The Inyo Mountains are a dry mountain range east of the southern sierras. They are basically a southern continuation of the White Mountains to south of Westgard Pass. They continue to the area east of Owens Lake. These mountains are lower and drier than the White Mountains, although Mt Inyo reaches over 11,000 feet. They also have an interesting rock formation called Winnedumah Paiute Monument, an 80 foot tall pinacle on the ridge east of Independence. This pinnacle was sacred to the Native Americans and also has an unparalleled view of the Sierras from the top. Its a brutal cross country hike of at least 5 miles from the base of the mountains to this area but it's well worth it. Bring your own water and some good topos. The Inyo Mountains are also home to some really interesting mineral deposits, in the past they were mined a bit but not much of these mining operations remain.