Independence
Independence is a base for touring Big Pine and Lone Pine—its neighbors to the north and south—and such area attractions as Mt. Whitney and the John Muir Wilderness. Top activities include hiking, camping, bird watching, hang gliding, mountain biking and cross-country skiing. The Onion Valley area, 13 miles west of town, is home to a number of the most picturesque lakes in the Sierras, including the Kearsarge Lakes, Bullfrog Lake, and Rae Lake; you'll find wildflowers abloom here from early spring to late summer.
Named for a military outpost established on nearby Oak Creek on Independence Day 1862, the town enthusiastically celebrates July 4 not only with a fireworks display but also a parade, a 4K run, and such old-fashioned pastimes as a pie and ice cream social and a frog-jumping contest.