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Tungsten City Running Loop

Tungsten City Running Loop

The Tungsten Hills sit directly beneath the Sierra skyline towering above Bishop. The rocky mounds are webbed with trails and OHV roads. With plenty of options, it’s a playground for winter trail running. This Tungsten City Loop is a 4 mile run that gets you close to the big mountains with no shortage of additional miles if you desire a longer run.

Never Stop Looking Up – Owens Valley Radio Observatory

Never Stop Looking Up – Owens Valley Radio Observatory

Have you ever wondered where the giant radio telescopes in the 1996 movie The Arrival are located? Well, it’s HERE in Bishop’s Big Backyard at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory or OVRO for short. It’s also where Jodie Foster’s character Dr. Eleanor...
Rossi Hill Run

Rossi Hill Run

Less than five minutes from downtown Bishop, Rossi Hill is the quickest access to trails through Bishop’s sage and granite boulders. This 5.75 mile run serves as an ideal introduction to the Bishop winter landscape. Close to town, but within a warm-up jog, you’ll feel somewhere much further away.

Journey to Manzanar

Journey to Manzanar

When talking about California’s history, the Gold Rush casts a mighty big shadow and rightly so. It caused the biggest migration and brought wealth to the Golden State. The topography also showcases our natural history. And yet one piece of tragic history is sadly...
Lower Rock Creek Trailrun

Lower Rock Creek Trailrun

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.

It’s A Bug’s Life – Microscopic View Of Bishop’s Tiniest Denizens

It’s A Bug’s Life – Microscopic View Of Bishop’s Tiniest Denizens

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.

Give The Gift Of Birding

Give The Gift Of Birding

When I was a kid, I still remember trips to my grandparents’ lakeside cabin. My grandfather would sit out on the porch looking at all the birds flying around their bird feeder. And next to him, a handy Smithsonian Handbooks: Birds of America. Suddenly a big smile...

Tips On What To Pack For A Highway 395 Road Trip

Even if your destination is the same, road trips are like snowflakes. No two are alike. This is especially true when it includes exploring Highway 395. Located just east of the mighty Sierra, it follows these mighty peaks rewarding you with vistas and views you won’t...
Life Is Better At Sierra Lakes – 5 You Must Hike To This Summer

Life Is Better At Sierra Lakes – 5 You Must Hike To This Summer

When you go out for a hike, it’s nice to have a goal and one of the easiest is to visit a lake. There’s something about an alpine lake with no road access that makes them enchanting. Maybe it’s the price of admission that you need to walk to see them. Or that...
Celebrate Mother’s Day In Bishop’s Big Backyard

Celebrate Mother’s Day In Bishop’s Big Backyard

Don’t buy another box of chocolates and skip the flowers. So, what should you get Mom on Mother’s Day that she’ll cherish more than anything? Spending time with her family! Make it a full day of fun or better yet a weekend of activities that she’ll remember forever....
For What It’s “Earth” – Happy Earth Day To Our Planet!

For What It’s “Earth” – Happy Earth Day To Our Planet!

Back on April 22nd, 1970, the very first Earth Day was celebrated as “May Day.” For those around back then, you’ll remember the environment wasn’t even a talking point. A senator from Wisconsin by the name of Gaylord Nelson was so disturbed by this that he...
Connection

Connection

We’re driving home. The hills roll out before me, Mono Lake glistens in the distance, a light dusting of snow splatters the tops of the mountains that define the landscape. This drive, this view, is always a little different, but today it feels like something entirely new. I’ve just learned more about the landscape and begun to understand the science behind it. What I used to look at and think of as hills, are now the lateral and terminal moraines of massive glaciers that stretched from Yosemite into Mono Lake. The sudden rise of the Sierra comes from faulting, the erratic boulders are from ancient massive glaciers, the Bishop Tuft is from one of the most immense recorded volcanic explosions. All the little pieces of a view I see so often, come into focus with entire histories behind them. 

Things To Do In Bishop CA In January AKA Juneuary

Things To Do In Bishop CA In January AKA Juneuary

The best things to do in Bishop CA in January translates to ALL season fun. Or as we like to call it, “Juneuary” is your chance to have your cake and eat it too in a mountain getaway. Be it snow-free or an all-weather variety vacation, Bishop’s big backyard is THE place to visit in winter.

Relax And Unwind… You’re On Al Fresco Time

Relax And Unwind… You’re On Al Fresco Time

Enjoy outdoor dining in Bishop, CA. Here are some breakfast, lunch and dinner suggestions. Bishop’s motto is a “small town with a big backyard.” And what do you need to go along with a fun backyard? A patio to celebrate your day of adventuring with a cold pint of local brew!

A World of Good Food in the Eastern Sierra

A World of Good Food in the Eastern Sierra

Good food prepares us, recharges us, and connects us with our family, friends and a community. Bishop is the “small town with a big backyard” and it also has a pretty impressive kitchen. Actually, we have lots of kitchens and they belong to the many excellent restaurants in and around town. Whether you’re a connoisseur or just plain hungry there’s a world of good food here with a variety and quality that’s a delicious complement to our beautiful backyard.

The Weird and Wonderful Side of California

The Weird and Wonderful Side of California

Road Trip! Pick your path along US Highway 395, from Los Angeles to Bishop and little beyond, where you will see some of the most curious, grotesque, mysterious and awe-inspiring features of nature and feats of humankind. The Eastern Sierra is often referred to as “the other side of California,” and these places might also make it “the weird side of California.”

Activities During Inyo National Forest Closure

Activities During Inyo National Forest Closure

The following represents options to give guests when the Inyo National Forest is closed to visitor use.   The list below describes alternative outdoor opportunities which and indoor use when the wind shifts and is too smoky to be outdoors due to wildfire activity.  In...
Waterfalls of the Eastern Sierra

Waterfalls of the Eastern Sierra

The sound and scene of flowing water, particularly when it’s falling over a rocky cliff or cascading down a rocky chute, instills a sense of wonder and peace. We’ve created an extensive guide to show where each of the noteworthy falls is located and how best to see, photograph, and get near them. Some of our beautiful falls can be seen from vista points along mountain roads that will take you well into the alpine and sub-alpine regions of the Sierra Nevada. Many more can only be seen from hiking trails within our national forest and wilderness areas. A visit to a wild and scenic waterfall in the Sierra Nevada is an extraordinary experience.

How a Small Town Survives a Pandemic

How a Small Town Survives a Pandemic

On a windy February evening, Lauren Robinson and I donned our winter hats and took a walk on the canals. Lauren is the owner of Sierra Shanti, Bishop’s very own yoga and wellness studio. I’ve been taking classes at Sierra Shanti since it opened in 2013. When classes went online at the start of the first shutdown, I found solace in a familiar ritual. While the cows milled around us and the sun set behind the Sierra, Lauren told me what it’s been like keeping her business afloat, and what the future holds for Sierra Shanti.

Up and Down California in 1860-1864

Up and Down California in 1860-1864

The Sierra Nevada catches all the rains and clouds from the west—to the east are deserts—so, of course, this valley sees but little rain, but where streams come down from the Sierra they spread out and great meadows of green grass occur. Tens of thousands of the starving cattle of the state have been driven in here this year, and there is feed for twice as many more. Yet these meadows comprise not over one-tenth of the valley—the rest is desert. At the base of the mountains, on either side, the land slopes gradually up as if to meet them. This slope is desert, sand, covered with boulders, and supporting a growth of desert shrub

FREE INFORMATION GUIDE

Bishop Visitor Guide

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