Bishop or Lone Pine?

[moophoto]

Planning a California trip, including a couple of days in the

Eastern Sierra. My plan is to stay one night in Bishop and one night

in Lone Pine (to hit early morning photo spots in each place). But

would it be better to spend two nights in one spot or the other --

or some other alternative? (Yes, I know, I should spend two weeks on

US 395 alone; but the pocketbook won't allow for more than 2-3 days.)

[greg s]

Lone Pine has the fantastic view of Mt Whitney, which can be photographed nicely from the hwy. If you're thinking of doing any hiking, my own personal favorite was the trail west of Big Pine.

 

To get there, drive to Bishop, take the road west til it ends. The trail takes a Y about a mile in or so... go right. It takes you up to the top of a falls, then levels off and then winds along a stream. There are trees, sidestreams (and shade), and about 4 miles or so in are some beautiful views of granite pinnacles and a mntn lake.

 

Not sure if a hike is what you have in mind, but this was my favorite spot when I lived in S Cal and took off for a weekend jaunt.

 

Have fun, Hwy 395 is really beautiful.

[greg s]

"To get there, drive to Bishop"

 

Make that... "To get there, drive to Big Pine"

[erik_loza]

Ditto that comment about Lone Pine. It has the best views of Whitney and very inexpensive motels. When I lived in California, I would do a 395 trip twice a year. Once in April and again in Late October. The whole length of 395 is quite beautiful and a must-see but if I had only 3 days in the Eastern Sierras, I would spend them around Lone Pine. IMO, Mono Lake, sadly, is too much of a dustbowl these days and there isn't a whole lot south of the Independence/Lone Pine/ Bishop area to see . A highly viable day trip would be into the White Mountains to the Bristlecone Preserve. You could shoot Whitney alpenglow in the morning then hit the bristlecones at sunset. Whatever you decide to do, it will be a beautiful trip.

[george_gilbert]

Don't skip the Mountain Light Gallery in Bishop.

[greg_campbell1]

Try to find time for at least half a day in the White Mountains. They offer a nice contrast to the wetter Sierra foothills on the West side of Owens Valley.

 

If you're game for some car camping, consider staying a night at Grandview, a free(!) campsite adjacent to the Bristlecone preserve, East of Big Pine. It's 'primitive' (bring water) and gets chilly at night, but offers a great view of the Sierra mtns (hike to the NW corner of the campsite, or drive a short distance N on White Mountain road.) With some clouds/color in the sky, sunrise on the Sierra range can be amazing. If you have the time, take the dirt road drive to the Patriarch grove at over 11000 ft.

See http://www.sonic.net/bristlecone/home.html

for more info regarding the area.

 

 

Other stuff in the area that hasn't yet been mentioned:

 

Cerro Gordo. About 20 miles east of Lone Pine. Ghost town and mine ruins. Not up to Bodie standards, but still sorta neat.

 

The Eastern California Museum in Independence is well worth a visit. Lots of photogenic antique machinery and whatnot.

 

Darwin Falls. (This is probably too far far out of the way.) From Cerro Gordo, continue another 30 miles east on 190 towards Panamint Valley, drive 10 min over a decent dirt road, then hike ~20 minutes to a perrenial waterfall smack in the middle of the desert. It's a unique attraction, and the drive throught the Inyo mountains is scenic. If you get this far east and are in need of food, stop at Panamint Springs resort. Slightly spendy (but entirely resonable considering it's location), and vastly better fare than 'Yet Another Wendy's.'

 

The Mammoth Mountain area offers Devil's Postpile (OK, maybe not worth your limited time) and a Tram ride to the top of the mountain. You can rent a mountain bike, ride the tram to the top, and enjoy a downhill ride back.

 

At any rate, there's certainly plenty to do. Try not to get so caught up in getting to the next attraction that you cheat yourself of quality photography time.

 

-Greg

[greg s]

I believe that on the road west from Lone Pine to the base of the mountains is an area called Movie Ranch Rd, or something like that. Anyway, that's where they filmed many westerns decades ago. There are large rock formations all over the place that are neat in themselves, but also offer interesting compositional opportunities with the high Sierra in the background.

[del_gray]

As all of the other responses have indicated, there is so much to shoot here that you can't go wrong either way. Shooting Mt. Whitney at sunrise from the Alabama hills is wonderful, although it is hard to get anything really creative or different there that hasn't been shot before. If you are fortunate enough to get some clouds for sunrise it will help immensely.

