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Inyo County at a Glance - 08/15/2008

A general overview of Inyo County and its many destinations.

Inyo County is “The Other Side of California,” a vast expanse along the eastern edge of California that covers 10,000 square miles (16,000 sq. Km), an area greater than six U.S. states (VT, NH, NJ, CT, DL and RI).

Inyo County is a land of extremes. It claims the highest and lowest points in the 48-contiguous states. You’ll find hot and cold, wet and dry, barren and lush, refined and common at different times and in different parts of the county.
 
The two most distinct aspects of Inyo County are Death Valley and the Eastern Sierra. Within these destinations are such natural wonders as Death Valley National Park, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, the Palisade Glacier, Mt. Whitney, Rock Creek Canyon, the High Sierra and a classic western landscape that has been seen in countless motion pictures. With six million acres (2.4 million hectares) of public land, Inyo County offers numerous opportunities to explore, recreate and be amazed.
 
Here’s what makes Inyo County so alluring:
 
DEATH VALLEY
 
 In 1849, a party of pioneers nearly perished while attempting to cross this desert valley. Upon being rescued, one turned and exclaimed, “Goodbye, Death Valley,” so naming it. Today, a million people say hello to Death Valley National Park, each year. 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.
 
Death Valley attracts photographers, rock hounds, hikers and geologists to its fascinating and austere landscape. Favorite sights include the nine-mile, looping Artist’s Drive with its many-colored rock formations. Popular trails pass through the Golden Canyon, Mosaic Canyon and Wildrose Peak trail. Each of these leads to amazing views and other-worldly formations. 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.
 
Death Valley has more than its share of intimidating places: the Funeral Mountains, Rhyolite Ghost Town, Badwater, Stovepipe Wells, Salt Creek and Furnace Creek, among them. Yet, despite these notorious-sounding names, several species of wildlife inhabit the park and it’s so popular that for much of the year (late fall to late spring) available rooms and campsites are far and few between.
 
Park lodging centers at the Furnace Creek Resort whose famous Inn was opened in 1927 by the Pacific Coast Borax Company of Twenty Mule Team fame. The Furnace Creek Inn was meant to save the company’s failing railroad. As the value of mining faded, so did the railroad, but the Furnace Creek Inn thrived. It is today among the most highly sought and refined oasis to be found within the National Park System. Nearby Furnace Creek Ranch is a popular destination for families and RV campers. The park’s visitor center is located here and the Borax Museum displays artifacts, Borax wagons and other historic equipment from the park’s past.
 
Each season in Death Valley has its attraction. In winter, snowflakes tumble until they evaporate near the valley floor; near the end of winter, showy blooms of wildflowers appear; and in summer, temperatures often reach 120° F/49° C. 
 
  • Stovepipe Wells – A motel, restaurant, pool, campground with RV sites and convenience store and gas station are located here. Old charcoal kilns and the ghost town of Leadfield are worth visiting.
  • Scotty’s Castle - a Moorish mansion, built by wealthy Chicago businessman Albert Johnson, is a must stop at the north end of Death Valley for anyone who values interesting architecture, interiors and tales. This remarkable retreat comes with a great story that came from an old miner’s gift for wild exaggeration.
  • Armargosa Opera House –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 has been performing for appreciative audiences, since.  Now 83, Marta is still dancing and 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.
  • Panamint Springs – They really mean it, when they say “Last Gas” at Panamint Springs at the national park’s western boundary. You’ll drive 30 miles before you find the next gas or water. Remember, you’re in Death Valley! Continue east on CA-190 to cross Towne’s Pass into Death Valley, south on CA-178 to Trona and west on CA-190 to Olancha and Lone Pine (CA-136).
  • Shoshone – 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. 
  • Tecopa – Named after Paiute-Shoshone Indian chief Tecopa was a hard-rock mining camp in the late 1800s, though today, it is best known for its hot springs.   Natural hot water is contained in separate bath houses for men and women, operated by a concessionaire with RV sites and a small store. A surprising sight in this desert is Grimshaw Lake, a favorite of water skiers. Nearby marshes attract migratory birds and were a stopping point along the Old Spanish Trail, a National Historic Trail that passes through Tecopa. A treat five miles south of Tecopa is China Ranch where you can buy all kinds of treats made from dates… date shakes, date baked goods and take your date on a hike beside the federally recognized Wild and Scenic Armargosa River. At Dumont Dunes, 4-wheelers, dune buggies and dirt bikes get airborne in the dunes and take more terrestrial tours through scenic canyons.
 
