Fish Slough Petroglyphs, Near Bishop, CA, August 5, 2024

As noted in the previous post, this was a "hike" I took last August, during my mostly-annual trip to the Owens Valley. The BLM description and driving directions are here. I could have sworn I drove further along on US 6 before turning, to minimize my dirt driving. But I don't see on the satellite view where I would have turned.

In any event, there was a some dirt driving, but nothing my Camry couldn't handle. In any event, it's less than ten miles north of Bishop, and easy to get to.

The petroglyphs are on a volcanic outcropping. Several parking areas are nearby, along with (as I recall) some interpretive signs.

No shade in the area, so if you go in the summer, you'll want to go early or late, and bring something to drink, even though you won't be walking long.

I walked around the entire outcropping, and hit some of the cliff tops and pockets, just looking for petroglyphs. Most were pretty obvious, and I don't recall finding any hidden treasures. The petroglyphs were not as intricate as some I have seen.

If you see circular indentations in the face of the volcanic rock, they're not historic. Apparently, geologists drilled them to get samples to calculate the age of the rocks. Yes, seriously.

Undoubtedly under three miles to walk around the rocks, so this would not have made my original cut for a "hike," but it was something interesting I saw on a trip to the Owens Valley, and something I could share with my non-hiking wife.

Not a lot of plant or animal life visible in the immediate area. I saw a few lizards, and a few crows hung out on the rocks, until I got too close.

I think, technically, since it isn't a developed area, nor a national park or national monument, you can bring your dogs, though I'd likely want to keep them close, in the event that rattlesnakes are in the area. Didn't see any, but I'd be surprised if they weren't around. Volcanic rocks could be tough on their feet, too.

All in all, it was a nice little drive. Not big or dramatic enough to be a trip destination, but if you're already in Bishop and have an hour or so to kill, definitely worth your consideration.

Tyee Lakes Trail, Inyo National Forest, CA, Hiked August 4, 2024

Over the past few years, I've had the pleasure of making near-annual trips into the Owens Valley, with dark sky observing with friends at the Cedar Flats group campground, in the White Mountains of Inyo National Forest, on the east side of the Owens Valley. During these forays, I often head down from my observing location after I'm done to sleep down in Bishop. Then, the next day, I'll try to get a hike or two fit in (usually on the west side of the Owens Valley), before heading back up to Cedar Flats after dark. This hike was during that last trip, the same one where I posted some astrophotos, last summer.

I can't guarantee, because of the passage of time, but it's likely these photos are in reverse order on that hike, from the end to the beginning. I can tell you that the start of this hike is along the small road off of CA-164, heading towards South Lake. Fairly large parking area, and the trail starts near the northern end of that lot, crossing Bishop Creek via a bridge. The last shot in this post is from that bridge.

Steep climb in parts, and a few small seeps cross the trail. A creek also occasionally runs along the trail. But, at least in August, there were no significant water crossings. Some nice flowers along the water, though.

I had never hiked this trail, and didn't study it too carefully ahead of time, because I like being surprised by what I see. And, indeed, the first lake did sort of sneak up on me.

Tyee Lakes is a string of beautiful alpine lakes, all beautiful. Lots of fish visible in the lakes, though I can't tell you how easy or hard they would be to catch.

Total distance on the Alltrails entry for Tyee Lakes trail is about 6 1/4 mile, with about 2,000 feet of vertical gain. My own recording (discussed later) shows a slightly longer distance.

In addition to the lakes and mountains, you're also rewarded with views across and down Bishop Canyon, down into the Owens Valley.

Last year was relatively dry, so by August there was little snow in the area. It could be wetter and more mosquitoed earlier in the season. But I didn't notice many bugs on this hike, albeit I wear long sleeves and a floppy hat around my ears.

Looking at my Alltrails recording, it shows I walked 3.56 miles and gained 1,991 feet, spending 2:24:19 moving. Apparently, that was just the uphill portion, so figure a bit over 7 miles roundtrip, and maybe 3.5 - 4 hours to walk, roundtrip, plus any rest time.

It also shows I made it to the fourth lake. After this, there's a pretty steep climb, that would take you up to the trail that heads out of Sabrina Basin, past George Lake. I hiked that one the previous year.

On that hike, after climbing out of George Lake's basin, I made it to the past that would head down towards Tyee Lakes. But it's a pretty long, shallow descent from there before you reach the steep descent into Tyee Lakes, so I turned around at the pass. There's probably a 2/3 of a mile or so gap between the end of these two hikes I have taken.

The only other trip I managed on this August 2024 trip was a visit to Fish Slough Petroglyphs, which may be my next post.