Coyote Flats Overland July 24-27

kellymoe

Expedition Leader
I drive an "overland" vehicle, Land Rover Defender 130 crew cab. I have all the "overland" stuff. But I just cant bring myself to call what I do 90% of the time overlanding. It's just camping with an overland truck. This was made clear this last trip with my family as we ventured to one of my favorite camping spots, Coyote Flats. Coyote Flats is reached via a 20 mile 4x4 road just outside of Bishop. The road was in worse shape this year, I think it's a result of the new small 4x4's like the Rhino. While pretty cool, they tend to really tear up a trail, pulling up cantaloupe sized boulder that a regular truck would just drive right over.

Our trip started on Thursday morning as we left Burbank and overlanded:) up Hwy 14 and 395. A stop at the Ranch-house Cafe in Olancha satiated our hunger from the miles of blacktop. After lunch we pushed on toward Bishop with a brutal tailwind to deal with;) Once in Bishop we made our way to the outskirts of town and found the start of the dirt road. Temperature in Bishop was about 105 as we headed up the sandy wash toward the infamous switchbacks that carry you quickly to the high country and cooler temps. Within 30 minutes the temperature went from 105 to 65.

After 1.5 hours and 20 miles on a moderate to east 4x4 road we reached our camp beside Baker Creek at an altitude of 10,200 feet. Camp was situated on the edge of an idealic meadow. Fly fishing was literaly steps from the tent.

Between my parents Chevy Silverado and my crew cab pick up we had everything and more to make this overlanding campsite almost as comfortable as home. We ate huge meals with fresh food from the 4 ice chests we brought. We lacked for nothing.

What I came to realize on this trip was that what was missing was a sense of adventure. Sure the kids had fun fishing and hunting for frogs. But what I miss is a sense of unknown. Even the trip I took with my dad last month to the Saline Valley had more adventure simply because of the remoteness and isolation of the place, especially this time of year with 126 degree heat we encountered. In for days in the Saline we saw 1 person. At Coyote Flats we saw several people on day trips from their homes in Bishop.

I think planning and preparation are key to a successful trip but it seems that it can be done to the nth degree and the adventure is kind of tainted. My most memorable trip to Coyote Flats was almost 30 years ago when I was 12. My parents truck suffered a dead battery. My brother and I hiked 6 miles to Glacier Lodge and hitched a ride with a guy named Bud Hines who lived in Big Pine, not Big Pines which he made sure we knew. He drove us to Bishop and we paid a gas station attendant $20 to give us a ride back up the 20 mile dirt road and back to our parents truck. My brother and I jumped in the back of his pick up truck. On the way out town he stopped to pick up a friend, OK no big deal. About 15 miles up the trail the truck came to an abrupt stop. Both guys jumped out with guns in hand. My brother and I looked at each other deciding whether to run for it bobbing and weaving down the road or make a offensive attack. Before we had a chance to soil ourselves they started taking pot shots at some crows who were sitting in the meadow. After they had their fill of man fun they hopped back in the truck and in short order we were back with our parents battery in hand.

I'm not saying you need to break down in the middle of nowhere to have an adventure but it helps:) Actually with my wife and young kids I prefer I not break down in the middle of nowhere. Maybe I just need to weed out the non essentials. When I do solo trips in my truck I take on the alpine climbing approach and bring only what I need and nothing more. I think I'll start doing that with family trips, or at least those with the kids, my wife likes comfort.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from our overlanding adventure.
 

ujoint

Supporting Sponsor
Looks like a great family weekend! Nice to get out of the heat & up in the Sierra's.
 

spressomon

Expedition Leader
kellymoe said:
I drive an "overland" vehicle, Land Rover Defender 130 crew cab. I have all the "overland" stuff. But I just cant bring myself to call what I do 90% of the time overlanding. It's just camping with an overland truck. This was made clear this last trip with my family as we ventured to one of my favorite camping spots, Coyote Flats. Coyote Flats is reached via a 20 mile 4x4 road just outside of Bishop. The road was in worse shape this year, I think it's a result of the new small 4x4's like the Rhino. While pretty cool, they tend to really tear up a trail, pulling up cantaloupe sized boulder that a regular truck would just drive right over.

Our trip started on Thursday morning as we left Burbank and overlanded:) up Hwy 14 and 395. A stop at the Ranch-house Cafe in Olancha satiated our hunger from the miles of blacktop. After lunch we pushed on toward Bishop with a brutal tailwind to deal with;) Once in Bishop we made our way to the outskirts of town and found the start of the dirt road. Temperature in Bishop was about 105 as we headed up the sandy wash toward the infamous switchbacks that carry you quickly to the high country and cooler temps. Within 30 minutes the temperature went from 105 to 65.

