Local Amenities
Medical Services
In case of an emergency, call 911.
Northern Inyo Hospital: This is the only hospital in Bishop. This full-service critical access hospital provides 24-hour emergency care and comprehensive medical care.
Mammoth Hospital: if you’re closer to this hospital, please go here for emergency care.
Rural Health Clinic: provides Same Day Care services when the care you need is not an emergency and is within their working hours. Includes, but not limited to: stitches, X-rays, sprains, cough/cold/flu. Call (760) 873-2849.
Pharmacies: Dwayne's Friendly Pharmacy and Von’s (Bishop and Mammoth).
Physical Therapy: Shift Physical Therapy and Performance: Tori and Dre are two female DPTs, climbers, and runners who provide care for athletes. Insurance not taken. Another option is Eastern Sierra Physical Therapy, Mike Gable’s (DPT) practice. He is also the author of Beyond Tape, which can be purchased at any local gear and bookstore. Mammoth Hospital and Northern Inyo Hospital are additional options for physical therapy care in Bishop that does take insurance.
Gear Shops
Mammoth Gear Exchange: Locally owned shop selling new and used climbing equipment, outdoor clothing, camping gear, and outdoor gear. Shop takes seasonal consignment items.
Sage to Summit: Locally owned shop and climbing gym, selling all things bouldering plus a wide range of camping gear, running shoes, and clothing. And climbing rentals (crash pads, shoes)!
Eastside Sports: Locally owned shop selling climbing equipment, outdoor clothing, camping gear, backpacking gear, general outdoor gear, and a full stock of climbing books for the region. Climbing, mountaineering, and camping rentals!
FIXEhardware: Locally owned shop selling climbing hardware, guidebooks, and other climbing equipment. Specialized in bolting equipment.
Big 5: Big box store with camping and general outdoor gear.
Rubber Room: Need to resole your climbing shoes? This is the only resole shop in the Eastern Sierra and also accepts shoes through the mail. Typically a 4-6 week turnaround for a resole.
Climbing Rentals
If you’re coming to Bishop on a busy weekend, it’s best to reserve your pad ahead of time with these local shops! Reservations accepted online, in store, or by phone.
Sage to Summit - crash pads, guidebooks, climbing shoes, backcountry ski gear, and ultra-light backpacking gear.
Eastside Sports - climbing shoes, crash pads, mountainerring gear, backpacking, and camping rentals.
Climbing Guiding Companies
Need help mastering the technical skills of climbing? There are many highly skilled climbing guide companies in the Eastern Sierra to choose from! Here is a list of some that operate here: Sierra Mountain Guides, Sierra Mountain Center, International Alpine Guides, Golden State Guiding, Mammoth Climbing Guides, Ground Up Climbing Guides, and Fifth Class Climbing.
Coffee Shops and Quick Bites
All the coffee listed below are small, locally owned businesses in downtown Bishop- located less than a 5-minute walk from one another! All shops offer wifi - please purchase an item before connecting and be mindful of your use in these spaces.
Black Sheep Coffee Roasters: Open everyday • 7am–2pm. This shop has been roasting coffee and making specialty coffee for nearly 20 years and is the first roasting company in Owens Valley to support Direct Trade Coffee. Great selection of unique espresso drinks, Matcha, home-made chai and syrups, fresh baked goods, and breakfast burritos (including vegetarian and vegan options).
Pupfish Cafe: Thursday–Tuesday • 8am–2pm. Inside Spellbinder Books, this shop offers handcrafted espresso drinks, pastries, breakfast and lunch options.
Looney Bean: Open everyday • 6am–4pm. This shop offers handcrafted espresso drinks, pastries, breakfast and lunch options, as well as grab-and-go options.
Great Basin Bakery Open everyday • 7am–3pm. Quick breakfast and lunch sandwiches, soups, salads, and baked goods.
Vibras Juice Bar: Monday, Thursday, Friday • 7am–4pm; Saturday, Sunday 8am–4pm. Juice bar and smoothies, Acai bowls, and bagels. Additional location in Lone Pine, CA.
Dining
There are many places to eat in Bishop, here are some of our favorites!
