube Park really delivers on. 

Obsidian Dome is a geology nerd’s dream. Nerd fact number one: The eruption date for the area around Obsidian Dome is one of the best estimated eruption dates in the prehistoric period on the planet.

Mammoth’s “Scenic Loop,” to be honest, isn’t that scenic—at least not when compared with the jaw-dropping 4-lake June Lake Loop.

Keough’s Hot Springs hasn’t changed a whole heckuva lot since 1919, when Phillip Keough bought the land, envisioning a health resort. The heyday of the hot spring, in the 1920s and ‘30s, saw the resort as a hub of Owens Valley society.

Every year, thousands of hikers and climbers beat down the Mount Whitney Trail. Weighed down by over-stuffed packs and 5-pound boots they trudge up thousands of feet of rock and sand to reach the coveted 14,505-foot summit, the highest point in the contiguous United States.  

Dust off your cowboy boots, put on your hat and head over to Bishop’s Main Street - there’s only one - to celebrate Mule Days.   Here, in the Mule Capital of the World, breeders, trainers, and riders from all over the world come to celebrate the rare creation of a jack and mare.

If you’re not into sliding down hills wearing two planks (or one, if you’re a snowboarder), there’s still plenty to do in the Eastern Sierra in the wintertime, whether you prefer getting your hiking boots on solid dirt or are into the awesome exercise of cross-country skiing (only recently did I realize that a NordicTrack mimics the whole-body workout of this activity). 

If you’re looking for a spot to film an outer-space creature flick or authentic Wild West adventure, Lone Pine is the location.

For all the natural wonders present in the Eastern Sierra, there are almost as many breweries in which to enjoy a libation after your hike, ski, climb or (insert adventure here). From June Lake Brewing in Mono County to Mountain Rambler Brewery in Bishop, the odds of hitting a brewery close to your destination are in your favor. 

Rusty, antique farm equipment bakes in the Independence sun and squeak in the Eastside winds. The old tractors and plows sit in the front yard of the Eastern California Museum. The exhibits start before opening the door. 

The Eastside is rich in natural beauty, steep and dramatic that makes it ideal setting for the sciences. Whether it’s geology or flowers or testing Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity or looking for galaxies beyond the Milky Way and even dark matter, the Eastern Sierra is a giant laboratory to test theories and the study the world, and the worlds around us.

Frozen waterfalls of molten lava located just north of Little Lake on Highway 395 in the Coso Range are aptly named Fossil Falls.

Mammoth Rock ’n Bowl is one of the town’s newest additions, opening up in TK. It’s got a more modern feel than a lot of the town’s establishments, with a slick bar downstairs and a brasserie run by French chef Frederic Pierrel (formerly of Lakefront fame) upstairs with epic views of The Sherwins.

At the risk of giving up a super locals’ secret, June Mountain is simply the best place to ski on the Eastside.

The location of the natural hot springs in the Eastern Sierra used to be quite the little locals’ secret—in the old days, visitors might ask a bartender or a clerk where to find them and get a cryptic answer—understandably, the locals wanted to keep these places to themselves.  

It’s a long drive to get to the White Mountains, and it’s dry and hot.  The only trees look like they’re dead, but it keeps out the uninitiated, and quiet is guaranteed. If you want to get away from it all, and then look down on it, the White Mountains are for you.

Located on Highway 395 near Lee Vining and Bodie State Park, Mono Lake is one of the oldest lakes in the Western Hemisphere.

Manzanar National Historic Site is about halfway between Independence and Lone Pine just off Highway 395 and it commemorates the Japanese/Americans who were incarcerated in American concentration camps during World War ll.

Established in 1940, Kings Canyon National Park encompasses 461,901 acres of mountains and lushly forested land that’s accessible by car from Fresno via U.S. Highway 180 heading west. On the eastern side the closest large town is Independence just off Highway 395 and there are many hiking trails leading into the park from that direction.

Imagine yourself driving through California’s lush Stanislaus National Forest while surrounded by verdant, old growth trees and miles of open land without any cities. Suddenly you’re transported more than 100 years back in time to the California Gold Rush days as you enter the ghost town of Bodie! Located 34 miles north of Mono Lake at an elevation of 8379 feet (2554 meters), Bodie is considered to be one of the best preserved examples of abandoned towns in America by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Devils Postpile is a rare formation of volcanic basalt naturally arranged in 60-ft. symmetrically shaped, vertical columns near Mammoth Lakes, about 50 miles southeast of Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is an American national treasure that contains approximately 1,169 square miles of unspoiled natural beauty for people to explore because 95% of the park is designated wilderness.

If you love movies, a scenic drive to the Alabama Hills Recreation Area to see where approximately 150 movies and a dozen television shows were filmed can be a very interesting adventure. Additional recreational activities for visitors include hiking, rock climbing, fishing, horseback riding and mountain biking.