Volcanic Tablelands

It’s a few miles down a bumpy dirt road on this BLM managed land, but so worth it for a spectacular view over Bishop. Big wide expansive views will always win our hearts, and this is one we will yearn to return to.

We heard about this BLM area through a friend. Although there are quite a few nice looking camping spots, only a couple can accommodate a big rig. We were lucky to find one of those, with a 360 degree view of mountains.

The drive is uphill on a dirt road, parts of it washboard, and a bit bumpy but doable. Our site was rocky and on a slight incline but actually had a level spot. It was quite remote and beautiful.

Our site itself was clean, but upon further inspection, I found lots of broken glass on the land adjacent to the fire pit. It seems people have thrown bottles over as they sat around the campfire. Although I can't say I picked up anywhere near all the glass around, I picked up many of the larger pieces that were easier to get out of the sand. I think it can make a big difference if everyone that stays there picks up some of the glass.

It's a good place to walk doggies, as it's mostly sandy with scrubby plants. Cars on the road behind us were few and far between.

The location is minutes to the cute town of Bishop, which has lots of restaurants, a large grocery store and other amenities.

This area gets some high winds during spring, and this spot is really exposed, so we wound up leaving due to winds. There is no room to turn around, so we had to back out, but it was a very short distance.

We hope to return during a less windy time.

We spied the perfect spot on a Tuesday as we explored Volcanic Tablelands last, after having looked at every other national forest or BLM spot in the immediate vicinity of Bishop.

Pleasant Valley Pit was nothing special, literally a stoney pit with not small but not spacious sites. Another public campground, the name escapes me but it was slightly further west, was all broken roads and a busted dump station and more than twenty minutes from town. Brown's Millpond, a private park, was expensive for the relative lack of beauty or amenities. So we drove into these tablelands.

Stark and barren, hardly even much in the way of sage, they are still striking. The White Mountains to the east and Sierras to the west were still covered in snow even as we approached Memorial Day. But when the wind wasn't blowing or the rain falling--a rarity in this area that came plentiful during our stay--it was downright hot and beautifully sunbaking.

Bishop had a festival, Mule Days, which superseded the Memorial Day weekend all together. We could drive to town and enjoy all of the great restaurants within a few bumpy minutes. There is so very much to explore in this area, Buttermilk Rocks (similar but slightly different to the Alabama Hills in Lone Pine), Lake Sabrina, South Lake. The price is ever so right and the convenience makes it all the more worthwhile.

For the interested, even my four bars of AT&T LTE didn't work very well, and Verizon was all 1x...

The Volcanic Tablelands area has plenty of places to camp, and although we arrived very late afternoon we found a big pull through three miles up the washboard main road. Yes, it was a fairly sandy spot but the winds were calm so no issues.
The view? Unbelievable! Waking up to the snow capped Sierra Nevadas from an isolated hilltop is what this lifestyle is all about for us. Having said that, we do live in the digital age and planning where to go next is a lot simpler with internet access…
We use Consumer Cellular for phone and data plus a TMobile hotspot as an alternate signal and our Wi-Fi was outstanding!
As has been mentioned by others the town of Bishop has whatever you may need…food, fuel, propane, etc.
This time of year can be gorgeous in eastern California, but be advised that high profile vehicles should allow extra days for potential weather delays. We are traveling the Highway 395 corridor up to Reno and have encountered high wind warnings as well as off and on tire chain requirements.
If we could stay here for a month, we would. It is a fantastic spot!

First it is very beautiful there but I don't believe we would stay there again because of the moths. Our bus was a moth house for the last two days we were then two more days to get rid of them. The washboard road are difficult but doable. There is plenty of spots and lots of privacy. We did see horses on the first day being herded up. Very quiet and lava rock makes a very unique landscape. They had caves we climbed into as well. Bring in all your items you need cuz again prices are high there.

