Smokey views all the way up to the portals. But when we got up there it was a little better. I guess the thick trees were able to block a lot of the smoke and ash, at least when we were there.
A welcome sign letting us know we had arrived and a pretty stream we found on our nature walk. The area was not super crowded and we were able to find a parking spot without much problem. It was cooler and I wish I'd brought a jacket. It was interesting to see the hikers coming and going from the 22 mile hike. Not sure I'd ever attempt this!
Some fun poses from up on this huge rock that overlooked a pretty pond.
There was a bat flying around over the water, fun to watch. There also seemed to be some fish swimming around. It was pretty quiet with campsites surrounding the area behind us and a parking lot off to the right and a little on the left. An easy walk from our car.
Since we were not going to hike Mt. Whitney and it was starting to get late, we headed back to the car and towards Ridgecrest. Fun day to explore some areas that are not too far from us.