 

Personally, however, I would opt for two morning shoots in Bishop, but I have shot Mt. Whitney many times already so undoubtedly that affects my opinion. In Bishop you have the Owens river itself as a wonderful foreground element to lead your eye back to the mountains. Try the area below the Chalk Bluffs (on Chalk Bluff Rd!) for really easy access to the river from the car. There are also nice shots from the Buttermilk boulders up closer to the mountains. You might get lucky and find some rock climbers there to give you some scale. I don't know when you are planning to go, but it is also worthwhile to scout for wildflowers. They pop up at the various elevations and climate zones in the area at different times, so it's helpful to ask locally. The Mountain Light gallery in Bishop (which, as has been mentioned, is a must see) is also staffed by photographers who have been very helpful to me with this kind of local info. The lakes above Bishop are also very photogenic at sunrise. Lake Sabrina has a beautiful alpine crown of mountains ringing the lake that is magic at first light. North Lake is more intimate, but I love the outlet stream from the lake as a foreground for the mountain behind it. You can't really get to lakes easily from Lone Pine, and I think these are the classic alpine shots you might want from the area.

 

Technically, you will absolutely need a granduated neutral density filter for the sunrises. A 2-stop will work, but I find I usually need a 3 stop for the intense alpenglow on the sierra granite. A polarizer also is very valuable, but easy to overdo in the desert/mountain air.

 

I second the idea to go the White Mts. for a sunset shot at the Bristlecone pines. Galen Rowell's shots at the gallery will inspire you with ideas for this place. Reading about these trees ahead of time (if you haven't already) will greatly increase your appreciation for the place. The nice thing about this is the Eastern Sierras are almost completely devoid of good reliable sunset shot locations because of the HUGE Sierra crest on the west, so getting up to 11,000 feet on the parallel White range gives you the great light you will not get down in the Owens valley. In other words, if you don't go up to the Whites you'll just be sitting around in a restaurant that evening anyway. It's a good drive from either Bishop or Lone Pine, but well worth it. I also have a few other places I would be happy to direct you towards that actually look decent in light other than sunrise if you want to email me. By the way, I have fond memories of advanced exegesis in Deerfield in 1991. I am now finishing up my dissertation in synoptic studies at Fuller, so I get to go to the Eastern Sierras quite often. If you need anything let me know and I'd be more than happy to help out a former professor of mine!

 

Del Gray

[brooks short]

Those large rocks and boulders west of Lone Pine around Movie Rd that Greg S. speaks about are called the Alabama Hills. There are dirt roads that wind around and between these rock formations with many interesting compositions and views of the boulders and the Sierras.

 

My wife and I were just out there in March. It is a very cool place. Here's a shot from that area.<div></div>

[brad_hiltbrand]

I am not going to comment on where you should stay so much as to

emphasize some of the logistical problems you will face. The Eastern Sierra is

a BIG place. Lone Pine to Bishop is only 58 miles driving distance, so it looks

like only an hour from door to photo location. BUT, as soon as you start up the

side canyons to predetermined spots you will need at least another hour or

more, especially if you plan to hike in any distance. You need to plan ahead

to have any hope of being in the right place at the right time, and even then

conditions will almost certainly not be ideal. All you can do is place yourself in

the right location at the right time of day and hope for the best.

 

I agree with the comment above that suggests not investing too much time at

Mono Lake. It is more than 120 miles from Lone Pine, greater than 60 miles

for Bishop, and you need to be at South Tufa at least an hour before sunrise

to find a good location. There are better places to spend your valuable time

since it is so far away from your intended sleeping locations and is likely to

disappoint.

 

The key locations I would concentrate on for your short trip would be

 

1. The Eastern face of the Sierras from the canyons and lakes near Bishop

 

2. The Alabama Hills on Movie road from the Mt. Whitney Portal road out of

Lone Pine, and

 

3. The Bristlecone Pine forest accessed from Big Pine just south of Bishop.

The Bristlecones are directly above Bishop, but you get there via a round-

about route from Big Pine, east to Westgard Pass, and then due north along

the spine of the White Mountains. The most direct route is straight up Silver

canyon road from Bishop, It is only 15 miles via that route, but will require

4WD, high clearance, low range transmission, really really good tires, lots of

bravery or sheer stupidity (interchangeable), and possibly an tire patch kit and

inflation pump. I mention it only because I was dumb enough to drive it a

couple of days ago and found it passable. But do not attempt this road in a

passenger car or SUV without a low range.

