Zone X9a, California

Large, topographically diverse zone spanning roughly 5,000 to 11,000 feet, ranging from flat lower-elevation valleys (Long Valley, Mono Basin) to very steep, rocky high country on the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada. Notable features include the Rock Creek drainage, Mammoth Mountain and the Mammoth Lakes Basin, the Owens River through Long Valley to Crowley Lake, the Glass Mountains north of Long Valley, Mono Lake/Mono Basin, the June Lake Loop (June, Gull, Silver, and Grant Lakes), and Conway Summit. Summer range is 7,500-11,000 ft; winter range 5,000-7,500 ft. Pumice soils are soft and fragile, so OHV travel is restricted to designated roads. (Source: CDFW Zone X-9a/A-16 info sheet, DocumentID 83703.)

Zone X9a is roughly 92% public land, with private parcels concentrated in the Long Valley/Crowley Lake basin, the Mammoth Lakes basin, and the June Lake Loop area (written landowner permission required). Public land is managed by the Inyo National Forest (Mammoth Lakes and Mono Lake Ranger Districts), the BLM Bishop Field Office, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP; no overnight camping on LADWP lands). US Highway 395 is the backbone access route, running north–south through the entire zone from Bishop past Mammoth Lakes and June Lake to Lee Vining. All major drainages on the west (Sierra) side branch off Hwy 395 via paved spur roads: - Rock Creek Road exits Hwy 395 at Tom's Place (about 13 miles south of Mammoth Lakes) and climbs roughly 10 miles to Mosquito Flat Trailhead (10,300 ft), the primary staging area for the Little Lakes Valley and John Muir Wilderness; several USFS campgrounds line the road, most seasonal. - McGee Creek Road exits Hwy 395 at the McGee Creek interchange (about 8 miles south of Mammoth Lakes) and runs about 2 paved miles to McGee Creek Campground, adjacent to the McGee Creek Trailhead and John Muir Wilderness boundary. (Campground closed for 2026 due to fire damage — confirm current status before planning.) - Convict Lake Road exits Hwy 395 about 5 miles south of Mammoth Lakes and ends 2 miles west at Convict Lake Campground and the Convict Creek Trailhead, which accesses the John Muir Wilderness up Convict Canyon. - Laurel Lakes Road (Forest Road 28E201) is reached from Hwy 395 via Hwy 203 into Mammoth Lakes, then south on Old Mammoth Road to Sherwin Creek Road, then west on FR 28E201 — a high-clearance 4WD-only route climbing from ~7,200 ft to ~10,000 ft along the John Muir Wilderness boundary. Sherwin Creek Campground (85 sites, 7,600 ft) serves as a lower staging area. Road condition is subject to washouts; check with the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center (760-924-5500) before driving. - Highway 203 (Main Street/Minaret Road) west of Mammoth Lakes leads to Mammoth Mountain and the Reds Meadow/Devils Postpile area; beyond the ski area, a mandatory fee shuttle runs in summer (roughly late June–early September) from Main Lodge and private vehicle access is restricted to before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. — relevant for early-morning hunting access to the San Joaquin Ridge area. On the north end of the zone, Highway 158 (June Lake Loop) branches off Hwy 395 and passes June, Gull, Silver, and Grant Lakes, with the Rush Creek Trailhead at Silver Lake providing foot access into the Ansel Adams Wilderness. Highway 120 (Tioga Road) at Lee Vining climbs west through Lee Vining Canyon past Big Bend, Aspen, Moraine, and Lower Lee Vining USFS campgrounds before reaching Tioga Pass and Yosemite. East of Hwy 395, terrain is generally more vehicle-accessible via improved and unimproved BLM and LADWP dirt roads into the Glass Mountains, Volcanic Tableland, Long Valley, Mono Basin, and adjacent rangelands. The Poleta Canyon Open Area (east of Bishop, jointly managed BLM/USFS, ~2,500 acres) is the only area permitting cross-country motorized travel; all other travel is restricted to designated roads. Four-wheel drive and high clearance are strongly recommended on unimproved roads. Wilderness travel notes: The John Muir, Ansel Adams, and Hoover Wilderness areas all require overnight wilderness permits (reserved via Recreation.gov, quota-based May 1–November 1); no permit is required for day use in these areas. No motorized vehicles or mechanized equipment are allowed within wilderness boundaries. OHV use on the Inyo National Forest requires a current California Green Sticker, Red Sticker, or highway plate, and spark arresters are mandatory.

Ecologically diverse. Summer-range cover types named by CDFW include Great Basin sagebrush scrub (big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, snowberry, mountain whitethorn), pinyon-juniper woodland (pinyon pine, western juniper), Jeffrey pine forest (dominant east of Hwy 395 from the upper Owens River north to Mono Lake and east through the Glass Mountains), montane chaparral (7,000-9,000 ft on the Sierra escarpment), montane riparian forest (quaking aspen, lodgepole pine, black cottonwood, Jeffrey pine, willow, water birch, gooseberry), and subalpine conifer forest at higher elevations. Water is well distributed west of Hwy 395 along the Sierra escarpment from Tom's Place north to Conway Summit; conditions east of 395 are generally much drier. (Source: CDFW Zone X-9a/A-16 info sheet.)

Deer in X9a are migratory Inyo mule deer of the Round Valley (southern portion) and Casa Diablo (northern portion) herds. They summer at higher elevations (7,500-11,000 ft) along the eastern Sierra escarpment and winter at lower elevations (5,000-7,500 ft) in the southeastern/eastern portions of Mono County and into Mineral County, Nevada. Migration occurs twice annually (spring and fall) along traditional routes following drainages and mountain bases; fall migration to winter range generally begins in late October and is patterned by snowstorms and freezing temperatures. The breeding season (rut) begins in mid-November on the winter range. During archery and general seasons most deer are still concentrated on the summer range. Herd status: stable to slightly declining, considerably below late-1960s/1970s levels, with a long-term steady decline attributed to fire suppression and reduced habitat quality/diversity; short-term fluctuations track weather effects on forage and water. (Source: CDFW Zone X-9a/A-16 info sheet.)