"Bishop - Portal to the Outdoors" a Bishop Travel Page by mtncorg

Bishop is a pleasant town, the largest in the Eastern Sierra region except for winter weekend's when Mammoth Lakes rushes to grab the honors. The town, to the traveller, is full of gas stations, motels and restaurants - both fast and otherwise. It lies at the terminus of US Route 6, but most traffic is north-south on US 395. There is a small native Indian reservation on the western edge of town with its obligatory gambling casino. The town is set deep in the Owens Valley, surrounded by the high Sierran eastern wall on the west and the dry, but equally high, White Mountain range to the east. There is a little train museum just outside of town, but most people are heading to the wilds high in the surrounding mountains. The majority head up California route 168 to the lakes and trails emanating from North, South and Sabrina Lake roadends. Others will drive up into the White Mountains, in search of the oldest trees in the world, the bristlecone pine - over 4000 years old. Note that when driving up to the Whites you are starting from 4000 feet and going to over 11000 feet at the farthest bristlecone grove.