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Bishop – Bishop is a town that time forgot, nestled under the spikey peaks of the Sierra Nevada, and summer days are long and lazy. When I was a kid, after days of backpacking in the high country, we’d often stop in Bishop, go for a swim and have a picnic dinner under the big old trees in the park. |
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 Bishop City Park – On a hot day, the public swimming pool and shady city park is the place to be in Bishop. The pool has a large pool with water slide, plus separate children’s wading pool. Ducks float on a small stream running through the park, little ones can play in the playground, and there are plenty of shade trees and picnic tables. |
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Laws Railroad Museum and Historical Site – Laws open-air railroad museum is a “must see,” where kids can imagine what the Owens Valley was like when the town of Laws was a stop on the Carson and Colorado Railroad. Today, the wind blows through the tumbleweeds and the railroad no longer runs, but the old station is still there and a bunch of 19th century wooden buildings with period furnishings. |
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Kids can ring the bell on the locomotive, climb on the caboose, play hide and seek around the old train cars. Check out the blacksmith’s shop with farming and mining implements, the old schoolhouse (ring the school bell), station agent’s house, general store, post office, print shop, fire station, miner’s shack and bank. Inside the old station is the baggage room, waiting room and model trains, hear the whistle blow. Be sure to walk all the way south, past the buildings, to see the old wooden water tower and turntable for the trains. |
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Editor’s note: Next to the general store is a western display of different cattle brands. The barbed diamond brand is the Chance family – Jess Chance, our boys’ great-grandfather, ranched cattle in the area. |
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Eastern Sierra Tri County Fair – This is a favorite old-fashioned country fair with rodeo and roping events, amusement rides, carnival booths, petting zoo, “Favorite Cookie Contest,” country music. Kids can buy real cowboy hats, eat bar-b-qued beef, and sample cotton candy. Here's the schedule. |
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Keough’s Hot Springs – For over 70 years, this naturally heated pool has been fun for families. Stop in for a swim, there’s also a picnic area and snack bar. Open year round. |
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Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest – 26 miles east of Big Pine are the world’s oldest living things, the bristlecone pines. Many of these amazing gnarled trees are 3,000 – 4,000 years old, (when Egypt was in full swing, these trees were little sprouts), living on the dry hillsides of the White Mountains. The bristlecone pines don’t grow tall (they grow about 1 inch every one hundred years), but they survive for centuries in a very inhospitable environment. |
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Stop at the Schulman Grove Visitor Center for exhibits about the bristlecone pines, then take the 1 mile Discovery Trail loop. For a longer hike, the Methuselah Trail is a 4 ½ mile loop. |
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To see the world’s largest bristlecone pine, the Patriarch Tree, it’s a 12 mile drive further to the Patriarch Grove. This tree, standing out on a lonely windswept mountainside, has a magical quality, as if an ancient wizard might live in the heart of the tree. It’s well worth the longish drive to see the Patriarch Grove, but it’s along a dirt road (not recommended in a rental car). |
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The road to the ancient bristlecone pine forest is open mid May to end of October (depending on weather). |
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Owens Valley Radio Observatory – Budding astronomers will want to visit this radio observatory, telescopes that collect radio waves and turn them into images of the far away galaxies. The big dishes look very science-fiction, sitting out on the mountain side. Public tours are on on the first Monday of the month (tour lasts about 1 + hours). Call 760.938.2114 for reservations. |
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Climb Mt. Whitney – Mt. Whitney (14, 496 ft.) is the highest point in the continental United States and it’s a great hiking experience for kids or teens who are experienced backpackers. At one point, there are lots of switchbacks, and my brothers and I raced up ahead of our parents, leaving them behind (now our kids are leaving us in the dust). As a ten year old, I vividly remember standing on the summit of Mt. Whitney, feeling as if I were on top of the world. |
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It’s a three day hike - one day from Whitney Portal to Mirror Lake, camp overnight, hike to the summit and back down, return to Whitney Portal on the third day. You’ll need to get a wilderness permit and reservation, made months in advance (click here).
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A few tips: Spend a few days getting adjusted to the altitude (altitude sickness on the trail is no fun). You’ll need bear canisters for your food, along with all your other camping equipment. This is a full-fledged hiking and camping expedition, so come prepared. |
