Backroads Banet

Cirque of the Tower from a few miles down on the North Fork of the Popo Agie River

beneath War Bonnet Peak and Jackass Pass

a deer crossing Washakie Pass as it’s ancestors probably have for generations

This plant was once covered factories, hundreds of bunkers, dozens of miles of railroad tracks, and thousands of people. Gone. Gone for big box warehouses and housing developments.

One of California’s largest, but least densely populated counties is home to some of the darkest skies left in the Lower 48. Situated an ideal distance from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Reno, the Alabama Hills provide an incredible view of the Milky Way. Deeper into Death Valley, mountain ranges block even more residual light pollution from the aforementioned cities resulting in incredible nighttime vistas.

As the moon rises to the south, stars spin around Polaris in a remote part of the Grand Canyon’s north rim.

From 14,505 ft, Mt. Whitney commands the highest summit in the Lower 48 States. It’s a stunning view during the day, but is almost always crowded with hikers who have won a spot in the coveted permit lottery to hike the peak. Once the night falls though, the crowds vanish and you can camp alone knowing you’re the closest one to the stars in 49 states (only Alaska has higher peaks).

The hut pictured here was built by the Smithsonian Institute to conduct astronomical observations above much of the Earth’s atmosphere in 1909. A main discovery to come out of the small observatory was the predicted presence of water on Mars. It’s been years since it was used by the Smithsonian now, but hikers will sometimes shelter from the wind inside its stone walls. When I visited in July of 2017, the floor of the room was packed with snow and ice from the previous winter.

once a volcanic caldera, now Long Valley is home to water wars where LADWP steals from the Sierras

A sprawling array of radio telescopes point skyward just outside of Big Pine, CA. They’re listening for distant signals of deep space phenomena such as galaxy formation, hydrogen clouds inside the Milky Way, active galactic nuclei and more. The observatory has been active here for over 60 years dating back to the 1950’s and occasionally has public tours on weekends. If one really wants to dive into the astrophysics at play, the Caltech-run observatory’s website has plenty of information.

Convict Lake is one of those places I've driven by dozens of times. A large roadside lake a mere two miles off the highway with an easy 2.5 mile loop around it? It's probably crowded and not that great I'd think as I carried on to other trailheads and hiked miles back into the wilderness to some other lake or mountain peak.

Boy oh boy was I wrong. A lazy Sunday afternoon picnic and casual stroll around the lake took a good three hours as we marveled at the colors of the landscape. From the changing aspens, cottonwoods, and willow to the deep turquoise of the lake to the twisted bands of rock towering above us on Laurel Mountain, nature sure put on a show. Soon the leaves will drop and snow will fall, but memories of relaxing fall days like this will always be a photo away. Don't wait years to see what's two miles off the highway. Go the next time you see that little sign. You might just like what you find. A lot.