Enjoyed an early March trip with Jimmie. Amazing! Learned alot and forgot he was a guide, more…read morelike a friend (with knowledge). The river is amazing and the scenery was awesome! Thanks to Jimmie and Arnoldo!

I've been fly fishing for over twenty years, this was THE WORST EXPERIENCE with a guide service…read moreever... I NEVER MADE IT TO THE WATER. I've had good luck with Orvis endorsed guides, which is why I had confidence to select. Don't. Do yourself a favor and go with another guide service. Details I booked (and paid) for my trip six months in advance, called a week before I left, and touched base again upon arrival. Note, I was not contacted by Jimmy or his staff once after booking the trip. THE NIGHT BEFORE MY TRIP, I learned that Jimmy lost my booking and had no details about the trip and in addition was injured and could not guide me himself, but offered to book a new guide for the next morning. Two guides later, a plan was set... I purchased a fishing license and drove an hour to the rendezvous calling the guide, Lyle, while in route. (Cell service in Yosemite is unreliable at best, so take it when you can get it...). The guide advised me he had a flat and would be fifteen minutes late. While waiting in the meeting spot, which was a regular meet up for local guides, I began talking to a few people. Specifically, I told them that my guide had picked up a nail in his tire and was running late.... They told me my guide's name and said this wasn't the first time he had "picked up a nail", as they'd heard this excuse within the last week. AFTER WAITING FOR MY GUIDE FIR FORTY MNUTES after the meet up time, I left. I followed up with a request for refund. I told him that he was given ample opportunity to make it right and he didn't. And no, there was never a refund offered.

So many thoughts... My relation to Yosemite Valley began…read moreabout 64 years ago. In the Cub Scouts, I think. Ralph John loaded a squad of loud, wiggling, excited boys into his blue Plymouth station wagon for the 250 mile drive from Sylmar to Yosemite. No Interstate 5. Valencia was a carrot field, Magic Mountain an oak studded pasture for the Newhall Family cattle operation. Thank you Ralph, thank you Lord Baden-Powell. My most memorable trip, my intro to modern tourism, was when Ted Germond and I took two days of November Coast Guard Liberty from the USCGC Blackhaw, drove from San Francisco one afternoon, arrived at night, pitched camp in the center of Yosemite Valley, covered our sleeping bags with a tarp, woke at dawn under that frost-crusted tarp. We threw that crunching canvas off, shook off the frost, and threw our gear into Ted's Land Cruiser. He took one photo of the valley. We drove back to San Francisco, a handful of photos proving the journey. Aside from my tourism, I have known members of the Southern Sierra Miwok Tribe, keepers of Yosemite Valley and the surrounding area for millennia until gold miners, livestock grazers and the U.S. Government arrived. Priscilla and her husband built a very successful real estate enterprise in Oakhurst, deciding their children needed a better education in a bigger city. I got to know Priscilla through her daughters, was accepted by the family, caring for the sons and meeting The Matriarch, another very sucessful real estate entrepreneur in Southern California. Never a word, never a peep, never a hint the female side of the family were Native American Indigenous people until I was much older. Too much shame. So much taken from the Guardians of Yosemite Valley. May 22, 2026. The Friday of Memorial Day weekend. A perfect set of days to stay away from 21st century Yosemite. We knew this. I chose to cross Yosemite returning home to Phoenix. As our trip home from Coastal Washington began jelling, I checked several times to see if California 120 over Tioga Pass was clear of snow. At first, Tioga was closed, then announced open for the start of The Season, 2026. We breakfasted light at the Angel's Camp Best Western, started early, entered the park with very short lines and rolled for Tioga Pass. We did not enter the valley. Tourist aspects are so slick, capitalized and bussed, we did not choose to deviate from Cal 120. There are many burned areas from recent fires. Fear not! Intrepid sightseer. With Miwok vegetation management ending in the 19th century, the Gifford Pinchot ethos of 1912; the Environmetal Movement, no fire, no tree cutting; plus drought, higher temps and lower humidity. Expect immense burned areas across the Sierra Nevada. Prescribed fire was brought back to The Valley by Harold Biswell in the 1960's, carried strongly in the 1990's and 2000's. Many notable and positive changes are visible in forest ecosystems where fire has been laid down in moderate temperatures and humidities. I note one thing as I close. The turnouts dor the first paved roads to this region were chosen for their breath taking vistas. The forests have grown as forests do. We the tourists in our climate-controlled, musically diverse, internet-connected pods see only tree trunks these days. Lots of tree trunks. Bring Back the ancient and 20th Century Vistas! Yes Park Service, a few trees must go. But, my wife and I stopped near a deck of Incense Cedar logs at one turnout and got a view worth more than Xanterra's cash flow. We need those vistas - to honor the Miwok and their cathedral; the vision of Frederick Law Olmstead and the National Park Service's first Landscape Architects. Most of all, we members of Our Family Human, traveling here from across our planet need those humbling, magnificent, Creator-realizing views to be properly set in our places. To understand our puny, self important sparks in time and space mean nothing at all to geology, nature, and the endless seasons. We can only take care of our beautiful world generation by heneration. Said the Southern Sierra Miwok.

