Inyo National Forest

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Special Feature

A Golden Opportunity
Inyo's Cottonwood Lakes are open from July through October, and the giant native California Golden trout are biting.

Just a stone's throw from Yosemite National Park, Inyo is often in the park's shadow. Wildernesses within the forest include the Ansel Adams, Boundary Peaks, Golden Trout, Hoover, John Muir, and South Sierra.

The Inyo National Forest is an outdoor playground for more than seven million recreation visitor days every year. Recreational opportunities include camping, hiking, mountain biking, sightseeing, fishing, swimming, downhill and cross-country skiing, and birding. Visitor centers provide information and serve as points for beginning recreational or interpretive activities.

Extending 165 miles along the California and Nevada border between Los Angeles and Reno, the Inyo National Forest covers about two million acres. Located on the eastern slope of the Sierra-Nevada Mountains, the Forest is unique in California. It is composed of pristine lakes, fragile meadows, winding streams, rugged peaks, and arid Great Basin Mountains. Elevations range from 5,000 feet to 14,495 feet at Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States.

The forest is divided into four Ranger Districts that manage a variety of daily on-the-ground activities involved in Multiple Use Management. The Ranger District offices are located in Lone Pine, Bishop, Mammoth, and Lee Vining.

The forest contains over 1,100 miles of hiking trails including portions of the John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails.

There are 2,200 family campsites. Fishing attracts thousands of visitors. More than 500 lakes and 100 miles of stream provide habitat for golden, brook, german brown, and rainbow trout.

Two natural attractions are the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area located near Lee Vining, which was set aside by congress to ensure protection of its geological, ecological, and cultural resources, and the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, home of the oldest continuously living thing in the world.