The Perfect 3-Day Eastern Sierra Weekend Itinerary: How To Chase Fall Colors

Everyone says the best place in California to road trip during fall is along Highway 395. But with only 3 days, it can be tricky trying to fit everything along the Eastern Sierra (lakes, hikes, hot springs, fall colors) into a weekend itinerary.

We did this trip over a long weekend in October 2025, leaving after work on Friday and camping at Convict Lake. During our trip we chased fall colors and chose our hikes based on foliage reports, drove the June Lake Loop and soaked in natural hot springs as the sun rose.

If you only have a few days, I think this is a pretty realistic way to see a lot of the Eastern Sierra. And don’t worry, I’m not going to make you drive up and down the entire stretch of Highway 395.

Eastern Sierra Fall Itinerary Overview

This itinerary works especially well if you can leave after work on Friday. That gives you two full days in the Eastern Sierra plus a slower final morning before driving home.

• Day 0 (Friday): Drive to Convict Lake Campground
• Day 1 (Saturday): Convict Lake sunrise, McGee Creek, Mammoth Lakes, June Lake Loop, Convict Lake walk
• Day 2 (Sunday): Wild Willy’s Hot Springs, Hot Creek Geological Site, Mammoth Lakes, Little Lakes Valley
• Day 3 (Monday): Convict Lake sunrise, drive home via Tioga Pass and Yosemite

We used Convict Lake Campground as our base for the entire weekend, and took short drives toward Mammoth and our chosen fall foliage hikes.

When to Visit the Eastern Sierra for Fall Colors

The best time to visit the Eastern Sierra for fall colors is generally mid October.

However, many factors affect fall color changes – including elevation, temperatures, wind, and weather. One canyon might be at peak while another spot farther down Highway 395 is still mostly green or already past peak.

Before your trip, I recommend checking the latest fall-color reports and potentially adjusting your route a little depending on what’s peaking. This Eastern Sierra fall itinerary was our version for the fall foliage conditions we had in October 10–13, 2025.

Day 0: Drive to Convict Lake After Work

We left home after work on Friday and planned to make the entire drive to Convict Lake Campground. Since it was already evening, we picked up a quick dinner in Groveland, and found a viewpoint on the way into Yosemite to sit and eat.

If you’re driving from the Bay Area, the evening traffic will definitely add some time to your trip. I believe we took 1.5 hours longer than expected because of all the traffic. However, if you work full time and are trying to turn this into a weekend trip, this could be a decent sacrifice so you can start with sunrise the next day.

We arrived at Convict Lake Campground at almost 11pm, and quickly set up our rooftop tent and went to bed.

Day 1: Convict Lake, McGee Creek and June Lake Loop

Our first full day had the most classic fall-color sightseeing. We started at Convict Lake, headed to McGee Creek, stopped in Mammoth for food and coffee, and then spent the afternoon driving the June Lake Loop. These were all mostly scenic stops with short walks, so overall a very chill day.

Sunrise at Convict Lake

We woke up early and started the trip with sunrise at Convict Lake. Since we were camping right there, getting to the lake early was easy. We didn’t have to wake up, pack the car, and drive somewhere before sunrise.

It was very windy at the time, probably because of the shoulder season weather. But we held on for the alpenglow that would hit the peaks and enjoyed the lake view with the rest of the early risers. I recommend bringing gloves, layering up with insulated jackets, and putting on lip balm to protect your skin in the cold wind.

Walk Through the Fall Colors at McGee Creek

After sunrise, we made breakfast at camp before heading over to McGee Creek. It was one of the creek areas that had Peak Foliage, so we decided to go on a short hike there. The view was stunning even before we got to the trailhead, so we took some selfies with the yellow aspen leaves along the road.

Since the trail follows the creek up into the mountains (McGee Pass), we decided to just walk for 20 minutes and enjoy the mountain scenery. It was also starting to get cloudy and looked like it might rain, so we hurried back down. In total, we spent about 1 hour here slowly taking pictures, using the restroom, and enjoying the hike.

While we found it relatively easy to get roadside parking when we arrived, we noticed that the number of cars had really increased by the time we were heading out at about 11am. We also noticed there’s a campground at McGee Creek, so that could be a great one if you’re looking for more camping options.

Lunch and Coffee in Mammoth Lakes

From McGee Creek, we went into Mammoth Lakes for lunch and coffee. Now that it was light out, we could see the fall colors along Highway 395 and were really excited for the rest of the day.

We picked Noodle-ly for lunch, an Asian noodle restaurant that had really heartwarming noodles (both soup and dry versions). I got the Khao Soi – a spicy chicken broth with rice noodles, while my husband got The Noods, which was rice noodles with BBQ pork. It’s a really popular restaurant, so take note of their lunch hours (11:30am to 2:00pm) and arrive early if you can.

For coffee, we dropped by Black Velvet Coffee, another highly-rated spot with seasonal coffee and espresso drinks. If you want to sit for a bit, they have several floors of seating so feel free to find your cozy nook.