Visited Yosemite Falls on May 1st, and it felt just right…read more No crowds, perfect weather -- not too hot, not too cold. The waterfall was powerful, full of life, rushing down like it had something to say. Yosemite National Park felt wild and peaceful at the same time -- clean, untouched, and deeply beautiful. Grateful for everyone who takes care of this place

If you ever visit Mammoth Lakes area, please pay this geologic site a visit!! It's totally worth…read moreyour time! First of all, it's totally free! No parking fee, no entrance fee! And it's just a short 2.5-mile drive from the Wild Willy Hot Spring. Noted that the road leading to this site is unpaved and may require 4WD vehicles. However, my sister's Toyota Corolla did just fine as long as you drive with care and not speeding like 60mph ;) We arrived around 1pm on a Friday. The parking lot looked full but there were spaces for us. There are a few overflow parkings as well. There were restrooms and a few picnic tables there making the place look very inviting. As soon as you stepped out of your car, you'd be greeted with that familiar sulfur smell of hot springs. Step over to the ledges and you'd be wowed by the majestic beauty of the geologic site! Turquoise hot springs ebbs and flows against the silverfish brown volcanic mountain backdrops! A few greeneries here and there and some yellow wild flowers to complete a gorgeous painting by Mother Nature! If you're a nature lover like me, your eyes will be wide opened and your moth will shape into an "O" LOL. Honestly who needs to go to Yellow Stones while we have this mini version at your backyard ? A quick hike down on pave roads will lead you closer to the hot springs. Dogs are welcomed but they must be on leash and not allowed to come close to the hot springs. Spend as much time here to appreciate the majestic beauty of the site! Some of us even tried to touch the water and it was boiling HOT. So not recommended :)! Please don't miss out on this free, dog-friendly, beautiful geologic site if you're ever in the area!

I got from the Benton side and enjoyed the beautiful views of the mountains on the Benton Crossing…read moreRoad. There is absolutely no internet service. At the Hot Creek Geologic Site, they have restrooms. Then, we can walk down the path to see the hot creek. Very nice views but it smelled so bad. Not the best idea to check it out when you have a stomachache.

We had an amazing time on our helicopter tour around Mammoth and the nearby Eastern Sierra…read moremountains. Ed, the owner and pilot was extremely competent. I'm not the most comfortable flyer and yet I was completely comfortable during the flight because of his preflight overview. Ed provided up front information of what to expect that made me understand what was happening during the flight so there were no surprises. I loved every minute. I'm a backpacker and have traversed a large area that we flew. Seeing from the air what I know from the ground was such an amazing perspective. I highly recommend it!

What an AMAZING adventure. Our pilot Ed was very informative and entertaining. The sites were out…read moreof this world. If you are visiting Mammoth you really need to include this in your plans. I'll add some pictures but I doubt they will do it justice. Ed also kept the ride very smooth and comfortable! Well worth the money! My only concern is that we did it on our first day and the bar is set VERY high!

Grateful that during this intra covid era, I managed to get seats at the busy breweries and…read morerestaurants. This area is such a success, whether hot or snowy. Bring your dog, boat, bike, sticks, family and/or self for some nature fun. Hiking trails almost every corner one turns. Make reservations early. It does get congested with adventure seekers.

Just the ride up to and through Mammoth Lakes is amazing. If you want hiking boating fishing…read moreswimming and just a beautiful day sitting by the water Kama then this is the place for us. Around every corner it's an astounding picturesque view and with the nice strong winds that are blowing today it just gives you that nice breath of fresh air while hiking. Get a cabin and just relax. It's a good getaway from the big city. You won't regret it. You get to see all the wild animals. Some even come down to your cabin. Just have your camera or cell phone ready to take pictures. Watch out that some of the animals don't use you as food. I wonder if there's Bears out here??? Definitely a place I would come back to

I visit Convict Lake every year because it's just so beautiful! No wonder those escaped prisoners…read moreyears ago stayed here! You cannot resist such a beautiful lake with the mountain backdrop. Okay, the parking is terrible but if you're patient and parking lot pimpin', there will be an open spot for you! The water is freezing here in the summer but that is why I love it so much! I love being the 1 out of 3 people who swims here lol. If you want to fish here, I promise there's no fish here. We can never catch anything here! 10/10 will always visit again.

Beautiful lake off the Highway 395. I felt so lucky to find a parking space in front of the lake…read morewhere the boat launch was! It was such a beautiful sight of the mountains and the lake. Nice place to take a walk with family and friends!

