Southern Inyo

Name: Southern Inyo
Acreage: 4,900
Location: east of Lone Pine

Natural Values:

Swirls of reds, browns, yellows, purples, and oranges coat the rugged outlines of the nearly naked Inyo mountains. The high desert has a truly unique and beautiful landscape that leaves one awestruck. The two highest peaks in this WSA, Mt. Keynot and Mt. Inyo, rise to above 11,000 ft and provide great views of the Sierra Nevada and Panamint Mountains.

Mojave scrub coats most of the lower elevations, though pinyon pine and juniper can be found a little higher up in rocky areas. Go even higher still, and you may find bristlecone pine and Limber pine growing in the subalpine regions. Or, if you would rather not climb uphill, relax by a stream lined with thickets of desert willow.

The Southern Inyo WSA is an exciting place to spot wildlife. Not only is it yearlong home to mule deer, it is also a great place to look for raptors. If you're lucky, you may even see some desert bighorn or the rare Inyo salamander.

Prior to 1994, Southern Inyo WSA included 36,600 acres of land in the Inyo Mountains. After passage of the California Desert Protection Act (1994), most of the land in the Southern Inyo WSA became designated wilderness, save the 4,900 acres that today remain under WSA status.

Cultural Values:

Southern Inyo WSA is in the ethnographic territory of the Lone Pine Paiute Tribe. There have been some scattered remains of temporary hunting camps found in the pinyon-juniper woodlands.

In addition, the historic Saline Valley Salt Tram, the steepest tramway in the United States, runs three and a half miles through this WSA. The Pat Keyes trail, formed around 1890, is a historic mining trail which was used to serve mines in the Inyo crest.

Recreational Values:

Backpacking, hiking, camping, photography, historic sightseeing