Crusty
Well-known member
- Apr 29, 2021
- 5,683
- 5,994
Coyote Flats and Funnel Lake - Inyo National Forrest
Last weekend we did something different, we got invited to go camping at a Lake near Bishop, CA and said why not. This was a 4x4 camping trip in a remote area, not new to us, but the type of trails we drove were an adventure….these were not the soft sands of Glamis.
My son had taken over my ’03 2500HD awhile back and had been putting some much needed love into it, removing old body panels that had turned yellow, getting the entire front suspension and steering components upgraded (Kryptonite and MOOG) and fir his 22nd birthday we gave him brand new set of Toyo Open Country RT 37/12.5R17 tires. Thank you @Leadfoot Offroad
The group that we went with were experienced overlanding types, with well-equipped Tacoma’s and 4Runners, these guys had it down, but this location and trails were a first for them as well. The plan was to drive up early Friday AM, meet in Bishop and hit the trail wagon train, which we did.
First off, this trip was amazing, beautiful and a place I would go back to without hesitation….just more preparation LOL. It is narrow and steep in many sections, my 2500 was on the almost too big side of things, but patience and careful choice of lines kept us moving. Thera re a few trails we would never be able to get thru, one being the path from Lone Pine, that path is 100% for only skilled Jeeps guys that are not averse to off camber boulder crossing with drop-offs that would destroy yore rig or even take a life. We tried to leave this way, not knowing the difficulty and ultimately had to circle back a good hour because for us, it was simply unpassable.
Carnage over the weekend was a Tacoma that lost a front axle on the last rock garden a half mile before reaching camp. We pulled the passenger axle off and drove into camp, easy peasy. What we didn’t do was cut the axle nearest the wheel hug to keep that portion supporting the hug, CV, and brakes – we left it out and ruined the wheel hub by doing so (we didn’t discover this until leaving Sunday). When we left Sunday, this Tacoma lost its braking, foot on the pedal was sponge city and the parking brake would have to be pulled to slow that truck down. Keep in mind we climbed from 3k feet to 10k feet on this trek, this truck had to go 4Low and 1st gear most of the down hill and use the upside of the mountain to stop or simply use my truck as a bumper LOL. Also not having 4WD on this truck SUCKED as well, many sections of the road were soft silty shit. A 2WD truck with locker would have been nice, but the rear locker was also not working properly. I just left my tow strap in the back of my truck, and we pulled him up, over and thru many steep hillside and rock gardens – 6.0 V8 power baby! A 5th Gen 4Runner also destroyed their front driver side quarter trying to snug up against a boulder trying to keep from rolling down the ravine, we had to winch him back off that edge, one more spin of the tire and he would have went rolling....yikes.
At the end of the day, we got all trucks and 4Runners down the hill, only one had to be tow trucked home LOL. That front wheel and brakes were destroyed and had more camber/toe than most lowrider would be comfortable with…
The location was simply beautiful, we camped at Funnel Lake and there are many p[laces to hike to very close, other smaller lakes as well, heard there was trout, but we didn’t see any despite trying and fishing. At night, the temps dropped to the 30’s and we were not prepared for that; it was bone chilling cold. I felt like Leo in The Revenant LOL. Everyone simply wore all their layers of clothing they had, everyone was fine, but all midnight pissing was held until sun-up LOL. The trail system access was easy, there are multiple paths you can take, we saw a good number of Subarus, 4x4 Vans, and everything else come up for the day….it’s a popular spot in the summer, but never felt crowded, its all first come and no reservations or fees. I love me some free camping.
Here are some personal pics and general information, anyone into Jeeping or even overlanding/camping should consider it. Just study the trails ahead of time, there is a TON of information out there.
It was a great time with my sons and a few new friends.
www.geoforward.com
Last weekend we did something different, we got invited to go camping at a Lake near Bishop, CA and said why not. This was a 4x4 camping trip in a remote area, not new to us, but the type of trails we drove were an adventure….these were not the soft sands of Glamis.
My son had taken over my ’03 2500HD awhile back and had been putting some much needed love into it, removing old body panels that had turned yellow, getting the entire front suspension and steering components upgraded (Kryptonite and MOOG) and fir his 22nd birthday we gave him brand new set of Toyo Open Country RT 37/12.5R17 tires. Thank you @Leadfoot Offroad
The group that we went with were experienced overlanding types, with well-equipped Tacoma’s and 4Runners, these guys had it down, but this location and trails were a first for them as well. The plan was to drive up early Friday AM, meet in Bishop and hit the trail wagon train, which we did.
First off, this trip was amazing, beautiful and a place I would go back to without hesitation….just more preparation LOL. It is narrow and steep in many sections, my 2500 was on the almost too big side of things, but patience and careful choice of lines kept us moving. Thera re a few trails we would never be able to get thru, one being the path from Lone Pine, that path is 100% for only skilled Jeeps guys that are not averse to off camber boulder crossing with drop-offs that would destroy yore rig or even take a life. We tried to leave this way, not knowing the difficulty and ultimately had to circle back a good hour because for us, it was simply unpassable.
Carnage over the weekend was a Tacoma that lost a front axle on the last rock garden a half mile before reaching camp. We pulled the passenger axle off and drove into camp, easy peasy. What we didn’t do was cut the axle nearest the wheel hug to keep that portion supporting the hug, CV, and brakes – we left it out and ruined the wheel hub by doing so (we didn’t discover this until leaving Sunday). When we left Sunday, this Tacoma lost its braking, foot on the pedal was sponge city and the parking brake would have to be pulled to slow that truck down. Keep in mind we climbed from 3k feet to 10k feet on this trek, this truck had to go 4Low and 1st gear most of the down hill and use the upside of the mountain to stop or simply use my truck as a bumper LOL. Also not having 4WD on this truck SUCKED as well, many sections of the road were soft silty shit. A 2WD truck with locker would have been nice, but the rear locker was also not working properly. I just left my tow strap in the back of my truck, and we pulled him up, over and thru many steep hillside and rock gardens – 6.0 V8 power baby! A 5th Gen 4Runner also destroyed their front driver side quarter trying to snug up against a boulder trying to keep from rolling down the ravine, we had to winch him back off that edge, one more spin of the tire and he would have went rolling....yikes.
At the end of the day, we got all trucks and 4Runners down the hill, only one had to be tow trucked home LOL. That front wheel and brakes were destroyed and had more camber/toe than most lowrider would be comfortable with…
The location was simply beautiful, we camped at Funnel Lake and there are many p[laces to hike to very close, other smaller lakes as well, heard there was trout, but we didn’t see any despite trying and fishing. At night, the temps dropped to the 30’s and we were not prepared for that; it was bone chilling cold. I felt like Leo in The Revenant LOL. Everyone simply wore all their layers of clothing they had, everyone was fine, but all midnight pissing was held until sun-up LOL. The trail system access was easy, there are multiple paths you can take, we saw a good number of Subarus, 4x4 Vans, and everything else come up for the day….it’s a popular spot in the summer, but never felt crowded, its all first come and no reservations or fees. I love me some free camping.
Here are some personal pics and general information, anyone into Jeeping or even overlanding/camping should consider it. Just study the trails ahead of time, there is a TON of information out there.
It was a great time with my sons and a few new friends.
Coyote Flat & Funnel Lake Inyo National Forest in CA
The Coyote Flat off-road trail or the Coyote Flats 4x4 Jeep Trail to Funnel Lake is an outdoor experience for drivers and camping enthusiasts.
www.geoforward.com
