My family joined up with another and headed to Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills area for our first overlanding journey, and we were not disappointed. It’s such an amazing area. The two days we camped saw high winds in the area and chilly nights, which is to be expected this time of year, I suppose.
My plan was to either head up to Mazourka Peak or take the Swansea-Cerro Gordo route and camp up there. We decided to attempt the Swansea trail, planning to pitch camp at an abandoned mine about halfway to Cerro Gordo. About 1/3 of the way up, we ran into the toughest spot of the trail, which looks like it’s gotten worse after this winter. My friend’s rig was low in the back, and I’m new to off-roading, so we contemplated our route and decided against it.
Instead, we went up the Cerro Gordo side and visited the old mining town, where it started snowing on us, lol. The regular caretaker wasn’t there but his substitute provided the tour and gave us some info about the road leading higher. Because of the weather, we decided to head back down and stay another night in the Alabama Hills.
I figure later in May or June those two higher elevation settings will be better. And I bet in July, at 8500-9200 feet, they’ll be perfect while the valley is blazing.
My plan was to either head up to Mazourka Peak or take the Swansea-Cerro Gordo route and camp up there. We decided to attempt the Swansea trail, planning to pitch camp at an abandoned mine about halfway to Cerro Gordo. About 1/3 of the way up, we ran into the toughest spot of the trail, which looks like it’s gotten worse after this winter. My friend’s rig was low in the back, and I’m new to off-roading, so we contemplated our route and decided against it.
Instead, we went up the Cerro Gordo side and visited the old mining town, where it started snowing on us, lol. The regular caretaker wasn’t there but his substitute provided the tour and gave us some info about the road leading higher. Because of the weather, we decided to head back down and stay another night in the Alabama Hills.
I figure later in May or June those two higher elevation settings will be better. And I bet in July, at 8500-9200 feet, they’ll be perfect while the valley is blazing.
