Weekend escape to Lone Pine and Owens Lake

Trails along Owens Lake with views of the Sierra Nevada.

Los Angeles has built a $4.6-million rock-and-steel public plaza on a remote corner of an alkaline playa in the eastern Sierra that was a major battleground of the century-long water wars between the city and Owens Valley. It was designed to be a destination for sightseers and hikers, and a place for community gatherings and wedding ceremonies with spectacular views of the Sierra Nevada.

Rock and metal art installation in Lake Owens.

Michael Prather, left, a Lone Pine botanist, checks a specially designed round metal structure for bird viewing along the trails at Owens Lake.