Mount Whitney - With the beautiful high Sierra as a back drop, travel back in time and discover the unique cultural histories of those who have called this valley theirs. Paiute, farmers, ranchers, Basque shepherds, Japanese Americans interned at Manzanar, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and outdoor enthusiasts made their mark on this land and its resources. The highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney rises more than 14,000 ft (4300 m) into the Sierran sky. The crisp and jagged peaks of the Sierra betray the million years of history they represent.

Owens Lake - It was in 1845 that John C. Fremont traversed the area, naming the valley, river, and lake "Owens," after Richard Owens, an acquaintance of this famous American explorer. Second only in magnificence to the mountains, Owens Lake is a prominent feature on the landscape. Its present state as a nearly dry, dusty lakebed offers no hint of its more robust past. Before construction of the Los Angeles aqueduct, the lake covered about 100-sq mi and was up to 30-ft (9 m) deep. It is now hard to imagine that steam ships once crossed it, hauling supplies to the surrounding mining communities during the gold-rush era. Steamboats like "Bessie Brady" and "Molly Stevens" hauled ore from Keeler on the east shore, to Cartago on the west shore. It was then hauled by wagon all the way to the port of San Pedro. Further back in time, the lake was an important source of food to the Native American inhabitants. Owens Valley Paiute gathered the salty brine fly larvae that concentrated along its shore. They also collected salt left on the receding shoreline, and formed it into balls suitable for transport, which they traded to other Native American groups on the western side of the Sierra.