There are a few Boondocking spots for larger rigs right on the road and more for vans/tents on side roads. Stay a few days to explore the incredible rock art. Don’t follow Google’s instructions. Take the five Bridges Road which turns to the left and becomes Casa Diablo Mine Road. We went in a mile after the pavement ends. Unless you have four-wheel-drive, you won’t want to go to much further past a mile and a half. Bishop is a great place to stock up. There was some truck traffic during the day

I stayed here initially hoping for some good 4G and a good post office for general delivery. While fulfilling those, it proved to be a nice place to stay for a work week or so.

The road in was in pretty good condition, and the whole spur road was as well. There is a good turn around at the very end, good both for camping and just turning around for larger rigs, if you make the rest of the drive there. I opted to stay in one of the many smaller spots along the road, just because that makes the most sense for me.

There was some occasional other people driving through, but it was mostly really quiet. The spot I stayed in was very clean, and even pretty level.

There's great views of the Sierras and the White Mountains opposite. The fact that you're camping on a huge Volcanic formation is pretty cool. There's bouldering and some native American pictographs nearby, if you look for it.

I got decent Verizon 4G--even better with a booster. TMobile Edge showed up with the booster, but I wouldn't rely on it for an important business call as it went in and out regularly.

I picked up my mail general delivery to the post office in Bishop, and it worked great. There's a good Vons for grocery shopping in town and a ranger station as well.

It does got toasty as the weather is heating up and there's not much for shade at all, but that balances with wonderful sunshine for solar panels. The nearby Creek does feed mosquitoes, and I got eaten pretty bad one night, not thinking to protect myself from them at all.

All that, it is most definitely on my list of places to stop at again in the future, if I'm traveling through. It's a great spot!

We spent a night here on the way from Lone Pine to Mammoth. It's a beautiful spot with views overlooking Bishop. We were relatively close to the road so we noticed there was a fair amount of traffic. Not a bad place if you want to be near Bishop!

Formed over 700,000 years ago by the Long Valley caldera, the Volcanic Tablelands lies just north of Bishop, CA. A rock climbing paradise, this vast volcanic landscape is a dazzling high desert jewel showcasing the imposing Eastern Sierra Mountain Range, a grandiose landscape reflecting a history of extremes. For a select few, it is also a magical collection of perfectly chiseled Paiute-Shoshone Indian petroglyphs...Native American rock art.

We camped here in mid April and the Tablelands were perfect...thus our 5-star rating. Temperatures were mild during the day and in the 50's at night. Although we missed the high winds, it did make multiple appearances in the afternoon, but it was not strong enough to force us to retrieve our awnings. We have been here in the summer and the heat and dust made sure we would not return during that season.

Once you enter the Tablelands, plan on a mile or more riding a bumpy dirt road, some washboard, but very manageable for all big rigs or motorhomes with low clearance. Just take your time and enjoy the view. Although you will come across many nice camping sites within this BLM land, we noticed only a few that would accommodate a big rig...but they are there. We managed to snag this awesome site just a short walk from a valley rock facing that offered spectacular views of the White Mountains to the east, the majestic Sierras to the west and the dotted night lights of Bishop to the south.

Most of the sites are parallel to the road running through the Tableland plateau, with a turnout being your campsite. Even though the site are rocky, not always level and sometimes with patches of broken glass, the sites are for the most part pretty clean. Many of them already have fire pits rings built. There is plenty of hiking here and running room for your pets...just keep in mind this is a high desert with a lot of cacti. The Owens River runs through the valley, so if you are a fisherman, you will have many places to cast a line. You are also close to Bishop for shopping, dining, supplies and if needed, dumping of your holding tanks.

As you hike through the Tablelands, search out the valley walls to find Native American petroglyphs. There are many and some are quite elaborate. Hopefully, if you venture to seek them out, you will feel the same amazement as we did and exercise leave no trace principles at any petroglyphs you find, in order that they can continue to be protected and preserved for future generations.

I'm writing this review from here because we got the last spot in the turnaround so we left plenty of room for anyone who makes it down this far. It's a beautiful area in May because snow is still on the mountains although it is getting warmer. Anxious to visit Bishop tomorrow. But tonight it is margarita time listening to Kenny G. Yeah, my life is tough.

There are big rocks lining both sides of the road so be extra careful.