The Volcanic Tablelands is one of the coolest areas outside of Bishop. Primarily known for its climbing, specifically in the Happys and the Sads, the Volcanic Tablelands are more than that. It is home to a large collection of petroglyphs from ancestors of the Paiute-Shoshone tribe who are the original inhabitants of Payahuunadü, or the Owens Valley.
Google Mono Lake and the first thing you’ll see is the South Tufa. Some would argue that if there was one thing you absolutely had to do here, it’s visiting the tufa grove. Is it a must do? I’m not sure; the Black Point Fissures were pretty cool. But if you’re hard pressed for time, visiting the South Tufa will only take you about an hour or so. The hike to the crazy, alienesque tufa is short (one mile), flat, and family-friendly.
A few days prior to my Eastern Sierras birthday trip I poked around the #easternsierras hashtag on Instagram looking for some ideas and inspiration on what to do. I was pretty much stumped and so beyond planning a detailed itinerary at that point. My friend, Sarah, suggested the Black Point Fissures at Mono Lake. A quick click on this link and I was sold.
After a couple months of non-stop craziness, I decided to take a few days off and enjoy my birthday in the quiet and solitude of the outdoors. Squamish and Crater Lake were close contenders but in the end, the Eastern Sierras won out because hot springs. Seriously, what better way is there to rejuvenate than in the mountains soaking in a hot tub?
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is a beautiful park, but it’s a fairly small park. There is probably less than 15 miles of hiking trails, some connecting deeper into Ventana Wilderness like Sykes Hot Springs via the Pine Ridge trail. Some are gems like the Big Sur River Gorge and Pfeiffer Falls. Others are less so.