Location: Olancha, CA (Old Hwy 395)
Overview
I have driven past old highway 395 hundreds of times, being aware that along that road sat the metal sculptures of Olancha Sculpture Garden. Unfortunately, I was always in such a haste to get up to Bishop or Mammoth, that I never took the time to stop. Today, after a week on the road, I made our family’s final stop of the road trip, a quick one to the Olancha Sculpture Garden.
The Sculpture Garden sits about halfway between Lone Pine and Coso Junction, but on the Old Highway part of Hwy 395. This area is incredibly dry, and to be quite honest, I find it to be a rather boring drive. However, it doesn’t take long to reach the small metal sculpture garden and it is well worth the quick 10-20 minutes that most people will spend here.
The garden is the work of Israeli born Jael Hoffman. There are about 10-20 amazing sculptures and many of them are not just incredibly artistic, but quite humorous as well. While the landscape here is dry and desolate, the Sierra Nevada mountains do offer a stunning backdrop to the metal sculptures.
I’m not exactly sure why it took me so many years to stop and check this out, but I am glad I finally did. Jael is quite talented and seeing these sculptures solely by themselves in an otherwise bare environment made my day.
Getting to the Olancha Sculpture Garden
Notes, Questions and Thoughts
Is this a fee area?
- No, there are no fees to visit the Olancha Sculpture Garden but you can venmo Jael donations @JaelHoffmanpatreon.com/jsculpt
Please be respectful here. This is someone’s property, so treat the area with respect and please behave accordingly.
