Owens Lake is a mostly dry lake in the eastern Sierra Nevada of Inyo County, California, located about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Lone Pine, California. Unlike most dry lakes in the Basin and Range Province that have been dry for thousands of years, Owens held significant water until 1924, when 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. It is bordered by Mt. Whitney on the Western shore

Mount Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous United States with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m).