BLM Dispatch #19 - Long Valley Caldera, California
Welcome to Eastern California’s Long Valley Caldera. I was out here in June, but have also visited in May, August, and October, experiencing the full palette of weather offerings, from pounding heat to snow, rain, and sleet under deliciously ominous skies.
The numerous hot springs are the main draw, but I prefer roaming the lonely hills that overlook the valley. Utah junipers nestle among boulder outcrops, while scattered rabbitbrush offers a choose-your-own-path walking experience.
If you’re looking for a spot to pitch a tent in the front country, it doesn’t get much better or easier than here. Park along Whitmore Tubs Road (see below), throw on a pack, and head for the hills. At 7,200 feet, you’ll have a front row seat to a sunset over the Sierra Nevada and a moonrise over the Glass Mountains.
And beneath your sleeping bag? One of the world’s largest dormant supervolcanoes. Quiet for 100,000 years, recent studies suggest 240 cubic miles of magma rest below. If it ever erupted, it could release over 800 times the material of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption.
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