Hiking and Camping at Fossil Falls - The Lost Longboarder

As you’re travelling along an undeveloped portion of the US-395 between Ridgecrest and Lone Pine, you can’t help but see the towering wall of the Sierra Nevadas to your west. But to the east there is a less obvious yet stunning geologic feature called Fossil Falls. The formation of Fossil Falls is a bit hidden from the road and requires a short quarter mile hike from the parking area. This captivating area makes for a unique place to stop and stretch your legs as well as having several amazing opportunities for camping at Fossil Falls!

While camping at Fossil Falls, what you’ll have in your backyard is a very unique and fun geologic feature created over thousands of years. Fossil Falls shows the results of the combination of volcanism and glacial meltwater which resulted in both Owens Lake and Owens River many years ago. Over time the powerful erosion from Owens River created the Fossil Falls formation. It’s easy to imagine what a beautiful waterfall this must have been. Even though Fossil Falls is now dry, it is still a fascinating sight! The slick black rock is carved out into an awesome labyrinth that is cool to look at and exciting to climb down through.

Quick Facts About Camping at Fossil Falls:

Ownership: BLM; 14 day limit

Directions: If you’re travelling south on the 395 the marked turnoff is about 46 miles from Lone Pine. If you’re travelling north on the 395 the marked turnoff is about 13 miles from Pearsonville.

Road Conditions: The road is a dirt/sand road with slight washboard conditions but any car should be able to make it just fine

Miles From Town: About 35 miles from Ridgcrest and about 45 miles from Lone Pine.

Cell Service: Yes

Solar: Excellent

Where to get Water: There is a hand pumped well at the end of the paid Fossil Falls Campground.

Our Experience Camping at Fossil Falls

There are actually several different options for camping at Fossil Falls making it so that there are plenty of spots available.

First, there is a Fossil Falls BLM Pay Campground with designated spots, picnic tables, fire rings, vault toilets, and a well for water. It is $6 per night and near the Fossil Falls Trailhead.
Second, there are also some free dispersed camp spots tucked into the rocks near the falls area but they are limited in number and size.
Then, there is a huge dry lake bed area that has numerous free dispersed camping spots available for rigs of any size or even tents.

We spent our first two nights of camping at Fossil Falls on the dry lake bed. The views were okay, there wasn’t much privacy and there wasn’t much going on here. So we decided to explore a bit and then we found our perfect spot!

We found a secluded spot surrounded by wildflowers and that was closer to the cool volcanic rocks. From out spot we could pick up an old overgrown jeep trail and follow that to the falls. It was great being able to walk and get to the volcanic rocks so we could easily climb around and explore!

The weather at Fossil Falls was awesome during our stay (April 2019). The days were sunny and warm, the nights were mild. From our spot, we had a view of colorful wildflowers against black lava rocks with the wall of the Sierra’s as a backdrop. Couldn’t have asked for more.

The night sky at Fossil Falls exposed thousands of stars and even the Milky Way. While we were camping at Fossil Falls we saw lots of lizards and some of them were big! We saw jack rabbits, a snake, lots of birds and bugs, and heard coyotes at night.

Looking like a great place to camp? Pin it for later!

As for traffic, when we were at the dry lake bed spot we did notice other campers and people driving around but not many. From our secluded spot we didn’t notice any traffic. When we walked to the falls area we would occasionally see other people. It seems like Fossil Falls is mostly used for day use, a quick unique stop off the 395. Although, we did notice lots of airplanes and jets in the sky since we were still close to the air base.

Hiking Fossil Falls

As you’re driving on Highway 395 you’ll approach an obvious red cinder cone. Keep your eyes out for a brown sign indicating your turn for Fossil Falls. Follow this unpaved road to the Fossil Falls parking area. There is a picnic table, vault toilet, information sign and the trailhead.

Just past the information sign is the trail for hiking Fossil Falls. The trail is only about a quarter mile and basically leads to an overlook of this remarkable geologic formation. Take in the unique vista and appreciate the amount of time and erosion that went into sculpting this masterpiece! You can wander around a bit before heading back the way you came. Or you can carefully enter the labyrinth and climb around!

As you descend into the dryfall, you’ll notice how smooth the lava rocks are. There were also some puddles to avoid along the way. Climbing down, around and through these rocks felt like being a kid in a playplace!

Eventually, the maze of rocks opens up and you can see where the widest breadth of the waterfall used to plummet from. It gets a little trickier here but we managed to find a route down and we’re able to take in the massive formation from the bottom.

There are numerous routes for climbing back up and out before making your way back to the trailhead. Or if you’re lucky enough to be camping at Fossil Falls, then make your way back to camp!

We had a blast hiking Fossil Falls! Our favorite hikes are the ones that lead to an area begging to be explored. Since we were camping at Fossil Falls we explored the area quiet a bit, trying out different routes and heading in different directions both above and below the dryfall.

Very Happy Campers!

We had a very pleasant stay camping at Fossil Falls! Our favorite perks of this spot – the easily accessible hiking to the cool volcanic rocks, loved the seclusion and the April weather. It was a great natural environment for being together, exploring and working on our longboards!

Camping at Fossil Falls was an ideal camping situation, it had everything we look for in a camp spot. The opportunity for hiking Fossil Falls in such close proximity was such a treat! The location off of the epic Highway 395 was great too. There is so much to see and do in the eastern Sierras!

After our visit we headed north on the gorgeous Highway 395 – stay tuned for upcoming articles about the camping, hiking and longboarding adventures we found. Before camping at Fossil Falls we had some great experiences off of the southern portion of Highway 395! Check them out below:

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