KENNEDY/MONACHE MEADOWS

My friends and I had planned on going up to Kennedy meadows on Father’s Day. We pushed our trip back to the end of the month in anticipation of Monache Meadows being open. It’s been closed due to heavy snow melt and wet/oversaturated road conditions and flooded meadows. We have had by-weekly communications with the Blackrock ranger station and a few groups up there. As we headed out the trail was still closed and we had planned on camping at fish creek.

Once up past Kennedy we checked in at Blackrock and were told the trail was officially still closed but work was being done up there. We drove up to the first gate and found it open. Inyo County rangers gave us a wave and said the trail was unofficially open due to a geologist leaving the gates open.

The trail is in great shape. A lot better than in years past.

Trail pics



Camp set up on the river. I used two arb rooms off of my awnings. I’ve been waiting for a month for Transamerica to get arb tents back in stock. The 8 ft room fit a queen size air mattress nicely for my daughter and myself.



The new trailer build with a drop down fridge slide and an 82 quart arb.



I hiked up stream with my kid to the old army fish dam. There was lots of bear scat, bobcat tracks , and raccoon prints.




I cooked an epic Saturday night dinner, steaks, corn, potatoes, and veggies in the trays. Two Dutch ovens had peach cobbler in them for desert. Way too much food-as usual.


Just a great place to spend 4 days at camping, fishing, and relaxing.

 

It's open? I can't believe it's open for all the snow and shit we had!
Fuck yhea!
One of my favorite places to camp and ride!

 

Went up there last year and really enjoyed it. Didn't know about the Army Dam, how far upstream is it?

Hope you found a sale on ribeye.

 

Not far less than a mile, you can see it on google earth. The beaver dam is destroyed from this year’s heavy run off.

 

how were the water crossings? or still too high?

 

Nice pics and tons of awnings/rooms and good food.
I've enjoyed my awning/room a lot this summer.

 

Looks like a great trip! I've spent a lot of time in the eastern Sierras but never been up that way. I assume this is dispersed camping and not an actual campground?

 

Correct dispersed.

 

Yes, dispersed camping is all I saw. Still had a great time. Pay attention to signage though. There is a lot of Wilderness Designated areas, some private land/leases that would be easy to follow a road into.

I'm sure there are other campgrounds w/bathrooms in the area, I stopped at Kennedy Meadows Campground the night before.

 

holy cow. pretty incredible set-up. Take it from someone who lives in a place where dispersed camping is largely illegal - enjoy that stuff. Every time you can. Looks great! Where in the US is Kennedy and Monache?

 

California, Southern Sierra, East side.

 

No, this is exactly what I wanted to hear. I'm looking to get out into the wilderness more and further from the crowds. One of the big reasons I'm shopping for a Tacoma. Previously had a Subaru but now looking for something that'll better suit camping with our dog and have better ground clearance.

 

I'll try to explain a little better. The Golden Trout Wilderness area is at the northern end of Monache Meadows. It is restricted to non-vehicular traffic. I.E., walking or horseback. There are roads that enter the Wilderness. There is a ranch, or ranches, out there that can be accessed by the roads. They can drive on the road, the general public can't, and it's a big fine if you are caught.

Found a pic. That's my white Tacoma. On the other side of it you can see some posts. Clearly there is a road that passes through those posts and off to the left. Those posts & signage there designate the Wilderness border, yet it looks easy to drive right on by. Certainly if you see the nice water crossing just beyond the posts.


So ya, have a great time with your truck getting out into the wilderness. Just be sure when you are out there you check maps and signage for "Wilderness Area" designations.

If you are into hiking I've heard it's a great area for that too.

You can see a ranch in this pic. Look at the ridgeline for the prominent peak in the distance. Now drop down to the edge of the darker tree line and meadow. There are a couple of light spots. Those are reflections off of roofs.

 

So many options if you do your due diligence and find them.