Eastern Sierra Nevada Winter Road Trip

Two years ago I moved to the Los-Angeles area, after spending nearly ten years in Chicago.  I am originally from Idaho, however, and I greatly missed the mountains before moving here.  I've been looking for as many excuses as I can to get to the mountains in the face of a demanding job and two very-young children.  Meanwhile, the 2013 winter was disappointing in Southern California, with almost no snow at all until March.  December 2014 was another story.  Although it was still a light-snow winter by Sierra standards by Christmas, the Sierra did get a few feet of snow during the month.  And as someone still new to California,  I was excited to see what the Sierra would look like in the winter.  And so, just after Christmas in 2014,  my wife (who is not interested in mountains or snow) kindly suggested we decided to make a last-minute road trip to Mammoth Lakes.  

Mountains Near Mammoth Lakes

We did not arrive in Mammoth until almost midnight on December 26.  The next morning, we headed out in the car.  After a quick drive to the ski area, where there wasn't too much photogenic at the time, we made a quick stop to Twin Lakes.  The remaining lakes in the basin were apparently inaccessible for those without skies or snowshoes (like us) due to road closures.  Then, after dropping my wife and baby off at the hotel for the baby's morning nap, I convinced my brother-in-law to drive to see whatever we could in the next hour or two.  We drove to Convict Lake and then McGee Creek Road.  I was impressed:  the mountains were far more spectacular than I imagined.  I didn't realize there were so many good peaks south of Mammoth Lakes, as opposed to west.  Here are some of the photos: