Bishop is the the heart of the Eastern Sierra – the Sierra Nevada rise to nearly 14,000′ in height to the west while the White Mountains to the east are just over that height. The famed Owens Valley is gateway to Yosemite National Park, Death Valley National Park, and is a wonderland for visitors from all over the world.
Driving:
Bishop is a five hour drive from Los Angeles or Las Vegas, and about three and a half hours from Reno, Nevada. The drive from the Bay Area can be as short as five or six hours and significantly longer if Tioga and Sonora Passes are still shut, which they are about half of the time at this time of year.
If driving Google will get you here just fine but there are sometimes subtle options. For instance, if coming from Las Vegas you have the option to drive through or avoid Death Valley National Park. Avoiding is faster by half an hour but driving through is the much more interesting option (and you could stop and do some quick heat training!). Coming from Reno an interesting and only slightly longer option is to take the Smith Valley option, which has much less traffic (and fewer deer) and is only two miles longer. Any drive to Bishop is a spectacular undertaking due to the grand scenery. We suggest you take your time getting here!
If flying and renting a car compare prices from Reno (shortest drive), Las Vegas (usually cheapest) and Los Angeles area (most traffic) airports. Flying into Mammoth is an option but the on-time rate for that flight hovers, so to speak, around 15%. There’s one flight a day into Mammoth.
It can be done – The easiest way is to fly into Reno and take the Eastern Sierra Transit bus (ESTA). Check the schedule carefully – it does not operate every day of the week. Typically the bus leaves Reno around noon and gets to Bishop 4.5 hours later. Once in Bishop you’ll have to connect up with another racer for local transport. Use the forum on the race’s Ultrasignup page. We’ll be happy to start a list of car poolers, too.
There are many camping options including staying in the Millpond Campground, which is a short crawl from the race start and finish. They have a finite amount of space, though, so reservations should be made early. 760-873-5342 or http://www.brownscampgrounds.com/millpond.html. They have showers and the usual amenities. We are told that reservations open on March 1.
The closest public campgrounds include the nearby BLM “Pit”, which charges a modest fee, would be warm, and is across the highway from the race start. Higher elevation campgrounds might be a better option due to the heat and include Bitter Brush and Four Jeffrey, both up Bishop Creek. See Recreation.gov to look into those. As of this writing Bitterbrush is first come, first served (no reservations). It’s 10 minutes from race start and about 6,500′ elevation. Four Jeff is about 8,000′ elevation, is big, and takes reservations.
Low-key vehicle camping is allowed in the race parking area, but not encouraged.
Bishop has a huge array of motel options. On the high end, and quite comfy, is the Bishop Creekside Inn. Mid range motels are abundant in town and they seldom fill up except for busy holiday weekends. At the time of this writing no motels have offered special rates for our runners but we’re working on it.
Bishop Ultras is produced and operated by the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (ESIA) as a non-profit fund raiser. ESIA is a non profit. The races are conducted with permits from these land managers: Inyo National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, LADWP, Inyo County Parks, and Caltrans. In accordance with common decency and respect, Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, Bishop Ultras and ESIA are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”