Eastern Sierra
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The 150 miles of Highway 395 (also known as the Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway) between Bishop (Inyo County) and Topaz (Mono County) ranks right up there with coastal Highway 1 as California’s most scenic drive. Continue your journey north on Highway 89 to Markleeville (Alpine County) or west on Highway 4 to Bear Valley and you'll add to the lifetime's worth of dog-friendly attractions easily accessible from the San Francisco Bay Area.
You’ll have trouble keeping Rover’s head inside the window and your eyes on the asphalt as you travel this gorgeous route tracing the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada. Pick a side road, almost any side road, and you and your four-legged friend will find yourselves surrounded by rugged canyons, granite peaks, rushing streams and vast displays of aspens, cottonwoods and willows that for a few weeks in autumn paint the landscape in yellows, oranges and reds.
Our suggestion for an Eastern Sierra trip over a long weekend: Pick up Highway 395 in Reno or Carson City and spend the first night about 100 miles down the road at the dog-friendly Bridgeport Inn, a historic lodge in the Mono County town of Bridgeport. Two other excellent choices for travelers with pets are Walker River Lodge (also in town) and Virginia Creek Settlement, a compound encompassing a log-cabin motel, housekeeping cabins, tent cabins and campground on the shores of Virginia Creek five miles to the south. All are great jumping-off points for a “must do” visit to Bodie State Historic Park more »
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When it comes to five-star wildflower hikes, Carson Pass in the Mokelumne Wilderness south of Lake Tahoe has few rivals.
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The Mammoth Lakes area of the Eastern Sierra holds some of California's most stunning—and paw-friendly —high-altitude landscapes. At Mammoth Mountain, hikers with leashed dogs can hop aboard the Panorama Gondola for a ride to the mountain's 11,053-foot summit and 360-degree views of surrounding peaks. more »