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County in California, United States
Photo: Chuck Abbe, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Inyo County is in California extending from the Eastern Sierra region east into the Desert. Known as "the Other Side of California," the county is a vast expanse along the eastern edge of California that covers 10000 sqmi, an area greater than six U.S. states (Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island). The county is sparsely populated, with a total population of 19,016 and much of the county's area having few or no residents.
US 395 is known as "California's back road". The highway traverses 100 miles of Inyo County from north-to-south and provides non-stop views of the scenic side of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Read in the guideUS 395 connects Bishop, Big Pine, Independence, Lone Pine and Olancha. State Route 190 runs from Olancha into Death Valley National Park.
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Bishop · Regional · BIH
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This small town is a portal to exploring both the Sierra Nevada and White Mountains.
The most populated town in Inyo County, Bishop also has the most number of accommodations and services.
The county seat since 1866, Independence is the center of regional history and home to the Eastern California Museum.
The area surrounding this town has been the backdrop for countless Hollywood films from Gunga Din, to Gladiator, to Rawhide, to How the West Was Won.
Marta Becket was an accomplished, touring 42-year-old dancer when she and her husband stopped in Death Valley Junction in 1967 to repair their car. While waiting for the work to be completed, she strolled down the street and came upon an abandoned adobe theater with interesting architectural bones. She rented the theater, began painting its walls and ceilings with fantastic, fanciful murals and performed at the Armargosa Opera House for appreciative audiences into her late 80s. She says, "I am grateful to have found the place where I can fulfill my dreams and share them with the passing scene...for as long as I can." This authentic and artistic slice of American life is worth going out of the way to experience.
the commercial center of Death Valley National Park, Furnace Creek has campgrounds, RV parks, lodging, gas, food, stores, an airport and the lowest elevation golf course on Earth (217 ft/65 m below sea level).
This little ranching town has been a waystation since its inception in the 1860s. Cooling cottonwood trees and an inviting café attract travelers along US 395. Hikers and backpackers will often set off into the South Sierra Wilderness and onto the Pacific Crest Trail from nearby trailheads.
This desert town to the southeast of the national park was once a railroad center and rest area for local miners. It still serves as a service hub with food, gas, lodging, supplies and RV sites.
The national park is the largest in the lower 48 states at 3.3 million acres/1.3 million hectares, and with the southeastern corner of Inyo County, comprises more than half the landmass of the county. The Badwater Basin salt pan is the lowest point in North America (282 ft/86 m) below sea level, and the highest point in the national park is Telescope Peak at 11,049 ft./3,315 m.
On the east side of the Great Western Divide, Mt. Whitney stands 14,496 ft/4,418m, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. Hikers reach the summit through Whitney Portal, 13 miles west of Lone Pine. It's a 10.7 mile hike and requires planning and careful attention to advisories regarding the precautions of hiking at high altitudes. The trek typically takes two days of fairly strenuous hiking, but no technical climbing. Permits but can be difficult to obtain; a yearly lottery is the best option, but climbers can also try obtaining a permit at the Eastern Sierra InterAgency Visitor's Center, south of Lone Pine.
During World War II, people of Japanese ancestry, including American citizens, were brought here to the Manzanar War Relocation Center. An interpretive center is in the camp's former auditorium. Audio tours are offered.
Home to the Ancient Bristlecone Forest, which is located thirty-six miles east of Big Pine. These trees are among the earth's oldest living things, with one of the oldest, Methuselah, estimated to be nearly 4,800 years old. Several groves of the venerable trees can be seen.
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