Our favorite of the Mammoth lakes, but all of them are amazing. Will definitely be back and camp…read moreagain!

9/30/2022 After…read morefishing at Lake Mary with no success, decided to stop by Lake George. A great decision! This lake is perfect in size, and today's views were breathtaking.... Fall colors were vibrant, and there was no winds... plus it was early! I picked the perfect spot... You could see the fish cruising and they were big!... Made the best decision getting a second rod, and did utilize it nicely.. Definitely will be back the same time next year! Four trout weighing in at over 10 pounds... Not to brag, but my first one was the biggest.. closer to three pounds.!

My first time here but this place certainly brought back memories of my winter days while living in…read moreCanada. I thought snow is something I'm not gonna missed but hey, at least I'm not experiencing -50 degrees weather here compared to freezing Edmonton. I'm on my first day but I definitely fell in love. I'm definitely not a fan of big cities like Los Angeles but due to my entire family living in LA, I'm sticking around. Mammoth is my kind of city, pretty laid back yet you'll find everything you need. I see myself coming back here for a visit. Now that I've seen winter, I'm looking forward on how this place looks like during summer season.

It's a mountain town, very pretty with the snows. Many people come over here for ski, but the town…read moreis not overly crowded. Restaurants always have seats. During our week here in late March, it snowed for consecutive 3 days, we finally get one sunny day after all the snow! It's so beautiful. Highly recommend to take the scenic ride to the summit, it totally worth the money. There are also two free hot springs spots nearby, be sure to bring your bathing suit. In march, most of the lake are not accessible by car or hike due to all the snow, only one lake you could drive to, convict lake. It just located near the hilltop hot spring. I guess we need to come back if we want to see all the lakes here.

I just returned from a weekend of fly-fishing lessons with David and I cannot say enough good…read morethings about him and the overall experience that we had. Fly-fishing was something I'd been wanting to do for decades and our weekend of lessons/guiding by David resulted in an amazing positive experience for us. David's passion for fly fishing and for the elements that compose the environment where we fished were greatly appreciated. David is not only extremely knowledgeable on all aspects of fly-fishing, but when he learned we have an appreciation of the local environment there too, he gladly shared lots of his knowledge with us. This included the environment and life cycle of the various species of trout where we fished and their food source, trout fishing up in the high country, the many various types of birds and other wildlife in the environment, some ranching history, etc. His local knowledge of where to fish in the Bishop area was on point. Both days we were at nearby locations that were easy to get to and extremely scenic, but with virtually no other fishermen or other people around. David's enthusiasm for fly-fishing was evident from the beginning. We got us geared up and on the water quickly, and his teaching was mostly hands-on with just a few minutes of coaching before we got our lines in the water, then further coaching from there as we progressed. Before long we were catching beautiful and healthy trout. When we'd hook up David was right there to guide us on how to keep the fish on and safely land and release it. As our skills and comfort on the water increased David would introduce new techniques to us and guide us to other close-by spots to wade into and fish. We caught numerous trout of various species both days. He provided all the fishing-related gear to us and everything worked flawlessly. We had minimal snags and lost flies, and when we did he was on it quickly to get us back fishing. His stoke for fly-fishing and the Sierra is contagious and I plan on getting out there again with him. I highly recommend Sierra Trout Magnet!

Another great trout fishing experience in Lower Owens with Dave! He knows all the right spots and…read moreprovides expert guidance throughout the trip. Highly recommended for beginners, a refresher, and advanced anglers alike, #GOAT! Thank you, Dave!

This a great tour of the local breweries and our tour guide, Mike, was great! He even picked us up…read morefrom our condo because we were the only ones on the tour. Great beers, Ohana's food truck at June Lake Brewery is amazing, and overall great experience. Two thumbs way up

Had a great brewery tour today with Matt and Sabrina! The whole experience from start to finish…read morewas exceptional. Booking a reservation was a snap, just logged on to their site and saved my party's seats! They were on time at our pick up location (Rafters) and knew their way around the area, so we maximized our time at each brewery. We visited 3, June Lake Brewing, Mammoth Brewing Co and Black Doubt Brewing. We were provided with a great lunch from Ohana's Hawaiian BBQ, which happens to be a top notch gourmet food truck (check them out under my reviews as well). Matt had sampled all the beers at each brewery and was able to guide us based on our taste pallet as well. My favorites in case you need to know, GulllllLager from June Lake Brewing, Insatiable Saison (I might have the name wrong) from Black Doubt and the Gold Trout Ale from Mammoth Brewing. This was a great afternoon spent in the Mammoth area. Good beer, good food and of course, the scenery! The van was also bitchin. Looked like something out of Universal Soldier (I'm old, I know). Definitely plan on doing this again next summer, if not sooner! Thanks Matt and Sabrina!