Inyo County Visitors Guide - 11th Edition

22 INYO COUNTY • 11th Edition D arwin – Stop in Darwin and you won’t find any services, just a rich his- tory, a hearty group of year-round res- idents and nearby Darwin Falls which begins as an underground spring that rises to the surface, spills over the falls and travels for a few hundred feet before disappearing again. Poke around Darwin and you’ll find old mines off dirt roads leading from Ca- 190. EASTERN SIERRA M t . w hitney – On the east side of the Great western Divide, Mt. whitney stands 14,508 ft., the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. hik- ers reach the summit through whitney Portal, 13 miles west of Lone Pine. it’s a 10.7 mile hike and requires plan- ning, a wilderness permit and careful attention to advisories regarding the precautions of hiking at high altitudes, obtained within the eastern Sierra in- teragency Visitor’s Center, south of Lone Pine. P aLiSaDe G LaCier – the southern- most glacier in the U.S. and the largest in the Sierra nevada is located west of Big Pine and is visible from U.S. 395. the glacier sits at the base of Palisade Crest in the north Fork Basin. the scenery attracts hikers to trails that follow the ancient glacier. r OCk C reek C anyOn – Between Bishop and Mammoth Lakes is pic- ture-perfect rock Creek Canyon. rugged eastern Sierra sawtooth peaks rise above emerald meadows, populated with fluttering aspens and cut my meandering clear streams. i nyO n atiOnaL F OreSt anD the J Ohn M Uir w iLDerneSS – For com- plete retreat, backpack or take a mule pack trip to the high country, to dozens upon dozens of remote glass- ine lakes with romantic names like Lake helen of troy, elinore Lake, Moonlight Lake and the treasure Lakes. you will understand why John Muir wrote, “Climb the mountains, and get their good tidings.” Few experi- ences are as emotionally satiating as being in the rarified air of the eastern high Sierra in settings whose beauty defy description. S ierra B iGhOrn S heeP - three subspecies of bighorn sheep live in the United States. you can see two of them within minutes of one another in inyo County, California. Sierra Bighorn can be seen in eastern Sierra canyons. From U.S. 395, north of Bishop, follow Pine Creek road through round Valley. in the last cou- ple of miles before the road ends, look up to the north to see the buff- colored coats of the Sierra Bighorn Sheep as they graze among pines and brush. you will be surprised how well they blend into the landscape and how difficult it is, at first, to see them. with practice, it becomes eas- ier. there are no formal tours to see the bighorn, however the Bishop of- fice of the California Department of Fish and Game can explain how best to see the elusive bighorns. Some tips: the Bighorn will not let you get closer than a couple of hundred yards, so bring powerful binoculars or a camera with a telephoto lens and enjoy seeing them from a distance. WHITE MOUNTAINS a nCient B riStLeCOne F OreSt – thirty-six miles east of Big Pine in the white Mountains at elevations over 9,000 ft grow the oldest living trees. the oldest of them, Mehtuselah, is es- timated to be nearly 4,800 years old. Several groves of the venerable trees can be seen. exhibits at the visitor center at Schulman Grove describe the trees. From Big Pine, travel east on Ca-168 to the ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Scenic Byway. Continued from page 21 Where to explore, recreate and be amazed in Inyo County