Date:         Mon, 16 Sep 1996 00:18:24 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         busgirl@netcom.com (Martha)
Subject:      CCC's directions repost


For those of you who missed it the first time, here's a repost of
the directions to our forthcoming campout, this coming weekend...

--



Thanks to Kathy Myers for these!

Mammoth Lakes is located near the intersection of Highway 395 and State
Route 203. We are about 25 miles south of Lee Vining and about 45 miles
north of Bishop. We're a HUGE alpine ski area and the highway off ramp
are really well marked.

I am assuming that you will all want to go to the town of Mammoth Lakes
before you go to the site since there are limited services in the
valley. There is NO GAS in the valley and only a small pack station
type store and cafe down there. So... you might want to do the gas,
food and ice thing in town before you go down to Pumice Flat.

NOTE:

State route 203 is also known as Main Street.

DIRECTIONS:

On 203 - the first light you come to is Old Mammoth Road - if you need
THE grocery store, turn left and go to the next light and turn left....
there's VONS. When done with the shopping scene, go back to Main Street
(203) and turn left.

Follow 203 through town - less than a mile - (gas station are on this
street) - when you get to the next light - Minaret Road - turn right...
you will be following the signs to Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and the
Devils Postpile National Monument. This road climbs about 4 miles up to
the ski area. (3rd gear in Her Majesty... a '68 Bus)

When you get to the ski area you might get a bit confused because there
are chair lifts that cross the road and the place is sorta strange
looking without snow. Stay on the road and drive under Chairs 11 and
27. Follow this road up about 1 1/4 mile to a little kiosk called the
Minaret Vista Entrance Station. It will be closed. If you turn right at
the Forest Service sign to Minaret Vista, you will be rewarded with a
KILLER view of the Range of Light. (It's about a 1/8 of a mile to the
Vista.)

NOTE:

The road into the valley is NOT A THROUGH STREET! It goes down 9 miles
to Red's Meadow Resort and ends. In the summer this road is closed to
day use traffic and is serviced by a shuttle system. There are 10
marked bus stops on the valley floor... Pumice Flat *GROUP* Campground
is just past shuttle stop # 4. The shuttle stop signs are 4X4 posts
about 3 feet tall with the number on them - each stop usually has a
picnic table by the sign. The shuttle system will NOT be operating.

BACK TO THE DIRECTONS:

>From the Minaret Vista Entrance Station at 9,175 feet above sea level,
you will STEEPLY descend a beautiful albiet it NARROW road for about 3
1/2 miles. Try your hardest to go the speed limit... which is 15MPH. At
the bottom of the steep hill you will be at Agnew Meadows which is
shuttle stop #1. Follow the road around through the valley floor. When
you get to shuttle stop #4 PUMICE FLAT RANGER STATION - on the west
side of the street, you're almost there. Across the street from stop #4
is the PUMICE FLAT AMPHITHEATER - just past it, on the same side of the
street (east) is the dirt road entrance to PUMICE FLAT *GROUP* CAMP.
There are 3 group sites accommodating for 15 - 50 people. There are
tables, running water and flush toilets.

NOTE:

There is also a PUMICE FLAT regular campground - NOT FOR GROUPS! (It's
not as confusing as it sounds - believe me!)

The *GROUP* sites are in a HUGE PUMICE FLAT (derrrr!) which is a
clearing in the middle of a HUGE Lodgepole pine forest. The Middle Fork
of the San Joaquin River is a stone's throw away. The Devils Postpile
National Monument is at shuttle stop #6. Great fishing at Sotcher Lake
at shuttle stop #7 and FREE hot showers are available at Red's Meadow
Campground which is shuttle stop #8. The trailhead for Rainbow Falls is
at shuttle stop #9 and at the end of the road - shuttle stop #10 is
Red's Meadow Resort - cafe - store - cabins - pack station.