Green Creek Wildlife Area

Recreational Opportunities

Activities: wildlife viewing, birdwatching, photography, hiking, fishing, and hunting

Public lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management can be accessed from this wildlife area.

Dynamo Pond was originally built in the 1890s to serve as a water supply for a hydroelectric plant to provide electricity to Bodie, and is now a historic ghost town owned by the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Hunting: Mountain quail, black bear, and deer may be present.

Type C: Green Creek Wildlife Area does not require the purchase of a hunting pass for entry. Entry permits and/or passes or special drawing may be required for hunting on some Type C wildlife areas.

Facilities: None. The Forest Service's Green Creek Campground is approximately one mile further south.

Area History

It is reported that the Paiutes maintained herds of horses in the valley during the times of the Mexican missions. These horses were traded to the Californios as far away as Los Angeles by bands from the Bridgeport area. Artifacts indicate that summer activity was high in the Green Creek area and it may be presumed that the wildlife area was once a major summer camp and fall hunting area for the Paiute Indians.

The wildlife area also has a long history of cattle and sheep grazing. In the early 1860’s, Jesse Summers operated the Bridgeport Butcher Shop and supplied meat to Bodie. His cattle grazed Summers Meadows based at Point Ranch, 3 miles south of Bridgeport. Those cattle probably also grazed the meadows along upper Green Creek in the summer.

The property was acquired to retain and enhance the area for habitat and to assure public access where it does not conflict with maintaining habitat values. It was designated as a wildlife area by the Fish and Game Commission in 1996.