Websites:
 
OWENS VALLEY
 
One of the earliest American explorers described the Owens Valley as containing "ten thousand acres [40 km²] of fine grass." Today, it is mostly arid. As told in Marc Reisner’s book, Cadillac Desert and depicted in the motion picture, Chinatown, this once-fertile farmland, populated with fruit trees, was the victim of California’s Water Wars of the 1940s in which water rights to the Owens River were obtained by Los Angeles. Today, a third of LA’s water leaves the valley through a great aquaduct.   Court rulings and actions by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have helped restore fish habitat along the river, making it again one of the finest fly fishing streams in the West.
 
395 Roadside Heritage – As you travel U.S. 395, listen to its stories on CD-ROM or MP3. You’ll hear how a Slim Princess found her way to the Eastern Sierra and other fascinating stories from people who live along US 395. Find more at www.RoadsideHeritage.org
 
Bishop – The most populated town in Inyo County, Bishop also has the most number of accommodations and services. Bishop began as a ranching town. Later, ranches evolved into pack stations with their sure-footed mules carrying the gear of fishermen and campers back into the Sierra. If any animal expresses the heart of Inyo County, it is the hard-working, intelligent , yet stubborn mule, which is honored annually during Bishop’s “Mule Days.” Long before the ranchers arrived, Paiute Shoshone people lived here. Their reservation sits northwest of town and the Paiute Palace Casino adds excitement to a stay in Bishop. Many of Bishop’s visitors include a stop at the Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Cultural Center and Museum to learn about the first inhabitants of the area and to enjoy experiencing one of the tribe’s cultural events. 
 
Not to be missed on a visit to Bishop are the Mountain Light studio, Schatt’s Bakery, Law’s Railroad Museum and Mahogany Meats. Renowned mountain photographers, the late Galen and Barbara Rowell’s famous Mountain Light studio is located at the center of Bishop. Their stunningly beautiful photographs are one of the best introductions to the spectacular countryside to be seen beyond Bishop. Schatt’s Bakery is a traditional stop for travelers looking for a loaf of authentic “sheepherder’s bread” or any of their delicious baked goods. Mahogany Meats at the north end of town specializes in cowboy jerky and other smoked meats. The Law’s Railroad Museum is a collection of railroad equipment and buildings from Bishop’s days as a railroading center, shipping agricultural products from the Owens Valley north to the mining camps of Aurora and Bodie. Farming and ranching declined in the valley after water rights were acquired by the City of Los Angeles. Today, Bishop is the center of operations for the largest public utility in the nation, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which provides water and power to the nation’s most populated city and provides access to the streams it manages for fishing.
 
Websites:
 
Big Pine – This small town prides itself in having a big backyard. Big Pine is a portal to exploring both the Sierra Nevada and White Mountains. Drive east and you find the ancient bristlecone pine. Drive west and you find trailheads that lead to the Palisade Glacier and Eastern Sierra. Outfitters run horse packing trips to remote alpine lakes. Numerous fishing holes are found along Big Pine Creek and the Baker Ponds. The Owens River teems with trout, catfish and bass. 
 
