>>1835967You don't need a really high clearance car to get there. I remember there was a prius and a couple other small sedans when I left. The road itself is somewhat rough, but you don't need really high clearance if you keep a reasonable speed. It's not a terrible drive, but it's the main thing reducing my motivation to go back soon.
If you go up, I'd recommend stopping at the turnoff for the bristlecone pine visitor center for a while at least the day before. There are two very gentle trails that stay around 10,000 feet that should help with acclimating. My phone is pretty bad, so the actual total elevation gain should be at least a few hundred feet lower.
Like
>>1835973 says, marmots are just about everywhere after sunrise. For whatever reason, I didn't see any where people were parked or camped out though. There were also some really big rabbits and I saw some deer and wild horses on the drives in and out.
