Inyo County is located near the center of California (from south to north)
and adjacent to the eastern edge of California. The County is bordered by Mono
County to the north, Tulare and Fresno Counties to the west, San Bernardino and
Kern Counties to the south, and the State of Nevada to the East. Inyo County is
the second largest county in California, comprising more than 10,142 square
miles (approximately 6,490,000 acres). The County seat is located in
Independence.
The County has a wide range of topography, including the highest point in the
continental United States (Mount Whitney at 14,497 feet above sea level) and the
lowest point in North America (Death Valley at 282 feet below sea level).
Most of the land in Inyo County is owned by public agencies. The National
Park Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and China
Lake Naval Weapons Station own more than 91.6% of the land in the County. The
City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power owns almost 2.7% of the land
in the County, and the State of California controls another 3.5%. Small portions
of land are held by the County and other local agencies. Five Native American
Nations have land within Inyo County including the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe that
owns land in Furnace Creek inside of Death Valley National Park. Private land
holdings make up less than 2% of the total land in the County. The following
land ownership map is taken from the Background Element of the Inyo County
General Plan.
