Photo courtesy of Jeff Deikis
BISHOP , CA
You ’ ve got unlimited tickets to paradise , so pack your bags and leave tonight !
As a four-season , outdoor-lover ' s paradise , Bishop , California is hard to beat . Throw in small town charm , friendly locals , convenient amenities , and a trip to the Eastern Sierra is sure to please .
Bishop is located in the Owens Valley at the eastern foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains – world-class climbing , California-best fly-fishing , epic skiing / snowboarding , amazing hiking and backpacking , and trail running are just a few of the opportunities this area offers . Great bakeries and coffee shops centrally located on Main Street adjacent to the numerous motels , hotels and hostels are a frequent staging area for the day ’ s activity . You can grab any last-minute items at several outdoor gear shops easily within walking distance .
Where to go depends on time-ofyear and desired activity :
Climbing is a four-season activity with bouldering season staring in the cooler months , sport climbing in all but the coldest months , and trad / alpine climbing from Spring through Fall . The Volcanic Tablelands ( Happy Boulders ) and Buttermilks are the iconic bouldering areas offering a range climbing from steep-incut to fingery , technical problems . Sport climbing in the well-bolted Owens River Gorge and at Pine
Creek yields thousands of routes between 5.6 to 5.13 . Trad climbing adventures start at crags like the Alabama Hills and Little Egypt dry out , and then explode into the endless granite spanning the Sierra from Mt . Whitney an hour to the south to Tuolumne Meadows an hour north .
Hiking and backpacking is the summer mainstay . With numerous trailheads at 8-9,000 feet , stunning alpine terrain can be viewed both by weekend warriors and elite trail runners . Viewing the night sky after a day of High Sierra backpacking and fishing is an existential experience . Fall brings an array of colors to our mountains from the golden aspens to the orange shrubs .
178 | Spring 2017 | Adventure Outdoors