20 Attractions to Explore Near Mount Whitney

Built in 1909, the three room, granite shelter was constructed not only to give hikers a safe haven from the storms, but also to act as housing for scientists camped out on the summit to study altitude, a very intriguing subject at a time when high altitude flight was just on the horizon. It is the highest permanent building in the Contiguous United States.

Mount Muir is a peak in the Sierra Nevada of California, 0.95 miles south of Mount Whitney. This 14,018-foot peak is named in honor of Scottish-born John Muir, a famous geologist, conservationist and founder of the Sierra Club. Among mountain climbers, a peak needs to meet certain criteria in order to be included in some lists. To be listed as an independent peak a summit must have 300 feet of clean prominence.

Lone Pine Lake is located in the Inyo National Forest in Southern California and makes for a perfect day hike to explore the Eastern Sierra's. This lake sits on a ridge above Whitney Portal. Once you get there, take your time and enjoy the lake and its majestic surrounding, which includes huge boulders, sheer granite cliffs, and evergreens.

Lone Pine Peak is located on the east side of the Sierra Nevada range just west of the town of Lone Pine, California in Inyo County, in eastern California in the southwestern United States. The summit marks the eastern boundary of the John Muir Wilderness in the Inyo National Forest. Lone Pine Peak is the mountain in the photo for the default desktop of macOS Sierra.

Mount Williamson is one of the great peaks of the Sierra Nevada. It is truly awe-inspiring: rising 9,000 ft from the Owens Valley. It is the second-highest mountain in both the Sierra Nevada range and the state of California, and the sixth-highest peak in the contiguous United States. The standard ascent route is the West Side Route, accessed from Shepherd's Pass. From the pass, one travels across the Williamson Bowl, which lies between Mount Williamson and Mount Tyndall.

Mount Tyndall is a peak in the Mount Whitney region of the Sierra Nevada in the U.S. state of California. At 14,025 feet, it is the tenth highest peak in the state. The easiest route on Mount Tyndall in terms of access and climbing is the Northwest Ridge, which involves an easy scramble. It begins about one half mile west of Shepherd Pass and about 1 mile north of the peak. The mountain was named in honor of the Irish scientist and mountaineer, John Tyndall.

Whitney Portal Road is a short but spectacular drive that takes you about halfway up Mount Whitney, located in Inyo County, in the eastern central part of California, in USA. It's the highest summit in the contiguous United States with an elevation of 4.421m above the sea levelIt is also the trailhead for mountaineering routes such as the East Face, first climbed in 1931, and the Mountaineer's Route, first climbed by John Muir in 1873.

Horseshoe Meadow is a vast 10,000 foot high meadow, surrounded by lodgepole pine forest. Getting there is an adventure in itself. Located at about 10,000 feet altitude it is a central hub for many day- and back-backing trips. A network of trails leads into the Golden Trout Wilderness or north into the John Muir Wilderness. Its easy access by the Horseshoe Meadow Road from Owens Valley contributes to the popularity of this area.

World War II American concentration camp where more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated.

The Museum of Western Film History collects, preserves and exhibits a broad and diverse collection of western film memorabilia. The museums honors the men and women of the silver screen who interpret the lives of the American Cowboy. The museum thus teaches us how to see both time and space in new ways — ways that blend the past, the present, and the future through tangible objects and material geographies.

This unique facility is operated by federal, state and local governmental agencies. It provides a regional orientation and information program to visitors from around the globe traveling to the Eastern Sierra Nevada, and Northern Mojave Desert. A wealth of world-class visitor destinations, are ready and waiting for exploration. At this location, one can view the highest peak in the “lower 48 states” - Mt Whitney - or plan a trip to the largest national park in the “lower 48 states.

Owens Lake is a dry lake at the terminus of the Owens River just west of Death Valley and on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. It is the largest single source of dust pollution in the United States. The lake was the epicenter of a magnitude 5.8 earthquake that occurred on June 24, 2020.The lake is currently a large salt flat whose surface is made of a mixture of clay, sand, and a variety of minerals including halite, burkeite, mirabilite, thenardite, and trona.

This sprawling, 1.9 million-acre forest is a nature lover's dream come true. From snow-capped peaks to crystal-clear lakes, Inyo National Forest has something for everyone. Whether you're an avid hiker, a seasoned angler, or simply someone who enjoys the great outdoors, you won't be disappointed by what this forest has to offer. And let's not forget the wildlife! From majestic elk to elusive mountain lions, Inyo National Forest is home to some of the most impressive creatures in the country.

Saline Valley is a large, deep, and arid graben, about 27 miles in length, in the northern Mojave Desert of California, a narrow, northwest–southeast-trending tectonic sink defined by fault-block mountains. The west end of the lake supports a salt marsh, which contains a variety of plant and animal life. The marsh is fed by a perennial stream from Hunter Canyon. North of the lake is a large area of low and sweeping sand dunes.

A beautiful and risky mountain pass in the southern Sierra Nevada, California on the border of the Inyo National Forest. The pass is reachable from the east via a long, strenuous hike from the desert floor of the Owens Valley. On the west, it connects to the Pacific Crest Trail/John Muir Trail in the National Park. It is one of the more difficult east side passes in the Sierra-Nevada Mountains range, partly due to the low starting elevation of the Owens Valley Trailhead.

Split Mountain is a fourteener in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California, near the southeast end of the Palisades group of peaks. It is the only fourteener in the watershed of the South Fork Kings River, and rises to 14,064 ft , making it the eighth-highest peak in the state.Split Mountain is one of the easier California fourteeners to climb.

Middle Palisade is a peak in the Palisades group, part of the central Sierra Nevada mountain range in the U.S. state of California. It is the twelfth highest peak in the state.Several routes involving exposed scrambling class 3 and/or easy technical rock climbing exist on the various flanks of Middle Palisade. Some routes involve travel on the Middle Palisade Glacier.

These are a group of peaks in the central part of the Sierra Nevada in the U.S. state of California. The peaks in the group are particularly steep, rugged peaks and "contain the finest alpine climbing in California. It spans from Taboose Pass south of Cardinal Mountain to Bishop Pass north of Mount Agassiz. Much of the west side of the range is only accessible by cross-country hiking.

Thunderbolt Peak is a peak in the Palisades group of peaks in the Sierra Nevada in the U.S. state of California. It rises to 14,009 feet and could be considered the thirteenth-highest peak in the state, but since the peak has less than 300 feet of prominence it is usually considered a subsidiary peak of North Palis.