Inyo National Forest - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

The Buttermilks, is a well known bouldering destination near Bishop, California. It comprises the western edge of the Owens Valley, in the eastern foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The boulders in the Buttermilks are glacial erratics, meaning they don't match the rest of the rock found in the area because they were carried by glaciers from far away.

The Laws Railroad Museum and Historic Site includes static displays of a train consisting of an oil-fired steam locomotive, Southern Pacific 9, and several freight cars from the Southern Pacific Railroad's 3 ft narrow gauge lines. There are also operating locomotives that run on the narrow gauge tracks in the museum's grounds. The museum's display explains that the railroad was relied on by many Eastern Sierra communities before modern roads were built during the 1950s and 1960s.

North Lake Campground is situated among the trees and adjacent to the north fork of Bishop Creek. It is a lovely campground - all 11 campsites have shade among the tall Jeffery and Lodgepole pines. Three of the sites are very short walk-in's. The remainder have small parking spots at the sites. The road to North Lke is partially paved and partially gravel and is narrow and winding.

Mt. Tom is the immense, good-looking peak just west-northwest of Bishop. It is situated right on the eastern edge of the Sierra crest, allowing for a very large vertical relief. It is a popular back-country ski descent in the Spring years when there is enough snow. Elderberry canyon is the most popular ski descent. It is 7000 vertical feet of skiing and is steeper towards to summit.

A beautiful lake created by damming the middle fork of Bishop Creek in the Inyo National Forest. The dam was built in 1907–8 to supply a constant flow of water to the hydraulic power plants. The lake is part of the Bishop Creek system. It is one of the iconic tourist destination for a camping and also there are so many other interesting leisure opportunities too.

This Trailhead offers fantastic views nearly all the way, six lakes together with many ponds, streams and floral meadows, and ending by traversing a rocky slope above the final lake and climbing steeply to a saddle along the Sierra Crest at 11,972 feet. The hike begins at South Lake, reached by a paved road off Hwy 168, so the easy access, the relatively gentle elevation gain and the route to the Kings Canyon backcountry with the incredible scenery make the route often relatively busy.