As travelers seek deeper, more responsible ways to explore California, the Native California campaign offers a roadmap for travel that connects, honors, and sustains. In Mammoth Lakes, this means seeing every mountain trail, every stream, and every sunrise as part of a much older story—one that continues to be written by those who have always called this land home.
Here are a few ways to give back and help preserve the connection between people and place:
Visit cultural centers and educational sites. Spend time at the Owens Valley Paiute-Shoshone Cultural Center or attend tribal-led community events that welcome visitors to learn and listen.
Support Indigenous-led initiatives. Organizations like the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission and Indigenous Future Society work to protect water rights, cultural landscapes, and ecological health across the region.
Practice Leave No Trace principles. Whether hiking, camping, or photographing sacred landscapes, treat each space as a living story that deserves to remain untouched for future generations. If you encounter any artifacts, objects, or remnants on the trail, please do not touch or remove them. Leave everything in place to help protect cultural history.
Seek understanding through storytelling. Read or listen to Indigenous perspectives about the Sierra and its significance. The more we learn, the more we can share accurate, respectful stories about Mammoth Lakes culture.
Every visit to Mammoth Lakes is more than a journey through mountains and meadows. It’s a chance to walk within an enduring narrative. When we listen to the land, honor its caretakers, and move with intention, we become part of something timeless. The spirit of the Bishop Paiute and Shoshone Tribes still flows through the waters, the trails, and the wind that moves across the Sierra.
By treating this place with reverence and gratitude, we help carry their story forward, so that the heart of Native California endures. The story of Mammoth Lakes is still being written, and each visitor has a line to add—one of care, reverence, and gratitude for the land and the cultures that keep it alive.