High Sierra Nevada

I define the High Sierra as the regions immediately surrounding the crest of California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. This expansive area includes large portions of the Inyo National Forest, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Lake Tahoe. Collectively, the High Sierra spans over 250 linear miles, stretching from north of the Mojave Desert to the beginning of the Cascade Range in Northern California. Many of the photos featured here are captured in remote locations, often miles from any road and requiring extended backcountry wilderness travel.

“The mountains are calling, and I must go.”

— John Muir

Granite Park Sunrise
At dawn in Granite Park, Inyo National Forest, an unnamed lake sits tranquil in the foreground, dotted with rocky outcrops that break the water's surface. The stillness of the lake contrasts with the dramatic peaks in the backgro

Granite Park
An unnamed lake in the aptly named Granite Park region. Sunset in the Granite Park, John Muir Wilderness, Inyo National Forest

Resilience
Amidst Granite Giants: A resilient bonsai tree, weathered by the elements, stands defiantly in the cracks of Yosemite’s high country granite. Glacial erratics dot the landscape, while the Cathedral Range looms in the background, framed by

The galactic center of the Milky Way can be seen rising over the Kearsarge Pinnacles in the Kearsarge Lakes Basin. The first Kearsarge Lake can be seen in the foreground reflecting the stars and Pinnacles. The sunlight reflecting from the setting m

Mountain Pride bloom with the Kearsarge Lakes and Kearsarge Pinnacles in the background, Kings Canyon National Park

Wildflowers in the Tuolumne Meadows high country in Yosemite National Park

Storm clouds gather around the Kuna Crest (elv 12,170 ft) with a rainbow. But don't be fooled by the beauty. This was part of a major lighting barrage all over California. Within a 72 hour period, there were nearly 11,000 lghting strikes across th