From the city of Independence to the town of Mammoth Lakes, with Bishop midway between you’ll find pancake breakfasts, parades, free fishing, free swimming, train rides, a running race, baseball, volleyball, bocce, free watermelon, pie and ice cream, arts and crafts fairs, and of course fireworks – lots and lots of fireworks!
Here’s a great guide to a great time in the Eastern Sierra around the Independence Day holiday.
Updated 5-26-2023 Spring has sprung in the Owens Valley. Owens River Gorge will be closed for three weeks for springtime riparian flows from June 6 to June 25, 2023. DWP has set up a 2023 runoff site at https://ladwpeasternsierra.com/runoff2023 to monitor this year’s snow runoff.
Regardless if you’re an adrenaline junkie, a history buff, or just a nature lover, Bishop and the Eastern Sierra has something for you. Take yourselves on this journey of E.S.T. – the highest, lowest, hottest, oldest, saltiest, rockiest, earliest, purest, strangest, loneliest, and wildest 555-Mile Road Trip of the Eastern Sierra.
From the peak of Mount Whitney to the depths of Death Valley—that’s how many options there are for things to do near Bishop, California. If that’s a bit extreme, here are a few more ideas: birding and fishing, cool rocks and hot springs, 4-wheel drive and all-star skies. Written by Visit USA Parks. Story also available in French and German.
Known as the Pipeline, the run actually spends very little mileage beside the prominent water pipeline. The route makes up a section of the Bishop High Sierra Ultras on a combination of dirt roads and trails, and takes you through some diverse landscapes; from Bishop sage to burns, old growth and high tundra terrain.
The trail angles evenly uphill for 4.5 miles where it meets Lower Rock Creek Road. Turn around and come right back down, or if you’d like a longer run, the trail continues up to Whisky Canyon and the top of the Sherwin Grade.
The lakes really steal the show. South Lake to start, and then Bull, Chocolate, Ruwau, and Long Lakes along the loop. Chocolate Peak itself is a sight with its unusual chocolatey-brown color surrounded by the more typical gray granite. From the top you’ve got a fantastic view of Cloudripper, Picture Puzzle, Mount Goode, Hurd Peak, and down on all those lakes.
Enjoy the mellow lake views, the playful running back down through the forest, and winding along the Rainbow Pack Station Trail to where you started.
Bishop may be high desert, but its littlest residents are the reason why it’s home to world-class fly fishing. Artificial flies or fly lures used in angling are an imitation of the aquatic insects that are the natural food of trout and other species. So, let’s take a magnified look at the dragon flies and butterflies that you’ll see in our big backyard.
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