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Bishop Visitor's Center

Bishop Itineraries

Spring Winter

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Adventures and things-to-do in the Bishop Area, consider the following:

First though, how much time do you have?

An hour or four in Bishop's Big Backyard
Itinerary ideas for a quick outdoor adventure break in the Eastern Sierra

Bishop is world-renowned for many outdoor activities such as fishing, rock climbing, trail running, and landscape photography. It’s also an amazing place for cycling, off-highway driving, stargazing, and auto touring. Plus, there are a lot of great learning experiences in the form of natural and cultural history. In our big backyard, you only need an hour for a rewarding outdoor experience, but if you have more, we can open a door to the vast playground that is our big backyard.

Take a look at this itinerary page, which gives descriptions and details for these great outdoor activities within a set time frame.

1-Hour Experiences

Fish – Owens River

Trail Run – Bishop Canal

Auto Tour – South Lake

Walking Tour – Bishop Murals

History Tour – Laws Railroad Museum

2-Hour Experiences

Road Bike – Warm Springs Loop

Hike – Druid Trail

Fish – Buckley Ponds

Auto Tour – Lake Sabrina

Stargazing – Buttermilk Country

3-Hour Adventures

Hike – First Falls

Road Bike – Round Valley / Pleasant Valley

Mountain Bike – Lower Rock Creek

Fish – Intake Two

OHV – Tablelands

4-Hour Adventures

Road Bike – Bishop Creek Canyon

Snow Shoe – Aspendell

Auto Tour & Hike – Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

Stargazing – White Mountains

Click on the full itinerary page here to read about each of these great outings and …

Choose your own adventure

If you find yourself in Bishop with an hour or four to spare, this is the resource that can quickly and accurately get you out and about without wasting a minute. As always … ask us if you any questions. Call us at (760) 873-8405 or come on into our visitor center at 690 N. Main Street in Bishop. Our staff is friendly and knowledgeable and can give you maps and brochures and help you make an informed decision.

 

Just an Afternoon or Morning

Laws Rail Road Museum
Take Hwy 6 at north end of Bishop and go 3 miles north. You will find Laws on the East side of Hwy 6.

Mountain Biking
Follow West Line St. to the Buttermilks 6 miles west of town.

World Class Trout Fishing
Follow West Line St. (SR 168) 12 miles to Bishop Creek Canyon or East Line St. 3 miles to the Owens River.

Walking Tour of Murals and Galleries
Visit the Bishop Visitors Center or click here for a map of the walking tour of 15 striking murals that depict Owens Valley History and Culture.

Motor Touring
Bishop Creek to the Volcanic tablelands, plus more. Pick up your Motor Touring Guide at the Bishop Visitor Center or order by email here.

Recreational Walking
Take a leisurely walk at the City park or adventure to the scenic rural countryside of the Bishop area.

Birding
Wonderful birding locations, start at the Bishop Visitors Center on Main Street located at the City Park. Pick up your Birding Guide today!

Golf
18 hole Golf course open year round, located on Hwy 395 at the south end of Bishop Call 872-5411 for tee time.

Photography
Watch the sunset or explore the natural beauty of the High Sierra. Best photo times are early morning and just before sunset. Don’t forget to visit our galleries.

Volcanic Tablelands – Ancient Indian Petroglyphs
Ancient Indian petroglyphs (rock carvings) and rare pupfish at the Volcanic Tablelands & Fish Slough just north of Bishop.

Half Day Adventures: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Many folks visit regularly and spend time enjoying a specific activity and going to special places that they know and love. Many more are travelers who pass through Bishop on their way through this majestic landscape. At times, whether you’re a regular visitor or a traveler, you might find yourself in Bishop with a morning or an afternoon to yourself and wonder, “What should I do?”

Since we don’t know when those days will present themselves to you, we’ve created four short adventure possibilities – one for each season. And you get to try four fantastic experiences that could be the start of a beautiful relationship with our big backyard.

Click on our 4 Hour Adventure blog post here to find out what to do, how to get there, and the best time of day for it!

1-Day Adventures: Any of the above, plus...

Day Hikes
Go West on Hwy 168 from downtown Bishop and drive 16 miles to various trails leading to high alpine lakes and streams in the John Muir Wilderness.

Rock climbing Happy & Sad Boulders
Go north from Bishop to the Chalk Bluffs via Hwy. 6 or take the Pleasant Valley Reservoir Road off Hwy. 395. A climber’s paradise awaits.

Fishing and hiking the lakes along Bishop Creek
Go west on Highway 168 from downtown Bishop and drive 16 miles to Bishop Creek Canyon. Beautiful high alpine lakes, streams and majestic scenery galore.

Trip to hot springs or just a relaxing massage
Head south on Hwy. 395 from Bishop to Keough Hot Springs or call Celina Hunt at 872-3548 for an appt.

Horseback Riding
Take a ride and see the great Eastern Sierra on Horseback. Click here for info.