Drive the June Lake Loop

After Mammoth, we drove the June Lake Loop, which is probably one of the most popular fall color destinations in the Eastern Sierra. It’s easy to explore the loop by driving, stop at whichever lake you want, and it’s not too big of a loop and can be done as quickly or slowly as you like.

Here are 6 stops you can check out on the June Lake Loop:

• June Lake Overlook
• June Lake Beach
• June Lake Community Park (Gull Lake)
• Silver Lake Day Use Area
• Lake beach access (Grant Lake)

There are 4 lakes you can see here – June Lake, Gull Lake, Silver Lake, and Grant Lake. My favorite stop was at Silver Lake because there’s dedicated parking, restrooms, and aspen trees lining the lakeshore. It was a little busy, but if you go far enough from the parking, you’ll probably find a quiet spot.

If you want to take it slower, you can also explore the town of June Lake, where there are restaurants, ice cream shops, and breweries. There are lots of resorts and chalets all throughout this loop which would make a fun stay for a summer or fall trip near these lakes.

Walk Around Convict Lake Before Dinner

The 2.5-mile trail around Convict Lake is an easy scenic loop with minimal elevation gain, and only takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour. You can also decide to turn back at any time if you don’t want to complete the entire trail.

Some parts of the trail lead you to small beaches along Convict Lake where you can get close to the water. It might not look like it, but the lake is actually really deep at 140 feet (43 meters). That makes it one of the deepest in the Sierra Nevada, and I recently met someone who’s dived there.

If the timing works, stick around for sunset, or head back to camp to make dinner. We heated up Trader Joe’s seafood boil and paired with sourdough bread, which made for a heartwarming meal amid the high wind.

Day 2: Wild Willy’s Hot Springs, Hot Creek and Little Lakes Valley

Despite the freezing temperatures (20 F in the early morning), we managed to crawl out of our sleeping bags and packed our rooftop tent. I was so excited about seeing sunrise at the natural hot springs that I couldn’t let the cold stop me.

It only took us 20 minutes to drive from Convict Lake Campground to Wild Willy’s Hot Springs. While there are several natural hot springs in the area, it takes a bit of off-road driving and Wild Willy’s is one of the easiest ones to get to.

Sunrise at Wild Willy’s Hot Springs

Sunrise was supposed to be at 6:30am during mid October, so we left the campground at 5:50am. From the parking lot, there’s a short walk (0.6 mile, takes 15 minutes) to the hot springs. It’s helpful to bring headlamps while it’s still dark out.

While it seemed like an ungodly time to be walking in freezing temperatures in the middle of nowhere, I was surprised to see a few groups of people already at the hot springs. Thankfully, we were still relatively early, and we settled into one of the pools just big enough for the two of us.

The sky turned pink as the sun started to rise, and it felt completely different from all the other sunrise experiences I’ve had. However, it was so cold that I figured this might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us. Perhaps it would be better to come here during summer, but I can only imagine how crowded it would then.

Overall, I highly recommend watching the sunrise from Wild Willy’s natural hot springs, and recommend going earlier if you can bring yourself to. Just make sure to bring a towel to dry off.

Stop at Hot Creek Geological Site

After sunrise, more people started arriving at Wild Willy’s, so we took that as the cue for us to leave. Our next stop was Hot Creek Geological Site, located 20 minutes away via dirt roads.

Bree’s Lookout is another popular spot for sunrise, and this is where you can see the meandering hot creek against the Eastern Sierra backdrop. I love seeing the colored rocks from the mineral deposits and rising steam during the early morning. You might even see some bubbling fumaroles too.

Unlike Wild Willy’s, the water here is too hot to touch. If you’re taking the trail leading towards the creek, please be very careful and follow the safety guidelines.

Breakfast in Mammoth Lakes

It has been quite an adventurous morning, and now it’s time to stop by Mammoth Lakes for breakfast. We drove the rest of the dirt road out until we joined Highway 395, and headed straight towards Breakfast Club.

We got there at about 8:40am and were able to quickly get seated. One of their specialties is eggs Benedict, which comes with shredded potatoes, so we ordered that as well as a chocolate croissant. Another thing I really liked was their huge cups of coffee – much needed on a cold fall morning.

Hike Little Lakes Valley

After breakfast, we headed south and drove 35 minutes towards Little Lakes Valley trailhead. It was also an area with peak fall foliage, so it made for the perfect hike during our Eastern Sierra trip.

We decided to follow the Little Lakes Valley trail to Gem Lake route via AllTrails because it passes through at least 7 lakes. It was also an out-and-back route, so we could turn back at whichever point we wanted.

Parking at Little Lakes Valley

It seemed like everyone had the same idea during that weekend, because parking was really difficult. When we arrived at the trailhead parking at about 11:15am, we tried to wait it out for a spot. After 20-30 minutes of waiting in what we thought was an established line, we saw hikers walking back to their car.

We were so happy until someone who had followed behind them told us that they were going to take their parking spot. It turned out that she had been waiting at the trailhead to ask if hikers were leaving. I guess that’s a first for me, and it felt really unfair because they had arrived at the parking lot later than us.

