In the heart of Bishop, California, we’re the perfect home base for everything our small town with a BIG backyard has to offer. Run through Bishop Park across the street, mosey to Erick Schat's Bakery next door, shop Main Street, and more all right outside our doors. Then journey yonder to explore the natural wonder and expansive beauty of California’s high peak Sierra Nevada. From Yosemite National Park to Death Valley National Park, adventure is waiting for you.
Pleasant Valley Gorge
Deeply cut by the Owens River over hundreds of thousands of years, the city of Los Angeles built a dam in the 1950s and use the gorge's natural shape as a water containment reservoir. This sight is a favorite of anglers, walkers, and bike cruisers.
Bishop Creek Canyon
Of all the magnificent canyons in the mighty Sierra Nevada mountain range,Bishop Creek Canyon is the piece de resistance of Bishop's backyard. Each season holds a promise of something adventurous; Spring is rejuvenating, Summer is rapturous. The air is cool and wildflowers bloom in green marshy meadows. Streams & lakes are regularly stocked with fish and miles of trails offer easy access to swift waters and calm lakes. Autumn is the most gloriously colorful season of the year, beginning with scattered touches of yellow, bright orange and deep crimson spreading across the mountainside drawing golden borders around sparkling lakes. Winter washes the color away and settles the soul, with a solace and meditation in it's vision of snow,earth and sky.
Bodie State Historic Park
As many as 10,0 people once lived here on this harsh,cold,windswept plain. Lured by the promise of gold,the town boomed in the 1880's but by the early 1900's it was declared a ghost town. Behind the windows and inside the buildings;the general store,a school room,old homes,the hotel and salon;furniture,books and everyday supplies lie where residents left them. Walk the dusty streets,peer inside the buildings and listen to the long forgotten voices of the pioneers who lived here.
Laws Museum
The railroad has long been the symbol of expansion into the American West and it's depots were the hub of commerce and community life. Laws Station was built in 1883 to serve as the largest depot along the railway line known as the Slim Princess. Today it is a museum that marks the place where life was filled with dreams and determination. 50 authentic structures house objects of antiquity and relics of a forgotten era, with original tools used by townspeople of the period including blacksmiths, dentists, newspaper publishers, gold miners, ranchers and homemakers.
Convict Lake
Nestled in the picturesque Sierra Nevada mountains of California, Convict Lake captivates visitors with its stunning beauty and intriguing history. Carved by ancient glaciers, this tranquil alpine lake boasts crystal-clear waters reflecting the rugged peaks that surround it. But its name tells a tale of its own - legend has it that in the late 1800s, a group of escaped convicts sought refuge here, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape. Today, Convict Lake invites adventurers to hike its scenic trails, fish its pristine waters, or simply soak in the serenity of nature's masterpiece. Whether you're drawn by its natural splendor or its captivating lore, Convict Lake promises an unforgettable experience amidst the grandeur of the Sierra.
Death Valley
Death Valley is an ancient and massive landscape-starkly beautiful and entirely mesmerizing. The incomparable extremes of low and high, big and small, hot and cold can only be fully appreciated during a visit to this spectacular National Park. Heat is almost visible as it hovers over the magnificent, windswept dunes and floats across a vast, empty stretch of sand. It is here at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 (86m) below sea level. In summer the landscape appears almost lifeless, yet life thrives from the spring water that seeps to the surface, home to tiny plants, animals, aquatic insects and the Badwater Snail.
Mono Lake
Mono Lake is a huge inland sea with tall, crusty rock spires that rise out of the water. These tufa towers are actually calcium carbonate deposits which form under the lakes surface as freshwater springs bubble up into the excessively salty lake. Part of a larger lake that covered much of Nevada & Utah and thought to be over 1 million years old, one of the oldest lakes in North America. A species of brine shrimp found nowhere else in the world are found in Mono Lake, however fish do not survive in this water with twice the salinity of the world's oceans. Barren landscape,an immense body of blue water and strangely mystical tufa towers create an other worldly experience. Hiking,photography,bird watching and boating are favorite activities at Mono Lake.
Druid Stones Hike
The Druid Stones area is another well-liked spot for bouldering, but not as often frequented by climbers because of the relatively long (by climbers’ standards) and steep ascent. This is super trail that delivers a short (by hikers’ standards) and strenuous hike with quick and easy access to the trailhead. It will warm you up well on a chilly winter day. Once on the plateau you’ll have an incredible view and it’s likely you’ll find solitude to sit and contemplate the world.
Wanaaha Casino
Located just minutes from Wayfinder Bishop, Wanaaha Casino is the place to play your favorite casino games in the Eastern Sierra, and is open 24-hours daily. The gaming floor is packed with over 300 of the newest slot machines the casino industry has to offer. The casino features an amazing restaurant open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Pine Creek Crags
Bear witness to a stunningly high wall slot canyon, located just north of Bishop. This granitic canyon contains several high wall routes, perfect for the avid mountaineer.
Schat's Bakery
The Original Sheepherder Bread® 1938 was introduced to the Owens Valley during the California Gold Rush by immigrant Basque sheepherders who missed the bread of their homeland. They shaped loaves of their traditional bread by hand, used stone ovens for baking, and produced the first sheepherder bread. Even today thay shape the loaves by hand and bake in the finest European Stone Hearth Ovens. The Original Sheepherder Bread® 1938, as well as all other delicious products, are made of only the purest ingredients: Well water from the Sierras, stone ground unbleached flour, and never any chemicals. Just like their bread, their pastries are made with only the finest ingredients.