Day Trippin'

[Guy Johnson]

[As if there is not enough to do in and around Reno/Tahoe…] One of the many things I like about the general location of Reno is its proximity to so many other great outdoor destinations. Truckee, Pyramid Lake, Virginia City are all certainly very close, but spend just two to five hours in a car and you’ll reach popular destinations varied as Mono Lake, Mammoth, Napa Valley, San Francisco, Mt Whitney, Yosemite…the list goes on.

What’s your favorite day trip? Soaking in the hot springs in Sierraville? Exploring the Black Rack Desert? Hiking portions of the Tahoe Rim trail? Visiting the Bay Area?
Let’s talk about it here.

[Guy Johnson]

I thought I would get things started by mentioning one of my favorite excursions from Reno is heading down to Lone Pine, California; the portal to Mt. Whitney. Whether you head down there to see and photograph the Alabama Hills (where many of the great Western films and TV shows were filmed) or to climb the highest point in the lower 48 states (Mt Whitney summit - elevation 14,497’); there’s plenty do in and around this little town of 1,600 people.

Although the Lone Pine is best known as the portal to the trailhead for the Mount Whitney Trail, it is also a launching point for many other mountaineering and climbing routes on Mount Whitney, Mount Russell, and Mount Carillon. All classes of hikes and climbs are available through the many trails and routes throughout Inyo National Forest. And because Mt. Whitney’s summit is one of the most popular climbs in the US, there is tons of info and documentation to be found on the web to assist with your planning.

I’ve made the five-hour drive from Reno to Lone Pine three times in the past year. Each time was for the purpose of summitting Mt Whiney. I have been successful two of the three times. Time of year, route chosen, weather, etc all come in to play in any summit attempt. If summitting Mt. Whitney is something that interests you, it’s nice to know that Reno is just a half-days drive from there. But first, do your homework and be prepared. The reward will be well worth the preparation.

Here are a couple pics from my most recent visits to the summit. One was August and and the other was September. See the difference a month makes.

August 14, 2008 - The town of Lone Pine can be seen in the distance on the valley floor below.

September 29, 2008 - That's me in the light blue coat. :)

[Jim_Scripps]

If you have kids, go check out Apple Hill. Lots of cool stuff like pumpkin patches, pie-baking, etc. and Jack Russell brewery is right among the orchards, and they make some good brew. Worth a visit this month:
Here's their Web site ... not great, but you get the idea
http://www.applehill.com/site/growers.html

[Ryan Jerz]

In the other direction, we took a trip out to Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park last November. The day could have been a little better, but what we did out there was a great little trip for the family. The drive takes you through the heart of Nevada and the chance to see the fossils of a swimming dinosaur in the middle of the state makes it a cool trip. I wrote a blog post about it at the time.

http://www.mrjerz.org/nevada/berlin-ichthyosaur-state-park-and-grim...

[Tom Clark]

We enjoy Jackson, Prosser, all the lakes on 89 outside of Truckee. Can get up there, put the boat in the water fish for 5-6 hours and be back before sundown. The streams around there are good too. Nice hikes, picnicin, all kinds of stuff.