Suggest a Trip for me in Sierras but Close to LA

I asked a somewhat similar question on these parts a few weeks back. Not sure if any of the replies might help you.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=91711

Drive isn't too bad from LA…and the trails are short, just right for shorter legs. Lots of lakes to choose from, so he can fish, wade, wander and relax.

Paul, I believe Dinkey Lakes is a longer drive than Sequoia.

–B.G.–

There are two short and easy ways to hike into the dinkey wilderness. One at Willow meadow and one from the cliff Lake trail head which is a slightly longer route. Cliff Lake trailhead is accessible by a paved road and takes three hours from Fresno to get there. The other trailhead also take three hours drive time from Fresno, but only because the final miles of the road are really rough and very hard to drive in a passenger car. While I have seen every make and model from BMW to Mini Cooper in willow meadow trailhead parking, I would wager that many thousands of dollars have been spent fixing the suspension on those cars.

Other trailhead options take a lot more walking to get into the wilderness area.

Thanks for all of your responses. After some Google mapping, I'm zeroing in on the Southern Sierras, maybe somewhere near Kearsage Pass or Lone Pine. Google is telling me it's 3 hours from my home. That's probably because I can cover most of the distance on major highways and avoid windy mountain roads that add time to the journey.

I'm hoping if I show up in the middle of the week, I won't have a problem with wilderness permits.