GOJIRA Ramen & Sushi: Open everyday • 11:30am–8:30 pm. Japanese ramen, rolls, and bowls. Additional location in Mammoth, CA.
Thai Thai: Wednesday–Monday • Lunch 11:30– 3pm, Dinner 4:30–8pm. Located at the Bishop Airport and serves delicious Thai cuisine.
Mountain Rambler Brewery: Open everyday • Pub: 11:30am–10pm. Kitchen 11:30am–9pm. Award-Winning Craft Beer with many local events happening weekly! Great after a long day rambling in the mountains.
Owens Valley Distillery: Thursday–Saturday • 12–8pm. Delicious alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. Rotating food vendors starting at 5:30pm each day. See their Instagram to view the current week’s lineup.
Taqueria Las Palmas: Open everyday • 11am–9pm. Mexican restaurant with a full bar.
Food Trucks and Pop-ups
Cloudripper: East and Southeast Asian street food. Check Instagram for times and locations.
Pinon Pizza: Wood-fired pizza. Check Instagram for times and locations.
Pino Pies: New Zealand-style savory meat pies, also on the menu are gluten-free, vegan, and dessert pies. Check Instagram for times and locations.
The Rolling Chef 395: Latin American fusion food. Check Instagram for times and locations.
Taqueria Mi Guadalajara: Open everyday • 11:30am–10pm. This taco truck has a great variety of authentic menu items along with vegan options.
Uncle Shyam’s: Filipino-inspired Asian street food. Check Instagram for times and locations.
Groceries
Manor Market: Open everyday • 6am–8pm. This is Bishop's premier mom-and-pop grocery! Enjoy their friendly, personable service, quirky down-home atmosphere, and awesome selection of hard-to-find gourmet items as well as your pantry's staples. Grab and go options as well!
Blue Lupine: Monday - Saturday • 10a–4pm. Bishop’s health food store. Offers a selection of bulk foods.
Bishop's big box grocery stores, located within a 2-minute drive of each other, are Grocery Outlet, Vons, and Smart and Final.
Rest Days and Evening Activities
Check the Visit Bishop event calendar for things happening around town. Friends of the Inyo, the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, and Eastern Sierra Land Trust also offer talks and programs throughout the year. Below are some of our favorite rest day and evening activities!
Paiute Shoshone Cultural Center: Tuesday-Friday 10am-6; Saturday, Sunday 10am-3pm. Free with a suggested donation. Supported by the Bishop Paiute Tribe, visit to learn more about the history of these lands and its orignial stewards.
Keoughs Hot Springs Wednesday–Monday, hours vary per day, typically 11am–6pm. Open year-round. There is a hot soaking tub and a large swimming pool with a cooling waterfall. RV campsites and rustic cabins are also available for booking.
Wellness, Massage, and Yoga Studios: Choose one of the local wellness studios in town to stretch out, receive massage care or join a workout! You can't go wrong choosing any of the local studios. Sierra Shanti and Mary DeVore Fitness & Wellness. Appointments may be required so visit the individual websites for more information.
Bishop Twin Theater: Locally owned and operated movie theater with very reasonable prices. Check the website for show times.
Classes at C5 Studio: Local non-profit that supports the arts. They offer affordable classes like salsa dancing and art classes, and host events like open mic night. Check out their calendar for classes and events!
Manzanar National Historic Site: Hours vary, call ahead to confirm if they are open. Free, located 1 hour South of Bishop, near Independence. In 1942, the US government ordered more than 110,000 men, women, and children to leave their homes and detained them in remote, military-style camps. Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of ten camps where the US government incarcerated Japanese immigrants ineligible for citizenship and Japanese American citizens during World War II. This is an important site that all people, not just climbers, should visit.
Eastern California Museum: Thursday–Tuesday • 10am–5pm. Free admission. Located in Independence, This museum collects, preserves, and interprets objects and information related to the cultural and natural history of Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra.
Laws Railroad Museum: Open everyday • 10am–4pm. Donations accepted for admission. This is not just another train museum! It is a beautifully preserved reminder of the small, once lively town of Laws and the railroad station it served.
