Volcanic Tablelands
Rising 300-feet high for over 5-miles across the valley floor north of Bishop is Chalk Bluff. This scarp forms the cliff edge of the Volcanic Tablelands formed 760,000 years ago from a pyroclastic flow that cooled and hardened following a massive explosion that produced one of Earth’s largest calderas, the Long Valley Caldera.
This rock known as Bishop Tuff has been sculpted, cracked and pockmarked to provide an endless variety of bouldering opportunities with numerous washes filled with perfect boulders and low canyon walls. Roads and trails on the tablelands are superb for biking and trail running.
The vastness of this plateau offers one of the most expansive views of the night sky in the area. The low light pollution, clear air, and very few cloudy nights in the Owens Valley makes it perfect for stargazing. Summer is the very best season to see the magnificent canopy of stars and a creamy Milky Way.
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