GUT CHECK

 This article was originally published in the May 24, 2025 Edition

Sometimes your eyes don’t lie and you have to trust your gut. 

While traversing US 395 this spring, it felt like there was noticeably less traffic on the road. Fewer cars, fewer SUVs and pickups, and an obvious decline in semi-truck traffic. So what’s up? A slow spring? An uncertainty freakout? International politics, tensions and trauma stopping the flow of Europeans? All of the above? None of the above? 

I can be deceived by my old eyes, so I started to pay more attention to some obvious “markers” that provide reliable hints of the number of visitors and travelers in the Owens Valley. 

First off, it was clear there were far fewer semis on the road and parked at the Caltrans Rest Stop north of Independence. Another visitor barometer is the Copper Top BBQ in Big Pine. Usually on any given Friday and particularly on Sunday afternoon the place is packed. But that wasn’t quite the case in the past few weeks. There were still plenty of cars and customers, but it wasn’t totally jammed like it was during ski season. 

The shortage of semis was immediately noticeable in Bishop. There were days when I hardly saw any big rigs on Main Street instead of the day long parade of dozens and dozens (others noticed the dearth of big rigs and were delighted since that made the Main Drag much more cozy and quiet – can our politicians wake up, take a hint and start lobbying for a bypass?). This is a visible result of the Trump Administration’s tariffs on Chinese and Asian imports, which literally stopped the flow of goods into the port of LA/Long Beach then onto semis heading up highways 395 and 6 to the cluster of warehouses, from Foot Locker to Amazon, in the Reno/Sparks Metroplex. 

There was also minimal traffic while driving through Death Valley (also called The Shortcut to Las Vegas). The Panamint Springs and Stovepipe convenience stores (also called Mandatory Hydration Stations) were pleasantly uncrowded. Some of my Mandatory Caffeine Ingestion Stations in Bishop which also attract highway travelers also felt a little less busy then usual. 

So I had to do some actual reporter work. Sigh. 

 First, Death Valley National Park. Park Service data shows things weren’t so hot this spring. Overnight stays in March of 2025 at the Oasis Inn and Ranch came in at about 10,000, down a jaw-dropping 60% compared to March of 2024 which had 25,000 overnights. Overall, for the first quarter, stays at those two high-end spots are down 30%. 

If that hotel trend holds, it could hit Inyo County in the wallet. Death Valley accounts for about 90% of the county’s TOT (bed tax). *Note that this number does not include Bishop. 

Campgrounds saw about the same visitation so far in 2025 as in 2024, at about 98,000. 

Total visitors year-to-date, however, are only down about 10%. But there’s a catch. In January, the park saw 125,000 visitors, far higher than the post-pandemic averages of about 85,000. February and March saw drops in total visitors that overcame the January surge and brought the total visits to around 370,000. 

Historically, peak visitation comes in April and May, according to Park Service data. And typically, about half the park’s visitors in the summer months are international travelers. Last year the park recorded 1.4 million total visitors. Ponder that number for a while, please. 

Businesses in Lone Pine are bearing the brunt of the drop in general traffic on 395 and fewer international and Death Valley visitors. With a small population, Lone Pine lives and dies on tourism. 

Conversations with business owners revealed Main Street businesses have seen a dramatic drop in visitors and spending which has put hotels, restaurants and shops on edge. Less traffic on 395 is hurting “drop in” business. For the second year, the big spring event, the Wild Wild West Marathon, which gives Lone Pine businesses a running start, so to speak, to the tourist season, has been shifted to fall.

Peak-baggers heading to Mt. Whitney, usually about 10,000 a year, are another reliable stream of revenue for Lone Pine. Same with hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. This year, observers are detecting far fewer international hikers and climbers. The Trump administration’s budget cuts and layoffs in national parks and national forests are creating confusion and cancellations. For example, the Pacific Crest Trail Association cancelled all its trail maintenance projects this year due to budget cuts, which could have impacted the drop in total permits for this year. 

Visit California and national travel groups have all reduced estimates for the number of international travelers coming to the US this year. Visit California dropped its estimate of visitor spending in the state by $6 billion. Canadian travelers, in a show of national pride after Trump insisted the nation should become the 51st US state and then imposing tariffs on the country, have been the most pronounced group to “just say no” to vacations in the US. So much so, Visit California has created a targeted marketing campaign, “California Loves Canada,” to entice the Canadians. It’s not working. Canadian travel to the US by car in April dropped 35% and by air by about 20%, according to the Canadian government. 

Germans are also dropping vacation plans after several horrifying incidents where German tourists were detained, jailed and even strip searched at the border. That created screaming headlines: “Berlin woman endures ‘horror story’ in U.S. detention center while facing deportation,” wrote one German newspaper. “Is the USA cracking down on German tourists entering the country?” wrote another, as cited in the LA Times. 

That has resulted in far fewer Germans arriving in California. Travel from Germany this March was down 26% from March 2024, according to the International Trade Administration, a German government agency. Death Valley is always mentioned as one of the most popular California destinations for Germans, who get six weeks of paid vacation a year (ponder that), and rank third in US travel spending, behind the Chinese and Americans. 

Everyone commenting on the spring season and the upcoming summer season mentioned the negative impact on international travel created by the Trump administration’s antagonistic, hostile rhetoric about the rest of the world, aggressive approach to immigration issues spilling over to travelers, the upheaval caused by ongoing tariffs and a trade war. Then there is looming inflation and general economic uncertainty. That combo of factors does not help the tourist industry and tarnishes the US “brand” as a warm and welcoming travel destination. 

In Bishop, a number of business owners acknowledged general traffic has been down recently, with some weekends being notably slower. But they also pointed out the town is not as reliant on international or even national visitors. Bishop benefits from tapping the Southern California market for steady business. Plus, since it’s a bigger town, businesses count on locals coming through the doors. That will likely offset a drop in international or US visitors. May is also barely the start of the tourist season, with Mule Days kicking off (literally) the big summer months. 

There is definitely a difference this spring in traffic and visitors, said Tawni Thompson, executive director of the Bishop Chamber and Visitors Bureau, who is always more then willing to talk about tourism and marketing. While international travelers are a well-heeled, solid visitor group, Bishop caters to a broader range of travelers and has the steadying influence of locals, she reiterated. That could decrease the impact of a big drop in international visitors. Bishop is in a sweet spot and presents a solid option to numerous California and US travelers looking for comfortable, reliable vacation destination. The area has developed a solid core of SoCal visitors, she said. And when inflation or economic angst sets in, Bishop and Inyo County are an alternative to longer, more expensive trips. “We’re an affordable, comfortable destination.” Thompson said the marketing effort will continue to pitch Bishop and Inyo County to international travelers. 

A notable impact of the staff cuts and uncertainty surrounding the surrounding public lands, Thompson said, is that the Bishop Visitor Center is seeing a big jump in phone calls and walk-ins asking for the latest on road conditions, permits, camping and other issues. Lone Pine businesses said they also are functioning as information sources for public land. People want to talk to someone local, on the ground about those issues, she said. 

“We’re a lot better off than other places,” Thompson said, while sounding a cautiously optimistic note about the coming summer season. 

Jon Klusmire of Bishop always trusts his gut when it declares it’s time for ice cream.