LISTEN -PODCAST “Let’s Monkey Around” by Rick Saez
Bishop California sits in the Owens Valley, right in the heart of the Eastern Sierra with the Sierra Nevada rising to the west and the White Mountains to the east. It’s a place where landscape sets the pace. You roll into town, grab a coffee, check the wind, the light, the weather, and then decide where the day takes you. This is a true base camp town for fly fishing, the Owens River and Hot Creek, to bouldering at the Buttermilks, hiking high country trails, or just wandering dirt roads into wide open country.
Bishop puts real adventure within minutes of downtown. I wanna pause here for a minute because Bishop isn’t just a destination to me. My grandfather lived here, and some of my earliest outdoor lessons happened in this valley. He taught me how to fish and hunt. Sure. But more than that, he taught me how to pay attention. We spent a lot of time what he called monkeying around, driving the dirt roads around Bishop in Owens Valley, pulling over when something caught our eye, wandering into canyons, riverbanks, and open spaces with no real plan other than curiosity. That’s where I learned that the outdoors isn’t about taking off accomplishments.
It’s about exploration, about learning a place slowly, about letting landscapes teach you something if you give them the time. Every time I come back to Bishop, that feeling comes right back, and that’s what Bishop still offers. It’s a place shaped by public lands, ranching history, and the living presence of the Bishop Paiute tribe, whose deep connection to this valley continues to influence how the land is respected and cared for today.
The town hasn’t been overbuilt or overpolished, and that’s exactly why it works. Bishop attracts people who don’t need to be entertained. They just need access, space, and a sense of place. Here. Morning, start with Al Glow on granite peaks and a cup of coffee. Days are spent fishing, climbing, hiking, or exploring back roads, evenings are slow, way down, good food, quiet conversations, and skies. Dark enough to remind you how small you are.
Bishop understands balance, adventure, rest, and access preservation. Solitude and community. Bishop isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about remembering why you fell in love with the outdoors in the first place. Bishop California base camp to the Eastern Sierra. Start planning your trip at bishopvisitor.com, and when you get there . . . do what my grandfather taught me. Take the long way, pull over often, and don’t be afraid to just monkey around.
