Fossil Falls - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Inyo National Forest is a hidden gem waiting to be explored. With over two million acres of land, this forest is home to some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes in the state. From snow-capped mountains to lush green forests, Inyo has something for everyone. If you're looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life or just looking for a weekend adventure, this forest is the perfect place. And let me tell you, the hiking trails here are not for the faint of heart.

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.

A beautiful waterfall of greenery located on the west edge of the Death Valley desert.The falls are located in a small, narrow valley near Panamint Valley. Access to the trail to Darwin Falls is a dirt road located on the south side of State Route 190, approximately .25 miles west of Panamint Springs. Darwin Falls and Creek are fed by the Darwin Wash, which is in turn fed by the volcanic tableland of the Darwin Bench between the Inyo Mountains and the Argus Range.

Rainbow Canyon is a valley in Inyo County and has an elevation of 1854 feet. It is commonly used by the United States Air Force and Navy for fighter jet training and is frequented by photographers who, from the canyon rim, are able to photograph jets flying beneath them.

The Panamint Valley is a north-south, 65 mile long and 10 mile wide basin formed between the Argus and Slate ranges along the west, and the Panamint Range on the eastern side. The valley is approximately 65 miles in length, and is more than 10 miles wide in the Hall Canyon area.

The Trona Pinnacles are a unique geological features in the California Desert Conservation Area. The unusual landscape consists of more than 500 tufa spires, some as high as 140 feet, rising from the bed of the Searles Dry Lake basin. The Trona Pinnacles were designated a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1968 to preserve one of North America’s most outstanding examples of tufa tower formation.