Eastern Sierra

The southern portion of the Eastern Sierra is a narrow flat valley extending 125 mi (200 km) from Owens Lake north to the Owens Gorge. The vast majority of the Owens Valley is private property owned by the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The Owens Valley is flanked by spectacular mountain ranges rising abruptly from the valley floor—to the west the High Sierra, and to the east the Inyo and White mountain ranges. Nearly all lands above the valley floor are owned by federal agencies.

North of Bishop (elevation 5900 ft {1800 m}) the terrain rises 3280 ft (1000 m) in 18 mi (30 km). At the top of this rise is the enormous Long Valley Caldera, a broad basin ringed by the Sierra Nevada to the west and the Glass Mountains to the east. North of the caldera the terrain rises gradually through forests of endemic Jeffery Pine trees to the divide between the Owens Lake and Mono Lake at around 9,800 ft (3000 m) elevation. Much of the land in this region, and further north in the Eastern Sierra, is owned by federal agencies but lands near watercourses are likely to be in private ownership.

This is an interesting lake fairly close to Yosemite but with scenery nothing like its popular neighbor. Mono Lake is a salty desert scene with odd rock formations (tufas) along the shoreline of the lake. Development is limited around Mono Lake, which also means limited options and facilities for tourists.

From the divide at around 9,800 ft (3000 m), the terrain falls gradually into the Bridgeport Basin and the town of Bridgeport at 6,500 ft (2000 m). The East Walker, dammed to form Bridgeport Reservoir, flows east through the valley separating the Bodie Hills from the Sweetwater Mountains. To the north the rise to the divide between the east and west forks of the Walker is a mild climb to 9,100 ft (2800 m).