High Sierra Topix

Hi all,

I'm headed into Thousand Island Lake for a long weekend, and was just told by the Mammoth Lakes ranger station that you are not allowed to park overnight/leave your car at the Agnew Meadows TH during your trip. Can anyone confirm this? Most trip reports I've read report you can park directly at the TH, as long as you drive in before 7 am or out before 7 pm. I know the ranger station is supposed to have the most up-to-date info, but if there's a possibility to skip the shuttle, that would be ideal. I know it's a popular area, so guessing this parking restriction information is true?

If I have to take the shuttle: I've heard catching the shuttle BACK to your car can be problematic (full buses, buses don't stop at Agnew Meadows, etc) and that there are two shuttle buses that run within the Monument, which may add to the confusion? Has anyone had trouble with the return shuttle, or are my fears misplaced? I'll be coming out on a Monday, if that makes a difference re: full shuttles not stopping.

It's my first time to the area, so any info is appreciated

And if anyone has snow and mosquito reports for the loop from Thousand Island Lake to Ediza Lake via the High Trail, JMT, and Shadow Lake Trail, it would be much appreciated. Ranger station didn't have any updates aside from "snow line generally around 9600 ft". I've been keeping an eye on the conditions reports on this forum, but haven't seen any updates for this specific area since early June.

Thank you!

I have parked there many times. Perhaps there simply is a restriction now due to the current road construction. The road to Agnew TH was severely damaged and they are fixing it now. Do some "google" searches and see what you can find about parking and the opening date of the road. I have taken the bus back a few times and even when I missed one, it was not too bad waiting for the next. Be sure you know when the last bus leaves.

Parking at the ski area and taking the shuttle down to Agnew is not really much of a problem. After many trips I have never had a problem.

Just got off the phone with Inyo NF, they said, that there have been no changes to the parking policies, get down before 7 am, and park in the backer/hiker section, and you will be fine.

Haha, seems like the Inyo NF and the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center have their signals crossed Thanks!

Thank you all for the responses! I'm backpacking with my dog, so avoiding the shuttle is preferred. I'll report back if I run into parking issues. Fingers crossed for no car tow while I'm out there

You just have to be sure to park in the correct lot, there is signage, problems arises if one parks in a non backpacker/hiker sections. You will not have any problems, looking forward to reading your successful TR!

We checked into taking our dog on the bus, and it is a bit of a problem, in that you have to use one of those muzzle guards on the dog. Honestly, our dog would not like that nor would she like being squished on a bus with hoards of people. So driving is best.

Thanks maverick for the heads up about the different lots - I'll look closely at the signs.

And Wandering Daisy, exactly! My dog is super friendly, but if I can avoid a muzzle and bus crowding, may as well!

Driving and parking in the correct lot is a great option, if you can get up and get there that early.

For those who find this thread and are thinking about using the shuttle bus, let me say that it is easy and that the trick for hikers coming out is that you stop a downhill bus and tell them how many are in your party. They will radio to a bus that is climbing and that driver will save spaces in the bus for you.

You may be standing on the way up, but that just adds to the humor of the whole situation in as much as you are stinky and the seated people whose faces are below your armpits might gripe... or might offer you food.

We had no issues driving in and parking at the TH - thanks for all the info ahead of time!

We drove in just after 7 pm the night before our trip and spent a (very!) buggy evening camped at Agnew Meadows campground. We moved over to the TH parking around 6:45 am the next morning. Being a Saturday, the lots (there are 2) were very close to full before the 7 am drive-in time cutoff. We drove out Sunday afternoon around 4 pm - we managed to time the drive so we didn't encounter any buses on the narrow road, and the entrance kiosk was closed, so we didn't have to pay! Bonus!

The only note I would make is that while there are 2 bear boxes at each parking lot for food storage, they are quite small/shallow depth and fill quickly, especially on busy weekends. So try to minimize the amount of stuff you need to store.