Inyo National Forest Opening Early
So, the ongoing historic drought in California is bad for all of us who need food and water to survive. That's true. No sugarcoating that. But if we're trying to make some lemonade out of lemons, there are a few positives to come out of this. First, Yosemite re-opened one of their roads early. Then, Big Bear Lake announced the opening of their public launch ramps ahead of schedule. And now, there's word that Inyo National Forest in the Eastern Sierra is opening up their recreation and fishing facilities early this year.
Inyo is a sprawling, nearly 3,000-mile forest, encompassing nine different wilderness areas. It includes Mount Whitney (the highest point in the contiguous U.S.), Boundary Peak (the highest point in Nevada), and the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (which includes some of the world's oldest living organisms). It also has plenty of fishing and campgrounds. Here's the vital information about the early openings for you:
For Fishing Opener -- Most lakes below 9000 feet are currently free of ice. Weather dependent, roads in the Mammoth Lakes Basin will be open prior to the 2015 Fishing Opener, with a tentative opening date of Saturday, April 18th. Convict Lake, Sherwin Creek, Mammoth RV Park, Oh Ridge, June Lake, Gull Lake, Silver Lake, Big Springs, and Lower Lee Vining campgrounds will be open by April 24th.
Also of note, the road into Reds Meadow Valley is targeted to open on Saturday, May 16th, with a large number of campgrounds opening throughout the month of May. All target dates are schedule to change due to weather conditions. Head on over to the official website for more information.
