US 6 / 395 – Red Hill / Fossil Falls / Coso Junction

Basin and Range – Rose Valley

Red Hill / Fossil Falls / Coso Junction
El. 3386′

Looking north toward Red Hill with Fossil Falls to the right.
Fossil Falls with US 395 in the distance
Red Hill and the smaller cinder cone that northbound US 395 passes through.

US 6 / 395 passes through a volcanic area between Little Lake and Olancha. This volcanic field was last active around 40 kya. These volcanoes produced lava flows which blocked the ancient course of the Owens River, creating a short lived lake in the Rose Valley area. Waterfalls also formed as a result of these flows, which remain as “fossil” falls today.

The small cinder cone with a highway running through it. The color varies as different parts of the cone have oxidized at different rates.

There is also a volcanic cinder cone, known as Red Hill, which is also visible. The current US 395 expressway passes through part of the cone along the northbound lanes.

Looking north past the cones toward the Sierra Nevada.

Go East on US 6 / North US 395 to Bishop

Go West on US 6 / South US 395 to Mojave

Return to US 6 Introduction

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