Motor Touring
Pick up your Motor Touring Guide at the Bishop Visitor Center. 760-873-8405

1-Day Adventure: Valentine's Day
VALENTINE’S DAY ITINERARY

Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love. Especially the love shared with a cherished partner. It’s a day to set aside time to spend with your partner and indulge a little, or a lot, in things that make you both happy.

Bishop offers a unique experience for locals and visitors from near and far a chance to reconnect. It’s a wintertime playground for lovers of all ages and abilities to connect, not only with each other but with nature. You may have time to plan a whole day’s worth of places to go, activities to do, food to eat, things to see, and objects to buy. But most of all, it’s a day to spend some time with each other.

Here’s a smorgasbord of Valentine’s treats that you can choose from. We’ve put together a full-day itinerary for leisurely lovers and amorous adventurers of food, activity, relaxation, and gift-giving. Do all, part, or mix and match from these suggestions to enjoy this special day with someone special.

Click on the this link to see what you could do!

Photo: Owens Valley Distilling Company
2-Day Adventure: 2 Days. 2 Nights. 20 Iconic Images

 

The Eastern Sierra is one of the most photographed regions in California. It’s a land of contrasts and opportunity. There are obvious and well-known scenes and settings, and there are hidden gems. If a photograph is worth a thousand words, here’s a challenge to create a visual story worth 20,000 words.

It’s a whirlwind auto tour to witness and document our beautiful big backyard. From the highest point on the continental USA, to the oldest living things on earth, to remarkable reminders of lives lived in a bygone era, to the power and grace of our natural world – make brief moments last forever with iconic images of this diverse landscape and the stories they tell.

This is a two-day, two-night suggested itinerary for adventurous souls to follow a recommended route to unlock the magic of the Eastern Sierra in summertime. Our challenge to you is #2days20photos.

Take a look at the full 2 Days. 2 Nights. 20 Iconic Images. itinerary here.

Photo: @mspiraino
2-Day Adventures: Any of the above, plus...

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
From Bishop, go south on 395 for 15 mi. Take 168 west at Big Pine for 26 miles. Return to Bishop in time for dinner.

Year Round fishing on the Lower Owens River and Pleasant Valley Reservoir
Just travel north of Bishop to the reservoir or north & east to lower Owens River.

Dining
Select from our fine selection of dining locations on page 61 of this guide.

Antiques and History
Shop the many antique shops and explore the historical sites of Bishop.

Camping
Fantastic high country and winter valley locations for your camping adventure.

Pack Trip
Spend a couple days or more on adventure of a life =time, click here for more complete pack trip information.

3-Day Adventures: Must See Locations

STAY IN BISHOP; EXPERIENCE THE EASTERN SIERRA

Bishop Creek Canyon
Go West on Hwy 168 from downtown Bishop and drive 16 miles to beautiful high country adventures.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
Oldest living trees in the world. From Bishop, go south on 395 for 15 mi. Take 168 west at Big Pine for 26 miles. Return to Bishop in time for dinner.

Death Valley National Park
An epic 3-Day Death Valley Tour written by Katherine Belarmino

Volcanic Tablelands – Ancient Indian Petroglyphs
Ancient Indian petroglyphs (rock carvings) and rare pupfish at the Volcanic Tablelands & Fish Slough just north of Bishop.

Lower Owens River
Fish, float or photograph the scenic river

Rock Creek Canyon
Spectacular mountain setting and recreation area

Backpacking
Go West on Hwy 168 from downtown Bishop and drive 16 miles to Paiute Pass & Bishop Pass, trailheads leading to the spectacular John Muir Trail.

Devils Postpile Nat’l Monument
Devils Postpile & Rainbow Falls, Mammoth Lakes area just 35 minutes north of Bishop.

Eastern California Museum
The cultural history of the Eastern High Sierra is located in Independence, just 47 miles south of Bishop.

4-Day Adventure: Women's Winter Weekend

When it’s time to get the girlfriends together for a long weekend of play and pampering, head for the hills. The mountains … actually!

Bishop, California is located in the heart of the Eastern Sierra in a deep valley known as the Owens Valley. It is bounded to two magnificent mountain ranges, the Sierra Nevada and the White and Inyo Mountains. We call this incredible space in and around our sweet town our ‘big backyard’ and there is so much to do here that you’ll want to come every season.

A winter weekend getaway is wildly wonderful here and we suggest you reward yourself with 4 days from Thursday through Sunday. Here’s what we suggest you do to get a good deal of recreation and relaxation.

Take a look at the full Women’s Winter Weekend itinerary here.

Photo: @davidvonnegutchambers
5-Day Adventure: Family Winter Vacation

Bishop in winter offers the perfect family getaway. Get out of the big city and into the mountains where the snowy peaks rise up on either side of this broad, beautiful valley. We’ve created a suggested 5-Day adventure itinerary so you don’t need to figure it out. Just follow the links in our blog and make your bookings for your 5 days of fun.

Take a look at the full Family Winter Vacation itinerary here.

Photo: @parentsthatrock

Images via Instagram & Facebook. Make sure you tag your photos #VisitBishop so we can find them!

Day Trip Destinations – Use Bishop as your Basecamp