Bristlecone Motel

Close to the Sierras and Death Valley. Room was clean, bathroom was large. Store and gas right there. You check in at store.

The room had all the amenities that i needed. The bathroom was super clean and the bath products were great quality and easy to access. It was nice and convenient that the general store was part of the campus. I was very happy to park my car right outside the room! It gave me peace of mind! I had a great time there!

Super fast check in. They just asked my name and handed me my key. Less than 30 seconds. The staff were super friendly and helpful. Checkin is at the general store in front of the rooms so you can get groceries and snacks as well as fuel all within feet of your room. Also prices room prices are very affordable compared to other locations in Bishop or Independence. I highly recommend

Convenient gas station right there

this place is perfect for hiking big pine, only 20 minutes away. clean, but don't expect a luxury hotel. great space. would stay again. not a lot of food around but gas station has a good random selection.

I thought checking in at the Chevron next door was a little strange, but the process was quick and the staff was friendly and helpful with my questions. Being unfamiliar with the area, he was helpful in suggesting to me hiking trails and a good local place to eat. The room was clean and comfortable and quiet for the one night I was there. Found a beautiful hike just a short drive away. The only negative was having to take the ice bucket to the Chevron to get ice from the soda fountain.

Room was perfect with a little kitchen. I love that they don’t charge extra for pets. It’s convenient to have the little store right there for all your needs.

For the area, the room was better than others I experienced. Parking was an issue. No place was open for dinner so we had to drive to Bishop.

The room was very clean and spacious. It is a one story motel so you can park right outside of your room. Check in was quick and easy at the gas station. To get ice, you go to the gas station next door. We did not have an ice bucket so we just used a bag. When the worker at the store said, “There’s a bucket in your room.” And we responded with there wasn’t one(and we didn’t mind). He quickly responded, “Well you should have told us.” in a curt manner, but whatevs. The real downfall is that you can easily hear the neighbors.

Property is small and pretty basic but it does it well for a property that’s joined by a gas station and market/hardware store. Limited parking adjacent to rooms. Dog friendly with no fee.

The room was clean and tge bed was firm. The furniture was dated but what mattered was the room was comfortable and clean

The motel accommodated for a late checkin through the Chevron station. We checked in at 9:30pm with no problems. The room was clean and quiet. The bed was comfortable.

Was fooled by the positive reviews… I stayed one night and it was fine, but it’s an old sort of rundown place that needs a lot of upgrades. The bed wasn’t very comfy. The sheets and towels had stains on them. The bathtub was filled with hair to the point it didn’t drain well. The pillows had the plastic coverings on them. The walls had gunk on them. I never felt unsafe though which is good but honestly would’ve been worth it to stay somewhere else. I tried to tell the manager about these things but he couldn’t look me in the eye and give me an answer he basically just said I have to live with it. Check out the spots in Bishop or the Starlight Motel instead.

The location is great if you are headed to the mountains. The store on the grounds was convenient. Wifi in room 26 was VERY slow if it connected at all. The bathroom needs a sunshade/curtain to keep it from getting too hot due with sun. If it wasn’t for the poor attention to cleanliness, I would stay here again. Dirty dishes, cobwebs, moldy shower walls, etc.

I didn’t stay. (Female solo traveler) the room was off-site in an alley behind the main hotel. It felt very unsafe. Once inside the carpets were very stained, the room smelled off and again locks felt insecure and unsafe. 3 men worked the front desk and would’ve all been aware that I was alone. As the desk person walked me to the room (because again, it’s off-site) he’d even commented that the owner was back there all the time and I’d “be safe”. I think even they are aware that space would make a solo traveler very uncomfortable. This particular apartment needs additional disclaimers to be rented to the general public.

It was old fashioned and convenient. Clean rooms. Confortable bed

Older place, but wonderfully quiet, everyone on staff nice, and the place was very clean!

The property was clean and parking was right outside your room. The room is pretty bare minimum, no fancy linens or pictures on the walls. BUT, it was super clean, quiet,and the bed was comfortable! AND, it had a fridge, microwave AND I was able to watch Netflix for free!

RED ALERT BED BUGS When me and my gf woke up in the morning she was covered in bug bites and there were many blood spots on the mattress. Avoid for now.

The room was clean and the check-in staff who are actually at the gas station were helpful. Parts of the room in the bathroom seemed a little worn but the microwave and fridge functioned well and the fan unit was good for blocking out noise.

