Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

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.

Inyo National Forest is located in California's beautiful Eastern Sierra. It offers clean air, crystal blue skies, mountain lakes and streams, challenging trails, high mountain peaks, and beautiful views. The forest hosts several superlatives, including Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States; Boundary Peak, the highest point in Nevada; and the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, which protects the oldest living trees in the world.

Big Pine Creek is a 12.1-mile-long stream in Inyo County of eastern California, in the western United States. It flows from the eastern Sierra Nevada down to the Owens Valley, where it is a major tributary of the Owens River near Big Pine. The canal provides water to the Big Pine area for irrigation, recreation and groundwater recharge. There are no storage dams or reservoirs.

The Big Pine Creek North Fork Trail will lead you to one of Southern California's most colorful gems - the glacier fed, turquoise colored Big Pine Lakes. This is a very popular area for backpacking, camping, and fishing, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. There are 7 Big Pine Lakes, numbered sequentially. For this hike, we only visited the first three, as snow and ice were blocking the trail for lakes 4-7.

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.

Big Pine Lakes is located in the heart of the Eastern Sierras of California. It is roughly 10 miles west of of Big Pine and around 15 miles south of Bishop. Whether you are day hiking or backpacking Big Pine Lakes, the view once you reach the glacial lakes will take your breath away. This hike is one of the biggest bucket list hikes in California that must be done if you are an avid hiker and outdoor adventurer.