Download Document - The Wilderness Society

Bodie Hills Visitor Information
Bodie State Historic Park is 20 miles southeast
of Bridgeport and 33 miles northeast of Lee
Vining, an easy day trip from Mono Lake and
the east entrance to Yosemite National Park.
You can take CA 270 (paved until the last three
miles) in from US 395 or the rougher Cottonwood
Canyon Road up from CA 167. A 4WD
vehicle is necessary to navigate the Bodie
Creek Road beyond Bodie State Park and the
Jeep track up onto the Dry Lakes Plateau.
For those with a high-clearance 2WD vehicle,
there is a great loop to drive once the snow
has melted (usually by mid-July). This loop offers
an excellent introduction to the Bodie Hills
and hosts outstanding Great Basin wildflower
displays mid-summer. Go to the main park entrance,
via CA 270, travel north on Geiger Grade
Road and onto the high plateau of the Bodie
Hills to take in the stunning views. Then drive
past the unmarked turnoff to the old Paramount
mine site, turn left at a four-way road junction
onto Road 168, and proceed seven miles down
scenic Aurora Canyon to the historic town of
Bridgeport. To complete the loop, travel seven
miles south on US 395 to the Bodie turnoff.
For any excursions into the Bodie Hills, bring
adequate food, water, and other supplies.
The Tom Harrison 1:63,360 Bodie Hills Map is a
good resource for navigating the back roads beyond
the park. The Humboldt-Toiyabe National
Forest Map covers the broader region with
slightly less detail. These, as well as a variety of
www.wilderness.org
books and brochures
on the natural and
cultural history of the
region, are available
at the Forest Service
office in Bridgeport.
The Lee Vining Chamber
of Commerce has
a well-stocked bookstore
with maps and
books on the region’s
history. Both Bridgeport
and Lee Vining
offer a range of mo-
395
Mammoth
Lakes
tels and restaurants, as well as service stations
and small grocery stores for supplies. The Virginia
Creek Settlement (760-932-7780), one
mile north of the main Bodie Road on US 395,
serves thick burgers and an excellent selection
of pizzas. Go to www.bridgeportcalifornia.com
or www.leevining.com or call 760-647-6595 for
more information.
Bodie State Historic Park (760-647-6445) is
open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in summer; 9 a.m.
to 3 p.m. in winter (or as posted), when the park
and the hills are accessible only by skis, snowshoes,
or snowmobiles (using existing roadways).
Entrance fees and hours do not apply to
those merely passing through the park to reach
the Bodie Hills. There is no camping at the
park, but there are limited dispersed campsites
on BLM land along certain roads in the Bodie
Hills. Check with rangers at Bodie for details
and current conditions.
395
CALIFORNIA
Bridgeport
YOSEMITE
NATIONAL
PARK
182
Lee
Vining
NEVADA
Bodie
Hills
270
Bodie State
Historic Park
167
Mono
Lake
120
Lake
Crowley
Detail
Area
CA.
© John Dittli
57