McGee Creek BCM Course Area Guide Base Camp Camp High Sierra Base Camp BCM San Leandro Office
General Information BCM Headquarters 1667 Vine St. Denver, CO 80206 303.271.9200 www.bigcitymountainers.org Day 1 Camp McGee Creek Campground McGee Creek Road Inyo National Forest, CA Regional Office San Fransisco/ San Leandro Regional Office 176 Juana Avenue, 2 nd Floor San Leandro, CA 94577 510.895.8607 Base Camp Camp High Sierra (Site 28) 869 Lake Mary Road 93546 760.934.2368 Gear Pick Up: Pick up gear at the San Leandro Regional Office on Day 1 of your trip, at 9am. Permit Pick Up: BCM special use and wilderness permits are provided in the team leader trip binder. Make sure you have copies--they are available at the San Leandro Office. Additional wilderness permits may need to be picked up at a ranger station on your way to the trail. Refer to the trip binder (section 1) for permit instructions. The Backcountry CAG lists wilderness permits if they are needed. Grocery Store: Busy Beez General Store 6201 Minaret Road 760.924.2899 Vons: Grocery 481 Old Mammoth Road Mammoth Lakes 760.934.4536 Save Mart Supermarket 1449 E F St (CA 120) Oakdale, CA 95361 209.847.7044 Pharmacy: Vons: Pharmacy 481 Old Mammoth Road 760.934.4337 CVS Pharmacy 1520 E. F St./CA-120 Oakdale, CA 95361-9611(209) 845-1866 Mammoth Hospital & Sierra Clinic 760.934.3311 (Hospital) 760.934.2551 (Clinic) General Store: Busy Beez General Store 6201 Minaret Road 760.924.2899 K-mart 175 S. Maag Ave. Oakdale, CA 209.847.7091 Tuolumne Meadows Store Tioga Rd Yosemite National Park 209.372.8428 Camping Gear: Laundromat: McCoy Sports 6201 Minaret Rd "The Village at Mammoth" 760.924.7070 Mammoth Lk Laundromat 24 Laurel Mountain Road 760.934.8207 Big 5 Sporting Goods 1596 East F Street Oakdale, CA 95361 209.847.2537 Hollywood Soaps & Suds 549 Old Mammoth Road 760.900.1861 Yosemite Mountain Shop At Curry Village Yosemite National Park 209.372.8396. Celebration Dinner: Giovanni's Pizzeria 437 Old Mammoth Road 760.934.7563 Petra's Café 6080 Minaret Road 760.934.3500 Gas Stations: Norco Texaco 3670 Main Street 760.934.6690 Groveland Gas 18707 Main Street, Groveland, CA 209.962.6234 Tuolumne Meadows Tioga Rd Yosemite National Park, CA 209.372.8428
Pre-Expedition Diving Directions Day 1 Directions from BCM office to McGee Creek Campground: Start: BCM Office, 176 Juana Ave., San Leandro, CA 94577 Head east on Juana Ave (0.8 mile) Turn right at Grand Ave (signs for Interstate 580/Hayward) (0.2 mile) Turn left to merge onto I-580 E toward Hayward (33.2 miles) Continue on I-205 E (13.5 miles) Merge onto I-5 N (2.0 miles) Take Exit 461 onto CA-120 E toward Manteca/Sonora (6.4 miles). Stay in the left lane and exit onto CA-120 E / CA-99 N toward Sonora/Sacramento (1.7 miles) Stay in the right lane and take Exit 242 for CA-120/Yosemite Ave toward Sonora (0.2 mile) Turn right at E CA-120/E Yosemite Ave (signs for Oakdale/Sonora) (19.8 miles) In Oakdale, turn left at E F St. Continue to follow CA-108/CA-120 (25 miles) Turn right at CA-120 E (at Yosemite Junction) Between Oakdale and Yosemite, CA-120 has several names: Montezuma Rd., then New Priest Grade Rd., Main St., Big Oak Flat Rd., and Old Yosemite Coulterville Rd. *Optional short cut: Turn right at Old Priest Grade Rd (very steep and winding road no guard rail) (1.8 miles) Continue on CA-120 E to Entrance of Yosemite National Park (about 21 miles) Stay on CA-120/ Big Oak Flat Rd. (about 27 miles) Turn left to continue on CA-120 E / Tioga Pass Rd (66.3 miles) Turn right at CA-120/US-395 and continue to follow US-395 (33.5 miles) Turn right at McGee Creek Rd (1.9 miles) End: McGee Creek Campground Estimated Time: 4 hours 44 minutes Estimated Distance: 246 miles
Post-Expedition Diving Directions Day 6 Directions from McGee Creek to Camp High Sierra Site 28 On McGee Creek Rd, drive about 2 miles towards US-395 Turn left at US-395 N (8.2 miles) Take the CA-203 exit toward Mammoth Lakes / Devils Postpile (0.2 mile) Slight left at CA-203 W, going through town past the 3 rd signal at Canyon Blvd (3.8 miles) Continue onto Lake Mary Rd (about 0.5 mile) Turn left on Kelly Rd (small street) Turn right on Majestic Pines Dr Turn right onto the camp s dirt road between the first two houses and look for the Camp High Sierra sign. Turn left into the campground. End: Site 28 Directions from Camp High Sierra to Mammoth Lakes Laundromat: 24 Laurel Mountain Rd, 93546 Exit Camp High Sierra toward Lake Mary Rd Turn right (north) (0.9 mile) Continue on Main St (0.9 mile) Turn right at Laurel Mountain Rd End: Mammoth Lakes Laundromat is on the right. Directions from laundromat to Giovanni s Pizza Place: 437 Old Mammoth Rd, 93546 Head south on Laurel Mountain Rd toward Tavern Rd (500 ft) Turn left at Tavern Rd (0.2 mile) Turn right at Sierra Park Rd (0.4 mile) Go past Meridian Blvd and enter the Minaret Village Mall Shopping Center End: Giovanni s Pizza Place
