Here the Owens River flows from Crowley Reservoir through Owens Valley and down to Bishop. Much of the water now has been diverted to Los Angeles by way of a 200 plus mile aqueduct.
The river cuts through the Volcanic Tablelands, a vast volcanic landscape that was formed over 700,000 years ago by volcanic ash and material from the Long Valley caldera northwest of here to create the Owens River Gorge.