Bishop, CA Outdoor Paradise

Bishop is an outdoor paradise featuring a rugged atmosphere and a fun, annual event, Bishop Mule Days, features a 20-Mule Team. Just because it only has a population of around 5,000, it doesn't mean that life is boring. Bishop Chamber of Commerce keeps an active calendar of events filled with things to see and do throughout the year. In addition to the annual Mule Days, there are other celebrations that range from Community Band Concerts on warm summer nights to the fun Christmas Tree Lighting and Bishop Christmas Parade that bring special meaning into the lives of the residents and visitors who participate in joyous occasions shared with good people.

Bishop tweets

•  Small town with a big backyard. Located in the Owens Valley at the foot of the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains; Bishop is a great place to live & visit.
• Camp or stay at the B&B; soak in the hot tubs at Benton Hot Springs.     
• What other county can boast the highest and the lowest points in the lower 48? 
• The Crowley columns are a fascinating and unique natural feature to photograph. 
• Iconic views of the Sierra are printed on hats and are available at Sage to Summit.  
• Around 700,000 yrs ago, the Volcanic Tablelands were formed from the erupting caldera in Long Valley.
• The "Big Ears" are south of   & tours are offered the 1st Mon. each month.
• Tours of the OVRO are held the first Monday of every month from 1 PM to 3 PM.  
•  There are 2,200 miles of designated OHV road and trails in the Inyo National Forest. 
• 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the Blake Jones Trout Derby – one of the state's largest single day derbies! Registration, weigh-in & awards ceremony will be at the Tri-County Fairgrounds in Bishop. Pleasant Valley Reservoir and Owens River
• Get out of the heat of the valley by camping up in Bishop Creek Canyon. 
• Bishop Creek Canyon, about a 20-minute drive west of Bishop, affords countless opportunities to find secluded spots. 
• Count the ways you can play - Golf: Beautiful, challenging courses. 
• Count the ways you can have fun - Motor Touring:
• Perched above Bishop is the community of Starlite. Old roads, tracks & trails radiate into the surrounding hillside.  
• Spindrift is fine, powdery snow easily blown by wind or loosened by gravity. It can be a sign of avalanche danger. Spindrift also refers to the spray from cresting waves on the ocean or blown sand in the desert.
•  Bishop Mule Days happens every May. 
• How did the Buttermilk Boulders get their name?  
• Visit the charcoal kilns 
• A network of dirt roads from the early years of mining & ranching provide wonderful OHV driving opportunities.
• Buttermilk Country is a well-known, world-class bouldering destination but there is so much more. 
• Check out the Alabama Hills the next time you visit the eastern Sierra.  
• The Eastern Sierra is a land of extremes. There are extremes in temperature and climate, of topography and geology, about features of the fauna and flora, and in feats of human endeavor in the region. 
•  Miles of hiking, trail-running, mountain biking and dirt biking in and around the hills of the Buttermilk.  
•   Early Opener Trout Derby in Lone Pine, Saturday, March 3rd! 
• Badwater Basin:  This is the hottest, driest and lowest National Park in the country. 
• Did you know that there is a very special flower here on the Inyo named the Ramshaw Meadows abronia? This rare plant grows in one location-- in Ramshaw Meadows and an adjacent meadow.

Bishop feels like a town, with a modest population of under 5,000. Sitting on the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountain slope, the small city is proud of its outdoor assets such as mountain hikes, fishing lakes, and spectacular scenery. The Bishop Chamber of Commerce proudly boasts that National Geographic declared Bishop as one of America's top adventure towns, with Buttermilk Boulders 13 miles outside the city ranking among their favorite visits.

Surrounded by the Sierra National Forest to its west and Death Valley National Park to the East, nature lovers are going to enjoy the natural assets surrounding the city. The temperatures are not for everyone, however, and if you are not well prepared for the dry, desert heat, you can suffer illness. Be sure to heed local warnings. Pack and carry a supply of water wherever you go during the summer especially. During the months of June, July and August the temperature in Bishop is normally higher than 90 degrees during the day and in the warmest month (July) the average temp is close to 100 degrees.

Although a small city, Bishop and its surrounding area is the primary commercial and population center in the region. Primary industries include tourism and recreation, government, and related support services. However, mining and agriculture are also important to Bishop's heritage.

Although Bishop's modern economy thrives, it is unique among desirable small communities because it stays much like it has for decades – a great place to visit, to live, and to work.

The City of Bishop covers slightly less than two square miles and is governed by a five member City Council, including a mayor and mayor pro tem. It accomplishes its duties through five main departments: police, fire, administration, community services, and public works.

One odd an interesting thing you'll notice in this Owens Valley area is the name, Los Angeles. Why would L.A.'s Department of Water and Power (DWP) have anything to do with a rural oasis some 225 miles away? The answer is "Water".

Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power purchased land from farmers and ranchers in the early 1900s, building the Los Angeles Aqueduct which was completed in 1913. The 223-mile pipeline carries the annual snowmelt that flows from the Sierra Nevada mountains into the Owens Valley, using gravity siphons instead of pump stations, and supplying millions of residents in the Los Angeles basin with water. 70% of L.A.'s water supply comes from Owens Valley and the Eastern High Sierra. Los Angeles DWP allows unrestricted access to most of its lands with Owens River open to year-round fishing.