Recon Dossier — Bishop Pass - Dusy Basin

Inyo National Forest · White Mountain Ranger District · 37.1685, -118.5658 · 4.0 mi radius
Rig: Lifted Tiffin GH1 Sprinter (4x4, high-clearance) From home (Morgan Hill, Santa Clara County, California, United States): 318.5 mi / 459 min
Dry forecast — surface conditions likely stable.
No active wildfire perimeters within range.

Interactive map

Live map — zoom/pan freely; hover roads/routes for labels. Pin = camp point · roads by difficulty for the rig: █ Easy █ Moderate █ Caution █ Avoid/closed █ Unknown (USFS OML + OSM tracks) · yellow dots = camp/rec sites · fuel along route (● blue dot = Chevron) · live GPS (top-left) · route (toggle top-right; glows/pulses, thick): █ paved, then recolored by the difficulty of the road it follows offroad. Needs internet (tiles stream live).

Visual analysis (terrain & access)

🥾 The backpacking trip

Tier: van → trailhead → backpack (drive recon + car-camping ends at the

trailhead; the van stays while you hike in).

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Bishop Pass / Dusy Basin — a lake chain to a high granite basin

The lakes: from South Lake the trail threads a chain of gorgeous lakes —

Long Lake (the standout, big and blue under Hurd Peak), Saddlerock, Bishop, and

the Timberline tarns — climbing to Bishop Pass (11,972 ft) and dropping into

Dusy Basin: a high, austere, tarn-dotted granite bowl beneath the Palisades.

Two trips in one — the easy forested lower lakes vs the alpine basin over the pass.

Lakes to camp at: Long Lake (easy, beautiful) for a low-key basecamp;

Dusy Basin for the alpine wonderland if the group is strong.

Swim / fish: Long Lake is the swim/fish pick; golden & brook trout higher up.

Best for: maximum flexibility — easy lake camp at Long Lake, big alpine

day-hike to Dusy. Inyo entry point Bishop Pass–South Lake = 459.

Difficulty for the rig

Easy 20 Moderate 5

vs your experience: hardest here is Avoid — harder than anything you've logged (your max is Caution) — be cautious

USFS operational maintenance level. OML 2 = high-clearance = the van's sweet spot; OML 1 = scout first.

Weather (next periods)

WhenForecastTempPrecip
TonightMostly Clear50F0%
TuesdaySunny80F1%
Tuesday NightMostly Clear51F1%
WednesdaySunny77F5%

Backup plans (easier nearby fallbacks)

Click a backup to expand its full analysis — layer-switch satellite (Esri/NAIP) with roads overlay, difficulty, legal roads, and conditions. Ranked by van-friendly access + camping + proximity; driving legs are real-road routed (OSRM). Bailout/regroup point: Big Pine / Tovowahamatü.

Backup 1: near North Lake Campground  12.2 mi from primary

nearest camp ~0.0 mi Sierra National Forest easiness 0.65 · 37.22741, -118.62681

Getting there: home: 316.5 mi / 455 min bailout: 35.4 mi / 54 min primary: 12.2 mi / 30 min

Difficulty for rig: Easy 41 Moderate 6 Avoid 1

Legal roads: 20 — BISHOP PARK CG, PAIUTE PASS TH PARKING, BISHOP PARK GROUP CG Q-070, PAIUTE PASS TH PARKING, LAKE SABRINA CG, NORTH LK PARKING, BISHOP PARK CG SPUR Q-070, INTAKE 2 CG

Dry forecast — surface conditions likely stable.
No active wildfire perimeters within range.

Backup 2: near Bitterbrush Campground  9.7 mi from primary

nearest camp ~0.0 mi Inyo National Forest easiness 0.364 · 37.28681, -118.55841

Getting there: home: 309.2 mi / 440 min bailout: 28.1 mi / 39 min primary: 9.7 mi / 22 min

Difficulty for rig: Moderate 37 Easy 17 Caution 5 Avoid 3

Legal roads: 41 — FORKS CG, MORAINE PICNIC, BISHOP CREEK TRMT PT, BIG TREES CG CONN Q-070, FORKS CG SPUR, BISHOP CREEK SEWER POND Q-064, BUTTERMILK ROAD, BUTTERMILK ROAD

Dry forecast — surface conditions likely stable.
No active wildfire perimeters within range.

Legal to drive — MVUM (25 segments)

RoadDesignationSeason
WILLOW CGRoads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlongyearlong
WILLOW CGRoads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlongyearlong
WILLOW CGRoads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlongyearlong
MOUNTAIN GLEN CGRoads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlongyearlong
MOUNTAIN GLEN CGRoads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlongyearlong
WILLOW CGRoads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlongyearlong
UTTER TRACTRoads open to all Vehicles, Yearlongyearlong
TABLE MTN GROUP CGRoads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlongyearlong
OLD ASPEN ROADRoads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlongyearlong
SO LAKE BOAT PARKINGRoads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlongyearlong
TYEE TH PARKINGRoads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlongyearlong
SO LAKE TH PARKINGRoads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlongyearlong
SOUTH FORK TRACTRoads open to all Vehicles, Yearlongyearlong
SO LAKE BOAT LAUNCHRoads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlongyearlong

MVUM is the legal authority for motorized use. Dispersed camping is generally allowed on NF land near open roads (commonly within ~150-300ft) unless the forest restricts it to designated corridors — verify on that forest's MVUM.

Before you go

Free satellite imagery cannot resolve ruts, washouts, or rock ledges. Recent imagery is too coarse for road detail; high-res imagery is not current. Treat the visual analysis as terrain/route guidance, not a current trail report. Scout rough access in person.