The forest hosts several superlatives, including Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States; Boundary Peak, the highest point in Nevada; and the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, which protects the oldest living trees in the world.

[5] Most of the forest is in California, but it includes about 60,700 acres (95 sq mi; 246 km2) in western Nevada.

[6] It stretches from the eastern side of Yosemite to south of Sequoia National Park.

The name "Inyo" comes from a Native American word meaning "dwelling place of the great spirit".

Inyo National Forest also served as the filming location for the second half of the second episode in the BBC's Walking with Monsters (2005) documentary series, which was set in Early Permian Germany.