Welcome to Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bishop, where you’re planted right in the middle of some genuinely stunning Eastern Sierra terrain. The hotel sits between Yosemite’s eastern entrance and Death Valley’s western entrance, making it a solid base camp if you’re doing any serious mountain time with your dog.
The location is about as convenient as it gets in Bishop. You can walk to most of the downtown shops and restaurants from your room, which means you’re not constantly loading up the car. There’s a city park right next to the hotel, so your dog can get proper potty breaks without much hassle. If you’re planning to fish in any of the nearby lakes and streams—and there are plenty around here—this is a reasonable place to crash between outings. Hikers using the John Muir Trail as a jumping-off point will also find it works as a comfortable base.
What makes the Eastern Sierras special, honestly, is the combination of access. You’ve got high mountain hiking, beautiful water, and relatively manageable driving distances to multiple major destinations. Bishop itself is small enough that it doesn’t feel overwhelming, but there’s enough there to resupply or grab a meal without feeling like you’re in the middle of nowhere.
One thing worth doing before you leave town is walking over to Schat’s Bakery, which has been around long enough to be an actual fixture in the community. It’s a quick walk from the hotel, and it’s exactly the kind of local spot you’d want to hit before heading back home.
The hotel gives you a straightforward place to sleep and shower while being close enough to everything that you’re not wasting time on logistics. That matters when you’re trying to maximize your time in the mountains.
Holiday Inn Bishop is the no-fuss motel pick in our Eastern Sierra dog-friendly spring guide for travelers who want a reliable Bishop base as Highway 395 opens up in spring.
