Scenic 395 - The Official Guide 2026

36 2026 Scenic 395 Bishop Need Health during your stay? Care Northern Inyo Healthcare District o ers comprehensive Emergency and Same Day Services to ensure you get the care you need, when you need it. Our expert team is here 24/7 for emergencies, from minor to critical, and we also provide same-day appointments for non-emergencies. Visit us today or call for more information: 24/7 Emergency | 760.873.5811 150 Pioneer Lane, Bishop Same Day Care | 760.873.2849 Monday-Saturday, 8 am to 6 pm www.NIH.org | Stay in touch Full Service Facility Driving Range 18 Hole Championship Course 19th Hole Bar & Grill Serving breakfast and lunch OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 1325 US Hwy 395, Bishop, CA 93514 (760) 873-5828 bishopcountryclub.com 2300West Line St. • Bishop, CA 760-873-8844 MUSEUM • NATIVE GARDEN • GIFT SHOP LOCAL NATIVE AMERICAN CRAFTS PublicWelcome Admission by Donation Open Year Round Hours of Operation: Winter (Oct.-Mar.) Tues-Sat 10am to 4pm Summer (Apr.-Sept.) Tues-Sun 10 am to 6pm www.bishoppaiutetribe.com/culturalcenter 124 S Main St, Bishop, CA, California (760) 873-4511 Hours: Monday-Wednesday 9AM - 4PM Thursday-Saturday 9AM - 5PM Sunday 10AM - 2PM Further north, high in the InyoMoun- tains, the Charcoal Kilns are another testament to human ingenuity. During the 1860s and 1870s, Cerro Gordo was California’s most prosperous mine for silver and lead. When lumber in the nearby mountains was denuded, a quality fuel for the smelters was urgently needed. Kilns were built near the shores of Owens Lake and Cottonwood Creek to ‘cook’ wood into charcoal. The charcoal was then transported across the lake on steamboats and hauled up the mountain to the Cerro Gordo smelters. These 25-foot wide, plas- ter-covered clay brick structures stand as an eerie reminder of a vastly different economic and environmental era. History, Humor, and the Macabre Some of the area’s strangest stories are housed in its museums. The Coyote Teeth Dentures, on display at the Eastern Cali- fornia Museum in Independence, tell the macabre tale of a man who, around 1930, found himself toothless and unable or unwilling to see a distant dentist. He fash- ioned a set of dentures by melting celluloid from toothbrush handles, molding it to his gums, and pressing in the yellowed teeth of a dead coyote. The result is a gruesome yet ironically creative artifact. The Laws RailroadMuseum and Histor- ical Site displays another strange exhibit, the Two-Headed Lamb. Around 1940, conjoined twin lambs were born on a farm northwest of Bishop. Though often called the “two-headed lamb” they were joined at the neck, and each had a complete body and head. After the lambs lived for a short time, the farmer’s son stuffed them for posterity. In Lee Vining, the Upside-Down House — a tourist attraction built by former silent film star and wilderness guide Nellie Bly O’Bryan in 1956— is a weirdly won- derful exhibit at the Mono Basin History Museum. The restored house now features prominently in the museum’s collection. Geological Wonders and Strange Phe- nomena The natural attractions along US-395 are equally compelling. Fossil Falls is a geological wonder, though water seldom falls here. This surreal canyon of basal- tic black lava rock has been beautifully sculpted by eons of rushing water from a prehistoric age. The rock is smooth and shiny, starkly different from the sur- rounding landscape, and is evidence of a much wetter time in the valley’s past. An exceptional set of circumstances due to an artificially created reservoir has resulted in exposing a fascinating and unique natural feature that was obscured for thousands of years under the earth. The Crowley Lake Columns were slowly unmasked by the powerful waves of the lake pummeling the softer rock of the cliffs. They appear as if an alien life form is growing out of the sand and creating a dark labyrinth into which one might just disappear … forever. Near MammothMountain, the Devils Postpile National Monument protects an enormous formation of columnar basalt. About 100,000 years ago, hot, basaltic Continued from Page 35 Weird The Crowley Lake Columns. Courtesy Photo