Owens Lake is a mostly dry lake in the Owens Valley on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in Inyo County, California.
It is located about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Lone Pine.
Unlike most dry lakes in the Basin and Range Province that have been dry for thousands of years, Owens held significant water until 1924, until much of the Owens River was diverted into the Los Angeles Aqueduct, causing it to desiccate.
Today, some of the flow of the river has been restored, and the lake now contains some water.
The mountain peaks on either side of the Owens Valley (including Mount Whitney) reach above 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in elevation, while the floor of the Owens Valley is at 4,500 feet (1,400 m), making the valley one of the deepest in the United States.
(from Wikipedia)