Day 7 Directions from Camp High Sierra to BCM office HOME Turn left on Lake Mary Rd and head north (0.9 mile) Continue onto CA-203 E / Main St (3.8 miles) Turn left to merge onto US-395 N (25.2 miles) Turn left at Utility Rd (0.9 mile) Turn right at CA-120 W / Tioga Pass Rd, and continue on CA-120 outside of the park, through Groveland, veer right to go down New Priests Grade (106 miles) Turn left to stay on CA-120 W (signs for Oakdale) (3.5 miles) Turn left at CA-108 W / CA-120 W (25 miles) Turn right at CA-120 W / N Yosemite Ave (also called California St and Main St in Eacalon). Continue to follow CA-120 W (19.9 miles) Turn left to merge onto CA-120 W / CA-99 S towards San Francisco 0.4 mile) Stay right and take the exit into CA-120 W (6.3 miles) Take the I-5 S exit toward San Francisco (2.3 miles) Follow signs for I-205 W toward I-580 W, San Francisco) (14 miles) Merge onto I-580 W on the right (33.1 miles) Exit toward Estudillo Ave, downtown San Leandro (0.3 mile) Turn left at MacArthur Blvd (0.1 mile) Take 2 nd right onto Juana Ave (0.8 mile) End: BCM office will be on the right Estimated Time: 4 hours and 36 minutes Estimated Distance: 242 miles
Base Camp and Trip Guidelines Wear sunscreen. Wear close-toed shoes around camp. (See hazards below.) Watch out for cacti, tent stakes, wildlife and possibly rattlesnakes. Keep all food, drink and snack items in the vehicle or cooler. Do not put food in tents. Do not feed wildlife. Securing the screen door tent flap inside the tent each time you enter or depart will help reduce the number of bugs that come into the tent. Please don t smash mosquitoes or other bugs against the tent wall. Keep tents DEET-Free. Check types of bug repellent brought by team members. DEET will deteriorate tent material. Please keep the following in mind if using it: Apply repellent to the back of your hands for applying to other parts of your body. This will keep the DEET off the palm of your hands and thus off the tents and gear. Also, please apply DEET only when you are outside and away from the tents. Use the gas grills for cooking if available. Please don t use candles, stoves, or open flames in the tents. Wash dishes in the kitchen area if possible. Otherwise please wash dishes in the buckets provided by BCM at the tent site. Swimming and dipping are not allowed in moving water. In still water dipping is allowed under close adult supervision. Closed toed shoes must be worn. Make sure to sweep the base camp area when you leave for the trailhead and for home. Shake out the tent ground tarps when leaving for home. Make sure everything is packed in an orderly fashion. Make sure all the trash is removed, no food is left behind, and the tents are fully zipped. Remember that another group will be using the same gear after you, so please leave things tidy, the way you would want to receive them. Thank you for your cooperation!
Getting Acquainted with Camp High Sierra Upon Arrival & Parking Check into site # 28, equipped with electricity. Park next to your site, if possible. Sleeping Arrangements You will need to use your BCM and personal tents, sleeping bags, and pads. Because we ask you to do laundry and clean the gear (clothes, sleeping bags, tents, etc) on day 6 of your expedition, we understand that you ll need to again use the gear once it is clean. This is ok! When you pack up the tents for the final time, please just be sure to shake them out completely and wipe off access dirt so the next group can use them. Water Source There is a water faucet in close proximity to your camp site. Showers are also near your site. The closest bathrooms are towards the camp entrance. Cooking and Dishes Please be sure to wash your group dishes and utensils at the facet or at Mammoth Lakes Laundromat. Take a break from cooking on night 6! You ll be having your celebration dinner at Giovanni s Pizza Place in Mammoth Lakes. Gathering Locations No information is available. Feedback would be great! How to Handle Garbage There will be bear-proof garbage receptacles in the campground, as well as bear bins. Please be sure to store and dispose of food and garbage appropriately to protect the wildlife in the area.
Post-Trip Responsibilities Cleaning Gear Please refer to the Backpacking Trip Gear Cleaning Instructions in the team leader trip binder. Wipe down tents in the BCM parking lot in San Leandro. Laundry Visit Mammoth Lakes Laundromat. The following is a list of items that will need to be laundered. Towels Fleece: tops, pants and hats Long Underwear Sleeping bags (use a small amount of soap) Showers See the campground map for the shower house. Celebration Dinner Check out Giovanni s Pizzeria. Before Leaving Base Camp Please make sure you leave the place as nice or nicer than you found it. Shake out the tent and ground tarps. Make sure everything is packed in an orderly fashion. Make sure all trash is removed. Call the Regional Program Manager with you estimated time of arrival as soon as you can. Team Leader Paperwork Refer to the Paperwork Checklist in the trip binder.