The Inyo National Forest is a large, complex forest, encompassing about two million acres in California and Nevada.  It contains several natural features of national and international interest. There are nine wilderness areas and six research natural areas, as well as the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, and Mt. Whitney – the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States.  Diverse geologic features, combined with the elevational extremes and attendant wide range of climatic conditions, results in tremendous floristic diversity on the Forest, with vegetation communities ranging from desert scrub, sagebrush scrub, and pinyon woodland, to Jeffrey pine, lodgepole pine, and alpine habitats. Mammoth Lakes and Bishop are both premier locations fo