Valley History
The Sunrise Pool
Named for the wonderful view soakers enjoyed in early morning hours, watching the sunrise descend on the lofty Inyo Mountains, this favored pool has become increasingly protected from winds through the years, with the introduction of arroweed. The past few years has seen a proliferation of introduced palm trees as well, and increasingly, the view of sunrise on the Inyos has been lost.
My view of the Inyo Mountains circa 1986
The sunrise pool was built around 1965 in response to increasing visitor use at the Saline Valley Lower Warm Springs. (Occasionally, two vehicles would be there at the same time. In the early days, people preferred to soak by themselves.) Big Al speaks of a fellow who decided to spend a season while authoring a book, and built the pool during his visit. The Forest Service supplied much of the cement over a period of time.
Visitors are no longer shy about sharing the pool.
This is the sunrise pool as it appears in Spring, 2000
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