I had to get out of Yosemite. The temperatures were forecasted to decline below freezing for few nights in a row with a chance of snow. The road I was going to take to get to Las Vegas – Tioga Pass, was going to be closed for a few days.
So last minute decision I hopped in the camper and drove East.
I found a campground right off the highway and decided to stay there for a few days, not really knowing anything about the area or its attractions.
Empty campground
The campground, Portagee Joe CG, was nothing spectacular. No hookups, picnic tables and fire rings with a bathroom, running water outside and garbage disposal. It also had a small creek running directly through the middle of the campground dividing it in two. $14 per day, nothing fancy.
I had strong internet signal and was able to find some things to do in the area.
First day I just drove around town. There are quite a few restaurants, a few outfitters, laundromat, grocery store and 3 gas stations.
First I stumbled upon Movie Road. It’s just a bumpy dirt road right off Whitney Portal Road and goes on for about 17 miles. This is the location where almost 400 old Westerns have been filmed. Personally I didn’t drive down this road more than just a couple miles because I was in an RV an the road was pretty bumpy with lots of washboard.
There was plenty of dispersed camping in the area. So for anyone who is looking for a fun camping spot this would definitely be a place to stop. If I wouldn’t have prepaid for 3 nights already I would have moved here for sure!
Movie Road, Lone Pine, CA
For those unfamiliar with the term, dispersed camping means camping without any hookups ssuch as water or electricity, typically on public lands.
Next day I decided to drive all the way up Whitney Portal road. I regretted it about 8 miles in. 🤦🏼♀️
The drive was only 11 miles from my campground, but the road got pretty steep very fast, to a point where I was only going 20 mph and my RV would not go any faster. As you can imagine driving down was just as hard with the weight of the RV constantly increasing my speed.
While at the top we walked around the roads, parking lots and campground and cooked lunch before hreading back down. It was 50°, felt lik 45° with the windchill factor.
A very big change from the 80° down in Lone Pine at elevation 3100′ just 11 miles away. I’m glad I had my puffy down jacket and a hat.
The reason why we have not ventured beyond the parking/picnic area is because dogs on trail are prohibited. Also, all trails from there were longer and steeper and for more advanced hikers – per All Trails app.
Mt. Whitney is the tallest peak in the contiguous US at 14,505′ elevation.
Interesting fact: it’s located only 76 miles from the lowest point in the US – Badwater in Death Valley at -282′ below sea level.
Following day I went to visit Manzanar Japanese Internment camp just a short flat 11 miles from my campground. Please see the Manzanar post here.
Last evening there I drove to Diaz Lake County Park campground. It wasjust 3 miles south, almost empty and located on a small but very pretty lake. We just went there to take a nice evening walk. Day use was free, camping fee was $14 per night.
Overall it was an unexpectedly fun stay in this small town.
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