Was only here for a night. Stopping at a halfway point from hiking Mt Whitney. Hotel Lobby was closed. I saw one guest drive in circles in confusion. But a note on the lobby door directed me to check in at the chevron gas station next to the building. Middle of summer - I get the temps are pushing 100 degrees. Would have been nice if the room had been prepared for a guest with the AC on. When I walked in, the room was hotter than being outside.. I quickly turned the AC on, which was a challenge to navigate as all of the buttons had worn off. - Since Lobby was closed I handled the situation myself, I was too wasted from the hike to look for help. The coffee shop across the street was legit though. Def would go out of my way to stop in there again. Brewed Awakening.

Rooms are HUGE, very clean, and rates are the best in the area. We always stay here when we’re in the Sierras.

This is a great place to stay, clean, quiet and you can park right next to your room. Only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because the WiFi is really bad, I got 1 bar at best

This is a no frills motel with large rooms and great for families. Our room had a full kitchen and was stocked with necessary items. The room was comfortable if a bit dated. No USB ports to charge phones, etc. Older T/V. Overall a good bargain.

We stayed one night on the way to L.A. from the north. Our unit was like a little apartment, with a bed in the "living room" and one in the bedroom. It was very pleasant and right next door to a gas station and a country market. The unit had a kitchen too! I think The Bristlecone Motel is designed for people who are staying longer than we are, but it worked for us as well.

The rooms are simple and clean. A great stopover and excellent price for what you get. The only drawback is the closeness with HWY 395.

The WiFi did not work unless you were in the store. Booked two rooms and the WiFi dropped as soon as you went 50 feet out of the store

Very small and loud

The bed in our room was very hard the AC stayed on instead of turning off and on Room 16 is not a good room Bathroom door is hard to close It’s very noisy heard everything people talking

The toilet would not flush right, and the lights flickered on and off and the plug-ins in the bathroom did not work.

Check in didn't go so great. They close at 11pm and we let them know that we would get there around 11:05pm and they said no problem the door will be left unlocked to our unit. We got there exactly at 11:05pm, door was locked, no one was to be found and no one was answering the phone, but we left a voicemail anyways. It was about 20 degrees outside, our car was completely full of items so we would have had no where to sleep. There was 3 of us and every place was completely booked, so we started to try the window and see if it was unlocked to get inside. Luckily, it was! (Security Issue??) Got settled and went to bed. Around 12:15am, our door opened and it was a worker! To his surprise we were already in the room, which scared him (and us), but luckily he gave us the key and we went back to bed. Weirdly, the next morning no one ever called us back or had us do anything for checkin. Fast forward 4 nights later on New Years Eve, a lady was sitting outside our door when we got back to the motel around 12:15am. I wished her a happy new year and then we went inside and locked the door. Not even a few minutes later, she started to try and break into our room! She was using some tool to unlock our dead bolt but luckily we saw it turning, ran to it and held the door shut. My boyfriend opened the blinds and had to tell her 3 times to leave before she went away. Needless to say, won't be going back here. Place itself was fine (beds eh), but the rest....not so much!

Front desk (gas station) was a little rushed and curt, check in and check out was a little odd. Overall decent room, and value. Would stay again in a pinch.

What a cool little spot to stay! We picked them because it looked like a nice quiet place to get away for a night. Staff at check in was helpful and polite, even pointed out a nice coffee shop for the morning. No dedicated lobby and the website was a little out of date but overall great older place to bunk near lots of cool old school charm. We will definitely be back

Super fast check in. They just asked my name and handed me my key. Less than 30 seconds. The staff were super friendly and helpful. Checkin is at the general store in front of the rooms so you can get groceries and snacks as well as fuel all within feet of your room. Also prices room prices are very affordable compared to other locations in Bishop or Independence. I highly recommend

My son and I stayed there because we were going on our first backpacking trip. At around 9 PM I discovered that the latch on the window did not lock. I stuck my pole in the window and carried on. It was a street level room so I consider that to be very unsafe. In the morning I did report it to one of the workers and he denied that it was broken. I asked him to follow me and we would check it out. He refused because he was working the cash register at the gas station. He was very rude about the whole situation and was mad at me for reporting it.

Nice little motel, easy check in and check out, friendly employees

Convenient access to Bristlecone Pine Forest. Very unfriendly staff, we never felt welcome there

Liked the quietness. Staff has zero customer service skills.

Easy check-in & check-out. Staff was friendly & accommodating. Easy decision to book again when my travels take me through here.