It was such an awful feeling, and I almost wanted to give up on the hike entirely. But we decided that it’s not a big deal hiking an extra mile from our car if needed. So we circled back down the narrow road and found parking by the roadside.

In hindsight, we should have just opted for roadside parking instead of wasting time trying to wait for a spot at the trailhead. Besides, it only took us an extra 10 minutes to walk from our parking spot to the trailhead.

Little Lakes Valley to Mack Lake, Heart Lake, and Box Lake

We decided to do a shorter version of the trail, and cover just the first 3 lakes instead of seeing all 7. At just 3.2 miles for a round trip, it’ll be an easy afternoon hike with just enough elevation gain to feel like we got some exercise done.

We started at about 12pm after our parking fiasco and got to Box Lake (the third lake) at 1:30pm for our lunch break. The fall colors throughout this trail complemented the turquoise lakes, and I couldn’t help but stop and take pictures every time the view changed. My favorite was probably Heart Lake because of the view of the mountains, the stream, and the turquoise water.

While the trail was crowded at the start, we noticed many people stopped at Mack Lake and Heart Lake since they were the easiest to get to. Some even brought camping chairs and fishing rods, and I could tell they were planning to be at the lakes for quite some time.

Coffee and Dinner Back at Camp

After Little Lakes Valley, we headed back to Convict Lake Campground and rested with coffee. It had been quite an active day, and we wanted to prepare for our barbeque dinner at camp.

By 7:30pm, the sun had set and we had our fire pit settling into a steady charcoal fire that allowed us to grill marinated meat that we got from 99 Ranch. We also got some peppers, mushroom, and tomatoes to go along. I’d say it was a pretty big dinner because we also each had a cup of Shin Ramyeon instant noodles.

Day 3: One More Convict Lake Sunrise and the Drive Home

We spent the last morning chilling at camp, without rushing to pack up the rooftop tent. Sunrise was easy to catch because we could just walk to Convict Lake. We got a pink sunrise this time, and saw the sky transition from clear to cloudy – which was our cue to walk back to camp.

Brunch at Whoa Nellie Deli

Later on it started getting very windy, and even looked like it was snowing/raining at Mount Morrison (the peak behind Convict Lake). Normally we might be tempted to use the last day for another hike, but as we were driving out, we got a text alert about Tioga Pass closing in the afternoon due to a snow storm.

That’s when we changed our plans and decided to just get brunch at Whoa Nellie Deli at Lee Vining, and made our way across Yosemite before noon.

Drive Through Tioga Pass and Yosemite

It was pretty surreal to see snow falling all around Tuolumne Meadow and we stopped at Olmsted Point to quickly take in the view. Driving through Yosemite in the day now, we could also see the colorful red and yellow foliage as we got closer to west side of Tioga Pass near Big Oak Flat entrance.

This sudden snow storm was a great reminder that fall weather can be unpredictable, and can affect travel through the high country. Tioga Pass is also a seasonal road that usually closes for the season in November, but could also close temporarily when there’s an early season storm.

It worked out for our October 2025 trip, though it’s worth checking road and weather conditions as you’re planning your route to and from home. If we had more time and the weather was good, we would have loved to drive home via Sonora Pass (Highway 108) for even more fall foliage scenery.

Where to Stay for This Eastern Sierra Fall Itinerary

For this exact itinerary with camping included, Convict Lake made the most sense as our base.

We stayed at Convict Lake Campground all three nights, which gave us easy access to sunrise spots like Convict Lake and Wild Willy’s Natural Hot Springs. The area is so beautiful and we loved waking up to the peaks towering over us amidst the fall foliage. If you’d rather skip the tent, Convict Lake Resort has cabins a short walk from the lake too.

Alternatively, Mammoth Lakes and the June Lake area would probably be more convenient if restaurants and hotel amenities matter more to you.

If You Only Have Two Days

Even though it’s a long drive from the San Francisco Bay Area, it was worth it for some of the best fall foliage in California. If you only had two full days, I’d recommend focusing on these activities for the best experiences and fall foliage.

• Day 1: Convict Lake sunrise → McGee Creek hike → Mammoth Lakes → June Lake Loop
• Day 2: Wild Willy’s Hot Springs → Hot Creek → Mammoth breakfast → Little Lakes Valley hike

I wouldn’t try to add Bishop Creek or anything further if you had just two days. While there are plenty of beautiful places farther south, you would spend a lot more time driving and a lot less time actually enjoying the stops you came for.

Practical Tips for an Eastern Sierra Fall Weekend

The biggest lesson from our trip is that you don’t need to see every fall-color spot along Highway 395 for it to be memorable. Having one campsite and making day trips from there worked just as well, and we didn’t feel like we were driving around too much.

While we could’ve driven to more spots further south, I’d rather keep the pace slow and save the other places for a future fall road trip.

Here are a few more practical tips that can help:

• Leave after work if you can: Getting to Convict Lake on Friday night gave us at least 2 full days
• Check the fall colors right before the trip: Conditions can vary a lot between elevations
• Plan buffer time to find parking at popular areas
• Sign up for Yosemite Tioga Pass text alerts: Know whether road closures are expected if the weather turns