After 1.5 hours and 20 miles on a moderate to east 4x4 road we reached our camp beside Baker Creek at an altitude of 10,200 feet. Camp was situated on the edge of an idealic meadow. Fly fishing was literaly steps from the tent.

Between my parents Chevy Silverado and my crew cab pick up we had everything and more to make this overlanding campsite almost as comfortable as home. We ate huge meals with fresh food from the 4 ice chests we brought. We lacked for nothing.

What I came to realize on this trip was that what was missing was a sense of adventure. Sure the kids had fun fishing and hunting for frogs. But what I miss is a sense of unknown. Even the trip I took with my dad last month to the Saline Valley had more adventure simply because of the remoteness and isolation of the place, especially this time of year with 126 degree heat we encountered. In for days in the Saline we saw 1 person. At Coyote Flats we saw several people on day trips from their homes in Bishop.

I think planning and preparation are key to a successful trip but it seems that it can be done to the nth degree and the adventure is kind of tainted. My most memorable trip to Coyote Flats was almost 30 years ago when I was 12. My parents truck suffered a dead battery. My brother and I hiked 6 miles to Glacier Lodge and hitched a ride with a guy named Bud Hines who lived in Big Pine, not Big Pines which he made sure we knew. He drove us to Bishop and we paid a gas station attendant $20 to give us a ride back up the 20 mile dirt road and back to our parents truck. My brother and I jumped in the back of his pick up truck. On the way out town he stopped to pick up a friend, OK no big deal. About 15 miles up the trail the truck came to an abrupt stop. Both guys jumped out with guns in hand. My brother and I looked at each other deciding whether to run for it bobbing and weaving down the road or make a offensive attack. Before we had a chance to soil ourselves they started taking pot shots at some crows who were sitting in the meadow. After they had their fill of man fun they hopped back in the truck and in short order we were back with our parents battery in hand.

I'm not saying you need to break down in the middle of nowhere to have an adventure but it helps:) Actually with my wife and young kids I prefer I not break down in the middle of nowhere. Maybe I just need to weed out the non essentials. When I do solo trips in my truck I take on the alpine climbing approach and bring only what I need and nothing more. I think I'll start doing that with family trips, or at least those with the kids, my wife likes comfort.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from our overlanding adventure.


Did you catch any fish? And is the old trail that takes off/comes out near Glacier Lodge (from CF) still accessible or is this Wilderness Area now? I appreciate your wanting for more adventure. But having pushed semi-hard core adventure onto several lady partners (including the one I'm with now almost 20-years) I've learned (although not 100% yet :confused:) to tone it down a few notches for family and kids...if you ever want them to do it again with you OR want them to have fond memories of 'having fun' compared to 'surviving' Dad's plan :ylsmoke: keep taking them on CF like runs! Save the big challenging stuff for when you're with your buds.

Nice pics...nice little write up. Thanks!
 
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kellymoe

Expedition Leader
spressomon said:
Did you catch any fish? And is the old trail that takes off/comes out near Glacier Lodge (from CF) still accessible or is this Wilderness Area now? I appreciate your wanting for more adventure. But having pushed semi-hard core adventure onto several lady partners (including the one I'm with now almost 20-years) I've learned (although not 100% yet :confused:) to tone it down a few notches for family and kids...if you ever want them to do it again with you OR want them to have fond memories of 'having fun' compared to 'surviving' Dad's plan :ylsmoke: keep taking them on CF like runs! Save the big challenging stuff for when you're with your buds.

Nice pics...nice little write up. Thanks!

Thanks, and yes I realize I need trips like this for my family at this point. I spent my pre kid years doing many hardcore climbing and kayaking multi day trips and thrived on the adventure of the unknown. These are great trips and your right about easing in to it. I have already started my son doing some technical canyoneering involving rappelling and swimming. The key is not to scare them or they will be turned off and will be tough to get them enthused again.

I guess I just miss the suffering a bit:p

I have done a hiking trail from Glacier Lodge to Coyote on several occasions but now 4x4 route. There is a 4x4 route from Big Pine to CF that ends up at Sanger Meadow behind Sugerloaf and then eventually CF. It's a pretty tough trail and the last time I tried it several years ago there was a section of about a 200 yards that was very narrow and off camber. We ended up turning around. It looked only passable by quad runner at the time. Since then the Ridgecrest Geargrinder 4x4 club has done trail work to that section and it is a bit more doable.