The room was a bit outdated, but we appreciated the simple and budget-friendly option in this great location close to tons of hiking and other outdoor recreation opportunities. The staff were great - even though they are busy running the gas station, the person who checked us in was quick and efficient.

Extremely convenient - probably best location for hikers. Chevron store (also the hotel check in desk) has all the gear and food you need. They even have some exotic options. Location is not very quiet but safe, AC works. 40 mins away from all the major trails

Loves that it was so close to the big pine lakes trail head.

Great hotel in Big Pine, convenient to hiking and other adventures in Sierra Nevada and White Mountains. Clean, comfortable rooms at a great price.

spent the night before hiking Mt Whitney.

this place is perfect for hiking big pine, only 20 minutes away. clean, but don't expect a luxury hotel. great space. would stay again. not a lot of food around but gas station has a good random selection.

Close to mountaineering destinations

Clean and comfortable. Convenient location for a small town. Just a little jaunt down the road from Mammoth. Would definitely stay again.

I stayed here for 6 days while hiking Big Pine Lakes and visiting the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. The location is excellent—quiet, clean, and perfectly positioned for outdoor exploration without the bustle of Bishop. If you're looking for peace, proximity, and a clean room with a decent bathroom, this motel delivers. However, don’t expect a traditional hospitality experience. The motel is run out of a gas station, and while the setup may be efficient for the owner, it lacks the professionalism you'd expect from a hospitality-focused property. The on-site office isn’t used, and staff interactions varied—some were courteous, others clearly untrained in guest service. A gas station clerk simply isn’t equipped to manage guest expectations. Overall, I’d give it a B. For my hiking-focused trip, it met my needs. But if customer service and hospitality matter to you, this may not be the right fit.

One night stay on on work related trip. Room was clean, and what I expected to find in a small, local, high dessert town. Not luxurious but old school charm with modern amenities, surprised how quiet it was especially on main HWY. (395). Could not beat the price, and everything in town is within walking distance. Would definitely stay here again

Was only here for a night. Stopping at a halfway point from hiking Mt Whitney. Hotel Lobby was closed. I saw one guest drive in circles in confusion. But a note on the lobby door directed me to check in at the chevron gas station next to the building. Middle of summer - I get the temps are pushing 100 degrees. Would have been nice if the room had been prepared for a guest with the AC on. When I walked in, the room was hotter than being outside.. I quickly turned the AC on, which was a challenge to navigate as all of the buttons had worn off. - Since Lobby was closed I handled the situation myself, I was too wasted from the hike to look for help. The coffee shop across the street was legit though. Def would go out of my way to stop in there again. Brewed Awakening.

We really enjoyed our stay here. Our room was large with two double beds and a single, plus dining area. The room was spotless and real care had been taken in getting it ready eg the way the towels and toiletries had been set out. The staff at the store where you check in and out were friendly and helpful and the store itself has everything we needed re food and drinks. We went to the Copper Top BBQ down the road for food - definitely recommended.

The check-in staff was friendly and welcoming. The room was clean and included a large bathroom, fridge, and microwave. The use of solar power was awesome. The associated store had everything including camp supplies, hardware, locally grown veggies, and all kinds of groceries. The homemade sandwiches were tasty and fresh.

Convenient budget stop between Tahoe and SoCal. Hot water was warm, not hot. Place is clean with comfortable bed. Tasty BBQ walkup business within walking distance.

Comfortable, Great Staff, Market has wonderful made on site sandwiches and unusually good selection and quality of items for a smaller store.

This a very basic property; run by wonderful people. It is clean, air conditioned and has very few amenities. Every eatery in town was closed.

Large room with full kitchenette. Nice linens. AC was a small "window type" unit in our room, but most all other rooms had larger standard wall units. Nice convenience store on property had about everything you needed, including food items for you to cook. All four restaurants in town were closed on the day we stayed, due to high school graduations.

Property was OK, but very expensive for the small room. Most restaurants in town were closed down.

Check in early or be prepared to make your own dinner, restaurants close early!

Clean room, bed, and bathroom. Right next to a general store style gas station for whatever you might need. Friendly people. And only a 5 minute walk from great coffee, at new awakenings, or some of the best pulled pork I've had, at copper top bbq. My only gripes are the wifi is intermittent, the crickets or trucks right outside the room can be VERY loud, and there was one big stain on the carpet. Overall, a good place to see the Mamoth area, Inyo national forest, and the scenic hiking spots just near Big Pine.