Round Valley, CA

Round Valley is an Inyo County CDP in the Owens Valley northeast of Bishop, at about 4,692 feet near Mount Tom and the Sierra foothills. The 2020 census counted 482 residents. The place sits in the broad valley between desert floor and mountain wall, with Bishop supplying the main regional connections. The local name sounds generic, but this Round Valley is a distinct high-desert pocket with its own elementary school district. The mountains arrive quickly at the edge of town. Round Valley Joint Elementary serves local children through fifth grade, while Bishop Unified handles the upper grades.

ATTRDicklyon / CC BY-SA 4.0

Pine Creek and the Round Valley Wildlife Area bring a Paiute and irrigated-agriculture thread to the valley, connecting today's ranch roads and open ground with the older Owens Valley landscape. Bishop is close enough for errands and school connections, but Round Valley keeps its own spread-out feel. Round Valley's local scoop is an Owens Valley pocket where a small school district, mountain weather, and old irrigation country meet just outside Bishop.