Creekside Inn, Bishop

When traveling US 395, there is no more “Eastern Sierra” accommodation than the Creekside Inn, in Bishop on Main Street (US 395) nextdoor to Erick Schat’s Bakkery.

The inn is so stylistic a reflection of the Eastern Sierra that Bishop Creek actually winds through the middle of it, with planted aspen, pine and alder along a landscaped corridor of conversation decks, gas-fed fire pits, umbrellaed tables and a large swim/spa area.

The inn’s recent floor-to-ceiling remodeling of its guest rooms and public areas has been styled to reflect a grand western lodge with natural stone, fabric and wood, a large wood-burning fireplace in the lobby  lounge, oversized leather furniture, even a welcome by bronze cowboys sculpted by western artist Fredric Remington.

Creekside Inn knows who they serve… people of discriminating taste, there to experience the Eastern Sierra in style, affordably. The inn even has a fish-cleaning room for fish caught nearby and will open a new breakfast restaurant (The Whistling Trout) to replace its buffet at the beginning of trout season, with table service and hearty servings of French toast, sausage, house-made granola with Greek yogurt, for its active guests.

For photographers, there are large desks, free WiFi and Internet to make it easier to upload images to the cloud, as well as Simmons Felicity pillow-top mattresses, top-of-the-line linens and other comforting amenities to make getting up to catch the early light a bit easier.

I stayed there recently on a scouting trip to the Eastern Sierra. Presently, fall color is now past peak up all the canyons on the Eastside. Though, the Creekside Inn is such a temptation, I want to go back.

Editor’s note: CaliforniaFallColor.com has added Booking.com. On it, Creekside Inn is rated a 9.2, as one of the best in the Eastern Sierra. We plan more lodging reviews in the future (Destinations) and encourage readers to visit Booking.com on this site to plan their stays wherever fall color is peaking.