Oh, and yes we did catch some fish. My son and I went out one evening and within 20 minutes he had caught 7 trout using his fly pole while I only caught 2:) My dad who is an expert machinist made a fly real just for my son. It's a nice compact unit that is black anodized aluminium. I am doing a backpacking trip next week from Bishop Pass to Taboose Pass and I think I just might borrow it because of it's light compact nature.
 
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spressomon

Expedition Leader
kellymoe said:
Thanks, and yes I realize I need trips like this for my family at this point. I spent my pre kid years doing many hardcore climbing and kayaking multi day trips and thrived on the adventure of the unknown. These are great trips and your right about easing in to it. I have already started my son doing some technical canyoneering involving rappelling and swimming. The key is not to scare them or they will be turned off and will be tough to get them enthused again.

I guess I just miss the suffering a bit:p

I have done a hiking trail from Glacier Lodge to Coyote on several occasions but now 4x4 route. There is a 4x4 route from Big Pine to CF that ends up at Sanger Meadow behind Sugerloaf and then eventually CF. It's a pretty tough trail and the last time I tried it several years ago there was a section of about a 200 yards that was very narrow and off camber. We ended up turning around. It looked only passable by quad runner at the time. Since then the Ridgecrest Geargrinder 4x4 club has done trail work to that section and it is a bit more doable.

Oh, and yes we did catch some fish. My son and I went out one evening and within 20 minutes he had caught 7 trout using his fly pole while I only caught 2:) My dad who is an expert machinist made a fly real just for my son. It's a nice compact unit that is black anodized aluminium. I am doing a backpacking trip next week from Bishop Pass to Taboose Pass and I think I just might borrow it because of it's light compact nature.

Great time of the year to be backpacking there. I got to do two one-week backpack trips July and then again in August 2006. On the July trip (in at Rock Creek...out at Pine Creek) I had not seen this much water/water falls and wildflowers before in the Sierra: Stunning!

Have a great trip!

Dan
 

Explorer 1

Explorer 1
Difference between an adventure and an ordeal

I once saw a bumper sticker that stated:

"The difference between an Adventure and an Ordeal is your Attitude"

I've always wanted one of those for my rig.

I have found that too often I have taken adventures that from my families point of view was an ordeal, hence I end up taking more trip by myself.

Here are some more recent pics of that that rougher section of trail between Coyote Flats and Big Pine.

Thanks for sharing,
Fred
Explorer 1

http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?p=68052#post68052
 

kellymoe

Expedition Leader
Thanks, great pictures. I remember there being a loooong drop off to the left that looked too sketchy for my taste.


Explorer 1 said:
I once saw a bumper sticker that stated:

"The difference between an Adventure and an Ordeal is your Attitude"

I've always wanted one of those for my rig.

I have found that too often I have taken adventures that from my families point of view was an ordeal, hence I end up taking more trip by myself.

Here are some more recent pics of that that rougher section of trail between Coyote Flats and Big Pine.

Thanks for sharing,
Fred
Explorer 1

http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?p=68052#post68052
 

adventureduo

Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
Glad you got to head up there after helping out with our trip. I felt bad that you invested so much time in our details and didn't get to go. Looks like you had a great time. Thanks for sharing.
 

kellymoe

Expedition Leader
I havnt been to Funnel Lake in years. My dad was there a few years ago and I cant recall if he said Funnel or Rocky Bottom Lake was green and dead. If I were to guess I would say it was probably Funnel that was not doing so well.

Baker, hidden and Thunder and Lightning lakes are all doing well. I caught several Goldens in Hidden Lake last Summer.

Mlachica said:
Did you happen to check it out? Is it worth seeing?
 

Redline

Likes to Drive and Ride
Thanks for that link! Looks fun & challenging, but I think my 4Runner could skin that bit of trail.


Explorer 1 said:
I once saw a bumper sticker that stated:

"The difference between an Adventure and an Ordeal is your Attitude"

I've always wanted one of those for my rig.

I have found that too often I have taken adventures that from my families point of view was an ordeal, hence I end up taking more trip by myself.

Here are some more recent pics of that that rougher section of trail between Coyote Flats and Big Pine.

Thanks for sharing,
Fred
Explorer 1

http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?p=68052#post68052
 

Explorer 1

Explorer 1
Funnel and Rocky bottom Lake

Both Funnel and Rocky Bottom lake were fine last time I was up there. They both had trout worth fishing for. The usual drive to them is rather rocky, not high tech. difficult but all the same very rocky, expect a lot of bouncing and stock vehicles will scrape some.

The first picture is Funnel and the second is Rocky Bottom. Maybe there is some confusion with Coyote Lake which will dry up some years.

Thanks,
Fred
Explorer 1
 

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