Mammoth Mountain: Hours vary based on season and weather, call ahead before making the drive. Mammoth Mountain is in the town of Mammoth Lakes, 45 minutes north of Bishop. The resort offers year-round recreation such as winter snowsports, summer mountain biking and their year-round panorama gondola takes you to 11,053 ft.. IKON passes accepted. Check out the Visit Mammoth for more information on the town and amenities.
Hiking (Fall through Spring)
The COSA: The Bishop Paiute Reservation Conservation Open Space Area (COSA) covers 24.8 acres of stunning wetlands dedicated to conservation, research, education, and outdoor education. Enjoy a leisurely walk on the 1.2 miles of trail and visit their website to learn more about the diverse wildlife and plants in this sanctuary. Parking directions.
Lower Rock Creek Trail: Easy, out-and-back trail, as long as you want, up to 16 miles. This beautiful trail weaves among tall Jeffrey pines and thick groves of aspen trees as it follows Rock Creek from the top of the Sherwin Plateau down the narrow canyon for about 8 miles one-way.
Tungsten Peak: Moderate, out-and-back trail, 2 miles round trip, 1200 ft elevation gain. The views are breathtaking with vistas in every direction from the numerous peaks and are especially lovely in winter. 2WD, low-clearance vehicles may have a hard time driving to the trailhead.
Druid Stones Hike: Hard, loop trail, up to 7 miles, 2000 ft elevation gain. Often done as an out as back so you can go as far as you choose. This steep trail gains over 2,000 ft in under 3 miles, this hike delivers a bird’s eye view of Bishop. This hike is also the approach to the Druid Stone bouldering area! Park on the shoulder of Bir Road and walk the quarter mile to the trailhead- the dirt road between Bird Rd and the parking lot is extremely rough.
Other Hikes and Trail Running: Sage to Summit has a plethora of trail ideas to choose from! Check out THIS website for inspiration!
Try a Non-Climbing Sport
Road or mountain biking (year-round) are wonderful cross-training options in the Eastern Sierra. Check out THIS road biking blog for more information and routes, and THIS one for mountain biking. Visit Aero Head, the local bike shop for repairs, ride information, and all your mountain, road, and gravel bike needs. Or rent an ebike through E-bike Bishop!
Fly fishing (year-round) The Bishop area is renowned for its trout fishery. Whether it’s the challenge of the catch-and-release wild trout section of the Owens River or casting your line into a sparkling lake, the chance of catching a big one is always there. Check out THIS blog of one of these guiding services: Golden Trout Guiding Co, Sierra Drifters, Sierra Bright Dot.
Other Local Shops
Tera Kaia Basewear: Small, grassroots company that is 100% woman and gender-nonconforming owned and run. They make technical outdoor apparel for women and gender-nonconforming people.
C5 Gift Shop: Local non-profit that supports the arts. You will find goods from local artists and artisans such as gifts, greeting cards, books, jewelry, baskets, tea, coffee, candles, herbal apothecary products, toys, t-shirts, art materials, books, prints, and much more!
Spellbinder Books: Locally owned bookstore that offers a variety of novels, field guides, climbing guidebooks, and locally crafted goods
Tailwaggers Pet Store Bishop: Has the largest collection of pet supplies in our little town. You will find everything you need for your dogs, cats, fish, reptiles, and small animals.
Pet Watching Services: Plan on having a long day in the mountains or you don’t want to bring your dog to the crag? Check out some of these dog-sitting services: Donna the Dog Lady (Bishop), Rover (locations vary), Pup Hiking Company (Mammoth), and Sierra Dog Ventures (Mammoth).
Support Local Businesses
There is power in choosing to spend your money at the small, locally-owned businesses in Bishop. From 2019-2020, Eastern Kentucky University studied the economic impact of rock climbing in the Bishop area. Climbers visiting Bishop/Inyo County spend an estimated $15.6 million annually in Bishop and Inyo County. Due to COVID-19’s impacts on visitation, Bishop and Inyo County lost over $10 million annually in potential climber expenditures. Read more on the economic impact of climbers in Bishop HERE.