Lundy Canyon (Sierra Nevada, CA) 09-Aug-2022

Today was to be our last full day in the Eastern Sierras. Tomorrow we would say good-bye to Wayne and Diane (at least for the moment) and do the car-plane thing in reverse. Today’s weather wasn’t going to come through for us with a sunny send-off; if anything, it was even more swirling and truculent than yesterday’s. Maybe even with thunderstorms or rain or politicians… 🤨

So we cast around for a not too long, not too high up (nobody was volunteering to be a lightning rod), but still interesting hike. This brought Lundy Canyon to mind. Although known as one of the best places in the Eastern Sierra to see Fall colors (which we did in 2018), it also offers waterfalls, a grove of huge quaking aspens, an old cabin, and expansive views up and down canyon. By not going all the way up to Lake Helen, we could keep this hike short but sweet. So we drove through Lee Vining, past Mono Lake, and up the paved/gravel road to the trailhead west of Lundy Lake.

Enroute to the trailhead, we passed through the rustic Lundy Lake Resort started by Nellie Bly (Baker) O’Bryan, an actress who left Hollywood in the late 1930s to spend the rest of her life in the Eastern Sierra, which she loved. I learned much of this from reading a recently aquired copy of Nellie of Lundy, a collection of her stories and reminisences edited by Linda LaPierre. It’s a good read about a full and adventurous life.

After passing across the old landslide, the trail makes a short climb of a rocky outcrop. From here there’s an excellent view upvalley and of the first mapped waterfall on Mill Creek.

When the second waterfall comes into view, it doesn’t look like much. But as you get closer, it slowly reveals itself to be not one fall but a series of four cascades pouring over ledges that cross the valley.

We stopped for a snack at 9,000 feet (2,743 m), level with the third mapped waterfall in the valley. Our usual early start had given us the trail to ourselves on the way up, but as we sat and snacked, others started arriving, some intent on going all the way up to Lake Helen, 1,200 feet (366 m) higher. But this was our designated turnaround point, so after the cheese and crackers were exhausted, we started back.

Our hike came to 4 miles (6.4 km) with only 900 feet (274 m) of gain – just what we wanted for today. Overall, a great hike in that we got to see the neat stuff Lundy offers even when it isn’t cloaked in Fall colors. 😁 On the way down we passed a surprising number of people on the way up. Obviously this is a popular hike even without colors. But when colors are here, you need to get to the trailhead early, as parking there is limited and the demand for same high (as we found out back in 2018 😲).

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