Inyo National Forest

Infobox_protected_area | name = Inyo National Forest
iucn_category = VI

---

caption = Map of the United States
locator_x = 19
locator_y = 82
location = Eastern Sierra Nevada Range
nearest_city = Bishop, California
lat_degrees = 37
lat_minutes = 51
lat_seconds = 10
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 118
long_minutes = 17
long_seconds = 10
long_direction = W
area = 1.9 million acres (7700 sq km)
established = May, 1907
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body =USDA / US Forest Service
website = [http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ Inyo National Forest]

Inyo National Forest is a federally protected forest in the United States. It is mostly located in California convert|1839887|acre|km2, but has a small section in western Nevada of convert|60656|acre|km2.cite web|url=http://www.forestcamping.com/dow/pacficsw/inyoinfo.htm|title=Inyo National Forest|work=U.S. National Forest Campground Guide] It stretches from the eastern side of Yosemite to south of Sequoia National Park. Geographically it is split in two, with each part roughly serving as a border of Owens Valley, the Mammoth Lakes region and the Mono Lake region. A majority of the forest is federally protected wilderness, including part of the Ansel Adams Wilderness.

The name "Inyo" comes from a Native American word meaning "dwelling place of the great spirit." It was used by local Native Americans to describe the local mountains, now known as the Inyo Mountains, to early settlers of the area. The Inyo National Forest was named after Inyo County, California, in which much of the Forest resides. [cite web|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/faq/|title=Frequently Asked Questions|work=Inyo National Forest|publisher=US Forest Service|accessdate=2007-02-04] It is located in parts of Inyo, Mono, Tulare, and Madera counties in California, and Esmeralda and Mineral counties in Nevada. Forest headquarters are located in Bishop, California. The forest was established on May 25, 1907. On July 1, 1945 land from the former Mono National Forest was added. [citation|title=PDFlink| [http://www.foresthistory.org/Research/usfscoll/places/National%20Forests%20of%20the%20U.S.pdf National Forests of the United States] |341 KB|date=September 29, 2005|author=Davis, Richard C.|publisher=The Forest History Society]

The Forest is home to the oldest non-clonal living tree on earth: the Bristlecone pine named "Methuselah", dated at 4,839 years old, grows at an undisclosed location within the forest. [cite web|url=http://www.conifers.org/pi/pin/longaeva.htm|title=Pinus longaeva|work=Gymnosperm database]

Destinations

Popular within Inyo National Forest are:
* Mono Lake
* Tioga Lake
* Tioga Pass
* June Lake
* Lone Pine
* Mammoth Lakes
* Mount Whitney
* Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

See also

*Sierra Nevada (U.S.)
*Owens Valley
*White Mountains (California)
*Mono Lake

References