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.

The Carson Peak Inn is a throwback to a bygone era, in the most incredible way—dark green vinyl booths, wood paneling, mounted trout and game birds on the walls, mood lighting, and an old, dark bar. 

Black Sheep Coffee Roasters is a local, hole-in-the-wall java joint with good WiFi and plenty of tables. There’s a couch, magazines, chess boards and a little stage for big music next to the window.

The Warming Hut, which opened in the fall of 2018, is seriously what Mammoth has been waiting for. Especially locals like me, who freaking love breakfast.

Ramenya is a real crowd-pleaser tucked away on a side street in a quaint a-frame building.

Oh, John’s Pizza Works, how thou hast saved me many a drunk evening where, in the one-horse town of Mammoth Lakes where no restaurants seem to stay open past 8 p.m., you offer pizza, wings, beer and liquor until midnight (or 11 p.m. on weekdays).