Websites:  Big Pine Chamber of Commerce, Big Pine – 760-938-2114, www.bigpine.com
 
Independence – The county seat since 1866, Independence is the center of regional history with its historic courthouse; the Edwards House, oldest structure in the county; the Commander’s House, a century-old Victorian home; the Mary Austin home (she wrote Land of Little Rain); Dehy Park that displays Slim Princess No. 18, a narrow-gauge engine; and the Eastern California Museum, with its extensive exhibits, artifacts, photographs, native plant garden and historic mining and farm equipment. Good fishing is found nearby at Independence Creek, the Onion Valley and along the Owens River. An early trout opener each March. With a name like Independence, it’s understandable why the town has one of the best Independence Day parades with traditional early morning flag raising, pancake breakfast, fun run/walk, small-town parade, homemade ice cream and pie social, kids’ games, an arts and crafts show, deep-pit barbecue and sunset fireworks show.
 
Websites:  Independence Chamber of Commerce, Independence – 760-878-0084, www.independence-ca.com
 
Lone Pine – One of the most filmed and photographed landscapes in the county is found surrounding Lone Pine. West of town are the Alabama Hills, named by locals who were Southern sympathizers during the American Civil War. This collection of irregular, ruddy, windswept boulders backed by a horizon of Sierra peaks, has been the backdrop for countless Hollywood films from Gunga Din, to Gladiator, to Rawhide, to How the West Was Won. It’s where Roy Rogers first mounted Trigger, where Tom MixLone Pine has been seen in so many movies, that it has commemorated its fame by hosting the annual Lone Pine Film Festival. The Beverly and Jim Rogers Museum of Lone Pine Film History preserves the motion picture history of Inyo County with film memorabilia, cars, western carriages and an 84-seat theater.
 
Websites:
Manzanar National Historic Site – During World War II, people of Japanese ancestry, including American citizens were brought here to the Manzanar War Relocation Center. An interpretive center is located in the camp’s former auditorium. Audio tours are offered. (760) 878-2194, www.nps.gov/manz
 
South County
  • Pearsonville – You’ve arrived in Inyo County, if traveling north on US 395 in a town often called the “Hub Cap Capitol of the World,” thanks to Lucy Pearson who for years collected a large collection of hubcaps and cataloging and storing each in a large warehouse. In Pearsonville, you’ll find gas, food, a towing service, wrecking yard and a ton of hubcaps!
  • Keeler – This was once the southern terminus of the Carson & Colorado Railroad. When service ended in the 1960s, most of Keeler’s residents moved away. The streets are mostly quiet and no services exist. However, if you have a 4WD vehicle, follow a dirt road east to Cerro Gordo, a ghost town with several well-maintained silver mine buildings and a small museum.
  • Olancha - 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.
  • Darwin – Stop in Darwin and you won’t find any services, just a rich history and Darwin Falls which begins as an underground spring that rises to the surface, spills over the falls and travels for a few hundred feet before disappearing again. Poke around Darwin and you’ll find old mines off dirt roads leading from CA-190.
 
