Owens River
Bishop / Big Pine (Owens Valley, Hwy 395) · near Bishop / Big Pine · Eastern Sierra
Rivers & Whitewater
At a glance
- Season
- Spring–fall · Mellow flows most of the year in the lower gradient stretches
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Largely public-land access in the Owens Valley (LADWP/BLM). The Owens is a gentle, meandering Class I–II float — a paddling and fishing river, not a whitewater run. Self-guided.
What is here
- Activities
- kayaking · self-guided · tubing
Worth knowing
- Minimum age
- All ages (gentle water)
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Guides, rentals and operators
- Outfitters
- Self-guided / Bishop-area rentals
Rivers & Whitewater detail
- Nickname
- The Eastern Sierra Float
- Class min
- I
- Class max
- II
- Trip options
- Mellow flatwater floats · Self-guided, year-round-ish
- Key rapids
- Gentle meanders
- Intl tip
- Bishop is the Eastern Sierra hub — pair an Owens float with Keough's Hot Springs (swimming guide), the Buttermilk climbing (climbing guide), and Lower Rock Creek MTB (MTB guide). The Owens Valley's wild-trout section is legendary; check CDFW regulations if fishing.
The guide
The Owens River is the Eastern Sierra's gentle counterpoint to all that Sierra whitewater — a slow, meandering Class I–II river…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Owens River — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.234, -118.403