Hidden Sierra Nevada Adventures: Exploring Owens Valley Beyond the Guidebooks
July 7, 2026 • Charlie Pankey
Most visitors experience Owens Valley from Highway 395.
They stop in Bishop for lunch, drive through Lone Pine, admire Mount Whitney from the road, and continue north toward Mammoth Lakes.
But according to photographer, backpacker, mountain biker, and off-road explorer Nick Valdovinos (Nick Breaks Everything), some of California’s best adventures begin after you leave the pavement.
In this episode of the Sierra Rec Now Podcast, Charlie sits down with Nick to explore why Owens Valley has become one of California’s greatest adventure destinations. From backpacking over Kearsarge Pass and exploring the Pacific Crest Trail to discovering remote Inyo Mountain canyons, mountain biking, photography, and technical off-road routes, this conversation is about embracing curiosity and finding experiences that most travelers never see.
Whether you’re planning your first Eastern Sierra road trip or looking for new ways to experience places you’ve visited for years, this episode offers fresh ideas for building unforgettable weekends in one of California’s most remarkable mountain landscapes.
Our Guest
Nick Valdovinos
Nick Breaks Everything
Nick Valdovinos is an outdoor adventurer, photographer, graphic designer, mountain biker, backpacker, and off-road enthusiast based in Southern California. Through his “Nick Breaks Everything” channels, he shares authentic adventures from across California’s mountains and deserts, focusing on challenging trails, hidden destinations, and the experiences that keep drawing him back outdoors.
Rather than chasing famous viewpoints, Nick is passionate about exploring the trails themselves—whether that’s hiking remote sections of the Pacific Crest Trail, crawling technical canyon roads, building mountain bike trails, or photographing landscapes that many visitors never discover.
Learn more
Instagram: @nickbreakseverything
Photography: vxposure.com
Inside This Episode
- Why Owens Valley is one of California’s most underrated adventure destinations
- Hiking Kearsarge Pass and the Pacific Crest Trail
- Exploring the Inyo Mountains beyond Highway 395
- Combining backpacking, off-roading, and photography into one weekend
- Mountain biking and designing great trails
- Why challenge creates better outdoor experiences
- Hidden canyons, desert landscapes, and Eastern Sierra exploration
- How photography changes the way we experience the outdoors
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Featured Destinations
This episode explores many of the incredible places that make California’s Eastern Sierra one of the state’s premier outdoor playgrounds.
- Owens Valley
- Kearsarge Pass
- Pacific Crest Trail
- Inyo Mountains
- Lone Pine
- Bishop
- Death Valley National Park
- Marble Canyon
- Johnson Valley OHV Area
- Highway 395
Explore More
Continue planning your next Eastern Sierra adventure.
- Explore Owens Valley
- Hiking Kearsarge Pass
- Eastern Sierra Adventure Guides
- Highway 395 Road Trips
- Backpacking the Sierra Nevada
- Camping in the Eastern Sierra
- Browse the Sierra Rec Podcast Archive
Planning your next adventure?
Explore hundreds of hiking guides, campgrounds, scenic drives, backpacking trips, fishing destinations, podcasts, and outdoor stories from across the Sierra Nevada at Sierra Rec Magazine.
Keep Exploring.