EASTERN SIERRA
  • Mt. Whitney – 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, a wilderness permit and careful attention to advisories regarding the precautions of hiking at high altitudes, obtained within the Eastern Sierra InterAgency Visitor’s Center, south of Lone Pine.
  • Palisade Glacier – The southernmost glacier in the U.S. and the largest in the Sierra Nevada is located west of Big Pine and is visible from U.S. 395. The glacier sits at the base of Palisade Crest in the North Fork Basin. The scenery attracts hikers to trails that follow the ancient glacier.
  • Rock Creek Canyon – Between Bishop and Mammoth Lakes is picture-perfect Rock Creek Canyon. Rugged Eastern Sierra sawtooth peaks rise above emerald meadows, populated with fluttering aspens and cut my meandering clear streams.
  • Sierra Bighorn Sheep – Flocks of endangered Sierra Bighorn can be seen northwest of Bishop.
  • The Backcountry – Follow CA-168 west from Bishop, 23 miles to trails that lead to the Green Lakes, Treasure Lakes and Bishop Pass. The pass is an 11-mile hike beyond the end of the road at 11,980 ft/3,651 m. Bring a fishing rod for entertainment along the way.
  • Inyo National Forest and the John Muir Wilderness – For complete retreat, backpack or take a mule pack trip to the high country, to dozens upon dozens of remote glassine lakes with romantic names like Lake Helen of Troy, Elinore Lake, Moonlight Lake and the Treasure Lakes. You will understand why John Muir wrote, “Climb the mountains, and get their good tidings.” Few experiences are as emotionally satiating as being in the rarified air of the Eastern High Sierra in settings whose beauty defy description.
  • Sierra Bighorn Sheep - Three subspecies of bighorn sheep live in the United States. You can see two of them within minutes of one another in Inyo County, California. Sierra Bighorn can be seen in Eastern Sierra canyons. From U.S. 395, north of Bishop, follow Pine Creek Road through Round Valley. In the last couple of miles before the road ends, look up to the north to see the buff-colored coats of the Sierra Bighorn Sheep as they graze among pines and brush. You will be surprised how well they blend into the landscape and how difficult it is, at first, to see them. With practice, it becomes easier. There are no formal tours to see the bighorn, though if you call sheep researcher Dr. John Wehausen in advance, (760) 873-4563, you may be able to join one of his infrequent bighorn spotting trips. Additionally, the Bishop office of the California Department of Fish and Game can explain how best to see the elusive bighorns. Some tips: the Bighorn will not let you get closer than a couple of hundred yards, so bring powerful binoculars or a camera with a telephoto lens and enjoy seeing them from a distance.
  • Trees of the Eastern Sierra (a guide to identifying the following trees is available from: www.friendsoftheinyo.org )
  • Riparian Areas:
  • Silver Buffaloberry – sherpeherdia argentea
  • Wood Rose – Rosa woodsii
  • Poplar Family:
  • Fremont Cottonwood – Populus fremontii
  • Black Cottonwood – Populus balsamifera ssp. trichoparda
  • Quaking Aspen – Populus tremuloides
  • Willow – Salix spp.
  • Birch Family:
  • Water Birch – Betula occidentalis
  • Dogwood Family:
  • Creek Dogwood – Cornus Sericea
  • Cypress Family:
  • Sierra Juniper – Juniperas occidentalis
  • Utah Juniper – Juniperas osteosperma
  • Pine Family:
  • Mountain Hemlock – Tsuga mertensiana
  • Red Fir – Abies magnifica
  • White Fir – Abie concolor
  • Singleleaf Pinyon – Pinus monophylla
  • Bristlecone Pine – Pinus longaeva
  • Limber Pine – Pinus flexilis
  • Whitebark Pine – Pinus albicaulis
  • Western White Pine – Pinus monticola
  • Jeffrey Pine – Pinus jeffreyi
  • Lodgepole Pine – Pinus contorta
 
WHITE MOUNTAINS
 
Ancient Bristlecone Forest – Thirty-six miles east of Big Pine in the White Mountains at elevations over 9,000 ft grow the oldest living trees. The oldest of them, Mehtuselah, is estimated to be nearly 4,800 years old. Several groves of the venerable trees can be seen. Exhibits at the visitor center at Schulman Grove describe the trees. From Big Pine, travel east on CA-168 to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Scenic Byway.
 
Desert Bighorn Sheep - Three subspecies of bighorn sheep live in the United States. You can see two of them within minutes of one another in Inyo County, California. Flocks of Desert Bighorn can be seen from Pine Creek road, east of Bishop. To find the Desert Bighorn, follow U.S. 6 north from Bishop to Silver Canyon Road. At Laws, continue east over dirt and gravel roads into the White Mountains. You will cross small streams, so a 4WD vehicle is recommended. Watch for the sheep high on rock and brush-covered hillsides. 
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Media Contacts:
Jon Klusmire, Eastern California Museum, 760-878-0258, jklusmire@inyocounty.us
John Poimiroo, Poimiroo & Partners, 916-933-8860, john@poimiroo.com

 

Did You Know?

The Badwater Marathon is a 135 miles non-stop race from the lowest point in the contiguous U.S., Death Valley, to the highest, Mt. Whitney, in temperatures that can go as high as 130F.

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