Sandwiched Between Las Vegas And Fresno Is California's County With Mountain Trails, Scenic Parks, And Camping

As a local Las Vegan and avid hiker, I've spent a lot of time backpacking through the scenic parks and recreation areas in California's neighboring Inyo County. Stretching between Las Vegas and Fresno, Inyo County's six million acres of public land encompass some of the most diverse and dramatic natural scenery I've ever seen, from the lowest point in North America in Death Valley National Park to the highest point in the contiguous U.S. atop the 14,505-foot Mt. Whitney.

Referred to as "the other side of California," Inyo County is an ideal destination for those seeking outdoor adventure. In this slice of eastern central California, you can trout fish in crystal-clear creeks, hike among the oldest trees on the planet, and camp in the shadows of towering, glacier-sculpted granite peaks. But even if you're merely driving through, the scenery is remarkable. You'll have to fight the urge to pull over to run through wildflower-filled meadows, cool your feet in refreshing mountain streams, or gawk at expansive desert vistas.

But if you have the time, I recommend pitching a tent and staying a few days. Inyo County is best experienced when you can immerse yourself in it. Watch the first rays of sun break through the canopy of trees in the John Muir Wilderness, an area that has sat largely unchanged for thousands of years, and experience the peaceful silence of Death Valley at night as you stargaze under one of the darkest night skies on the planet. In this guide, discover the best places to hike, camp, and explore in Inyo County, the adventure capital of California.

Sunny, mountain-rich Inyo County is considered a backpacker's paradise. Arguably the most famous hiking destination in Inyo County is Mt. Whitney, whose summit trail is a grueling, nearly 22-mile round-trip trek. At 14,505 feet, Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the contiguous United States, making it a popular challenge for experienced backpackers, though you'll need a wilderness permit to try it. Bishop Creek Canyon provides some shorter, easier hikes to mountain lakes and granite cliffs, and Rock Creek Canyon, with its lovely aspen groves and rugged Sierra peaks, provides a picturesque backdrop for a leisurely hike to several lakes. For a more challenging adventure, you can hike through the region known as California's "Little Patagonia" to ice-blue lakes and the Palisade Glacier, the largest glacier in the Sierra Nevada.

Inyo County is home to the dreamy golden aspens and alpine trails of Inyo National Forest, which has seven wilderness areas that include the 100-mile-long John Muir Wilderness, one of the country's most visited wilderness areas. The Inyo National Forest has more than 100 hiking and backpacking trails and more than 400 lakes ideal for fishing and viewing wildlife, including the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, an endangered bighorn sheep subspecies. The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is home to one of the best hikes in the world, as well as the oldest known living trees on Earth, many of which are more than 4,000 years old. 

But perhaps the most well-known park in Inyo County is Death Valley National Park — a must-see in my opinion, especially if you're visiting during the non-summer months. As the largest national park in the contiguous United States, Death Valley National Park offers a wide range of things to see and do, including the vast salt field of Badwater Basin, which is 282 feet below sea level, and the pretty pink, green, and blue chalky hills along the nine-mile Artist's Drive.

Inyo County Parks and Recreation manages 15 parks and campgrounds throughout the county, including the Pleasant Valley Campground, which offers year-round fishing in the Owens River, and the Diaz Lake Campground, whose 80-acre lake is excellent for boating and water sports. Inyo National Forest has almost 70 campgrounds, which range from peaceful creekside retreats to the popular RV sites at Lone Pine Campground near the base of Mt. Whitney. Numerous private campgrounds stretch across the county as well, including Brown's Town Campground in Bishop, which has 150 RV and tent sites, hookups, hot showers, a cafe, country store, and museum. Another scenic option is Keough's Hot Springs Resort, which has the Eastern Sierra's largest natural hot springs pool and offers RV sites and rustic tent cabins.

If you're driving between Las Vegas, Nevada, and Fresno, California, or further north to San Francisco, you may want to take a more scenic route that winds through Inyo County's top attractions, including dozens of ghost towns and Nevada's underrated sculpture park outside of Death Valley National Park. Inyo County also has several highly rated hotels, including The Oasis at Death Valley and The Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel. If you're flying in, the small city of Bishop has a regional airport with flights to and from San Francisco and Denver. The nearest international airport is the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, which is about four hours away. While fall is a great time to visit Inyo County for spectacular autumn foliage, my favorite time to visit is in the spring, when the desert valleys come alive with a rainbow of wildflowers.