>>158937My very personal favorite, not-terribly-long backpacking trip is right out of Independence, half an hour north of Lone Pine. Turn left at the museum and drive until you get to onion valley, then hike up to Kearsarge pass and look down on this ridiculously beautiful place that you can go camp and swim in. It's only seven-ish miles from the parking lot, the pass takes you above the tree-line and then back down beneath it. It's very, very pretty.
