モノ郡のおすすめグラベルライド

This spot offers beautiful views of the Owens River with the White Mountains in the background. It’s a great place to end your ride and enjoy a quiet, scenic picnic.

Fish Slough Road is a solid gravel route just north of Bishop, cutting through open desert, wetlands, and volcanic rock formations. The surface is mostly hard-packed with some washboard and sandy patches—I recommend going with wider tires, and don’t forget water and sun protection. It’s a quiet ride with beautiful mountain views and cool petroglyphs along the way.

Along Fish Slough Road, this quick detour takes you to a set of ancient petroglyphs carved into volcanic rock. The site is quiet, free to visit, and reached by a short walk from the parking area—no bikes allowed on the loop, but it’s an easy break from your ride. You’ll spot symbols and figures estimated to be over 1,000 years old.

At 10,860 feet, Silver Peak is just a short detour from the road. There are a few radio towers and cabins at the summit.

Silver Peak is a high mountain at 10,862 feet in Inyo County, with a communication tower at the summit. Enjoy the clear views with a few trees at the top to block the fantastic sights on the Sierra Nevada. The gravel road to the summit features several hairpin turns and steep sections and is one of California's highest roads, where the highest is White Mountain Peak.

Tackle Silver Canyon Road, a steep, seasonal one-lane fire road connecting Bishop to the high alpine White Mountain Road and the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. This (in full) ten-mile fire road offers a few dirt pullouts for parking before it splits into Silver Canyon Road and Old Silver Canyon Road.

Chalk Bluff, for which the road is named for, is remarkably a straight, ~5-mile-long, escarpment that forms the south edge of the Volcanic Tableland. Named Chalk Bluff for its light tan-to-white colored, chalk-like rocks, they stand in contrast to the darker, volcanic Bishop tuff boulders that stand atop the escarpment and are popular with rock climbers. The Owens River flows below the Chalk Bluff with the gravel road running between, all making for a truly unique riding experience.

As you ride along Chalk Bluff Road, you get great views of the Owens River and surrounding area. This is a great spot to pause your ride, snap a few photos, or dip your feet in the cold waters after a long ride.