Las Vegas to Big Pine, CA – a long drive
First sighting of Big Pine from SR 168tra
Look at a US map and you’ll not – getting from Las Vegas, NV to Big Pine, CA is a long drive. About 160 miles across Nevada desert and maybe 90 miles up and over two mountain ranges, each with 7,000-plus mountain passes! That’s 250 miles with less than a dozen gas stations and even less places to grab lunch. It was a beautiful, amazing, and long drive. Our first sighting of Big Pine from Rt. 168 was delightful.
Big Pine got its name from the magnificent Sequoia (the inland version of towering coastal Redwood) that grew near here. (See if you can find any growing within the town.) Big Pine is a good basecamp for exploring all the recreational opportunities to be found in the area. The town is located between the White and Sierra Mountains, next to a sagebrush plain near Owen Lake (dry during our visit). It is amazing to look to the west and note the white of a little glacier.
A small town and many would simply bypass it for the larger Bishop, CA but give Big Pine a chance with an open mind and a sense of exploration.
