One starts up the canyon which for some reason is called Onion Valley. But, it does not smell like onions and they are not grown in the area! I am sure there is a story but I could not find it. It is a popular recreational area that usually opens up about mid-May. Trails from Onion Valley provide acces to the John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon National Park. There is a campsite at the end of the trail that has 29 campsites for tent camping or RV type units less than 25 feet in length. The road up the canyon is so narrow, winding, and steep that no one in their right mind would take anything longer up anyway! We had a great drive up and down as the weather went from nice pretty white clouds to stormy dark clouds.
On the way home we stopped at the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery. Founded in 1917, Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery provided fresh trout to the Sierra Nevada region for nearly a century. After a series of natural disasters in 2008, the hatchery closed and the focus shifted to preservation and education. The hatchery portion is no longer operational but the building houses an interesting museum and is photographically interesting with its early 20th century archetcture.
In times past, fingerling trout were transported by mule to small and big lakes all along the Sierra Nevada.