 

You will find lots of great opportunities up RT 168 west up Bishop canyon

(including Lake Sabrina, North, and South Lakes). Rock Creek Canyon (and

lake) a little farther north is also good, continuing north is McGee Creek

Canyon (my favorite), and still farther north is Convict Lake. . Shoot all of

these areas at Sunrise for the dramatic light on the Eastern escarpment of the

Sierra at dawn. I would suggest camping near any of these locations, or

spending the night at Bishop for reasonable travel times.

 

You can access the Alabama Hills relatively easily quickly from Bishop, but

make sure you know ahead where you want to shoot. Movie road is several

miles long and has many unmarked side roads leading into these wonderful

rock formations. Also drive farther up the Whitney Portal road to the end at

above 9000' for views back down the Owens valley.

 

The Bristlecone pine forest is a must see place in my opinion, but I just

returned from a 5 day shoot there and the glow of the place is still in me. It is

not just the trees that are interesting but also the dramatic difference between

the White Mountains range and the Sierra. You will see many fantastic views

of the Eastern Sierra all the way from Whitney to far North of Bishop. The view

of the Palisade glaciers above Big Pine is wonderful from many spots along

White Mountain road. As for the Ancient Ones, the lower Schulman grove of

trees is about 24 miles above Lone Pine, all paved roads. Because of the

steep climb to above 10,000 feet, expect that trip to take about an hour from

Big Pine (15 miles south of Bishop). The higher and more dramatic Patriarch

grove is another 12 miles along a very rough dirt road. 4WD not necessary,

but good tires and some willingness to rock and roll will help:) The

Bristlecones can be wonderful at sunrise and sunset, but not all bristlecones

are good at both sunrise and sunset. Most of the trees are good at only one

time or the other. Some are not in the light until 2 hours post sunrise, and

others go into shadow 2 hours before. This is a big place and you really need

some time to explore before you start shooting, especially if you want to find

the good light. The paved access, developed trails, and nature center make

the lower Schulman grove a must see and a good mid-day excursion. If you

have the right vehicle, the best trees are in the Patriarch grove or along that

road. Ditto for the best views of the Eastern Sierra. But you need to be plan

ahead for some significant travel times.

 

So I guess I would stay at Bishop for the whole trip if you don't want to camp

closer to any single location. The Alabama hills at sunrise returning north to

spend the afternoon in the White Mountains would make a good long day.

Remember these trees are all above 10,000 feet to you may experience some

trouble breathing. Take along lots of water and plan on spending some time

up there to seek out good subjects and compositions and pray for good light.

Spend another day or two exploring the canyons from Bishop north and you

will have seen many of the key locations and discovered the infinite

possiblities and infinite time that you could spend photographing in the

Eastern Sierra.

 

Lastly, sunrise is currently at about 5:30 AM and sunset after 8 PM, making for

some short nights if you shoot both sunset and sunrise locations and have

significant travel times. Both Bishop and Lone Pine are interesting places to

visit, just remember that although they are only an hour apart, all the great

locations are probably AT LEAST another hour away.

 

Have a great trip. Plan well and be prepared and hopefully you will be

rewarded with great light! Have fun.

 

[mark_chappell]

I strongly agree with Brad's endorsement of the White Mountains / bristlecone pine areas.

I've worked up in a laboratory past Patriarch Grove in many summers. It's a wonderful

area, very different from the Sierra to the west. Light is best mornings or evenings but

you can find something interesting at any time of day. Note: it's very high (above 10,000

feet) for most of the road so you might feel a touch of altitude sickness if you bomb up

there from near sea level and then exert yourself too much.<P>

 

Some of my pictures of this area are <A HREF ="http://www.biology.ucr.edu/personal/

MACphotos/MACphotosWMscenes.html">here</A>. Many were taken from the Barcroft

Lab, which is beyond the gate a few miles past Patriarch Grove. However, you can walk

from the gate past the Lab to the top of White Mountain Peak (14,246 feet; 3rd highest in

the State); about 7 miles each way.<P>

 

Have fun!

[m._huber]

While in Bishop don't miss the bakery or the dried meat shop for uniqueness and gourmet delight. (Lot's of good places to eat in Bishop).