Wender·Vista
Twin Lakes Bridgeport
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileCalifornia · United States
in the Eastern Sierra below the Sawtooth Ridge, southwest of Bridgeport

Twin Lakes Bridgeport

— the lake the record brown came out of.

Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
Above the bench, in a warm oak surround.
Above the bench, in a warm oak surround.
Beside the kettle, propped on the counter.
Beside the kettle, propped on the counter.
Above the linens, in a slim black surround.
Above the linens, in a slim black surround.
On the nightstand, on a light oak stand.
On the nightstand, on a light oak stand.
On a picture ledge, where the light comes in.
On a picture ledge, where the light comes in.
a note from the studio

Two glacial lakes, Upper and Lower, sit below the Sawtooth Ridge southwest of Bridgeport on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. The road climbs Robinson Creek for about thirteen miles from US-395 and ends at the Mono Village resort on Upper Twin. The water is cold, fed by snowmelt off the high peaks of the Hoover Wilderness, and famous for trout: the California state record brown, 26 pounds 8 ounces, came out of Upper Twin Lake in 1987. Boats run early; afternoon wind off the Sierra crest builds quickly and pushes the small craft back toward the launch. The aspen along the creek turns gold the last two weeks of September.

from the studio
shown in a slim black floating frame · 6 × 6 in
shown in a slim black floating frame · 6 × 6 in
— bring it home

Twin Lakes Bridgeport, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

comes gift-ready
comes gift-ready

Each tile ships in a kraft box, tied with cream ribbon, with a handwritten note from the studio if you'd like to add one.

or build a grouping
or build a grouping

Three or five different vistas, hung together — a chapter of places you've been, or want to go.

about Twin Lakes Bridgeport

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
the place

Twin Lakes lie about thirteen miles southwest of Bridgeport in Mono County, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada, at the foot of the Sawtooth Ridge. The two lakes were carved by glaciers and now sit in line along Robinson Creek; Lower Twin Lake is at about 7,000 feet and Upper Twin Lake at about 7,090 feet. Robinson Creek Road climbs through aspen and Jeffrey pine to the Mono Village resort and marina at the head of Upper Twin. The lakes sit in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The Hoover Wilderness boundary lies just west of the upper lake and includes Matterhorn Peak and the high country John Muir and Robert Underwood Johnson explored in the 1890s.

the water

The lakes are cold and deep, fed by snowmelt off the Sawtooth Ridge and Matterhorn Peak. Upper Twin Lake reaches roughly 200 feet at its deepest point and holds the California state record for brown trout, a 26-pound, 8-ounce fish caught in 1987. The lakes are stocked with rainbow trout each season and also hold native Lahontan cutthroat in the connecting streams. The two lakes are joined by a narrow creek, and fishing the channel between them is a long-standing setup at the boundary of the two waters. Afternoon winds off the Sierra crest can stand smaller boats up on edge by midday, so most anglers fish early and come off the water before the wind builds.

the visit

Robinson Creek Road climbs from US-395 just south of Bridgeport, runs about thirteen miles to the Mono Village resort at the head of Upper Twin, and ends there. The road is paved the entire way and stays open through the year, though winter access can be limited by snow. Several Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest campgrounds along Robinson Creek run from late spring through autumn. Mono Village has a marina, boat rentals, a small store, and cabins. The trailhead for Barney and Peeler Lakes and the high Hoover Wilderness leaves from the resort. Aspen along the creek turns gold the last two weeks of September and the first week of October, depending on the year.

where
United States · Mono County, California
elevation
2,161 m · 7,090 ft
position
38.1481° N · 119.3406° W
the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
21 km NE
Bridgeport
Sierra county seat
40 km E
Bodie State Historic Park
ghost town
50 km S
Mono Lake
saline lake
30 km NW
Sonora Pass
Sierra pass
10 km SW
Matterhorn Peak
Sierra peak
2 km W
Hoover Wilderness
wilderness area
N
Twin Lakes Bridgeport
Bridgeport
Bodie State Historic Park
Mono Lake
Sonora Pass
Matterhorn Peak
Hoover Wilderness
common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Twin Lakes Bridgeport — and about bringing the piece home.
about the place

The Twin Lakes lie about thirteen miles southwest of Bridgeport in Mono County, California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada at the foot of the Sawtooth Ridge. Robinson Creek Road climbs from US-395 just south of Bridgeport and ends at the Mono Village resort on Upper Twin Lake.

Lower Twin Lake sits at about 7,000 feet of elevation and Upper Twin Lake at about 7,090 feet. The lakes were carved by glaciers and now drain east along Robinson Creek toward the Bridgeport Valley. The Sawtooth Ridge and Matterhorn Peak rise sharply above them to the west.

Upper Twin Lake holds the California state record brown trout, a 26-pound, 8-ounce fish caught from the lake in 1987. The record stands. Twin Lakes browns are long-lived fish that feed on the lake's kokanee and stocked rainbows, and trophy-sized browns continue to come out of the system.

Twin Lakes is stocked with rainbow trout each season and holds large brown trout, Lahontan cutthroat in the connecting streams, and kokanee salmon. The deep water in Upper Twin produces the largest fish; the channel between the two lakes is a long-standing setup for both spin and fly anglers.

Aspen along Robinson Creek and the lake margins typically turn gold in the last two weeks of September and the first week of October. Cold nights and a dry autumn move the colour earlier; a warm September delays it. The road from Bridgeport is one of the better Eastern Sierra fall-colour drives.

Yes. The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest runs several campgrounds along Robinson Creek and at Lower Twin Lake from late spring through autumn. Mono Village at the head of Upper Twin has additional sites, cabins, a marina, boat rentals, and a small store. Backcountry sites lie just west across the Hoover Wilderness boundary.

Mono Village is the resort at the head of Upper Twin Lake. It runs a marina, boat rentals, fishing tackle, cabins, RV sites, a small store, and a cafe. The trailhead for Barney Lake, Peeler Lake, and the high Hoover Wilderness, including routes toward Yosemite's northern boundary, leaves from the resort.

about the piece in your home

Yes. Twin Lakes is one of the storied brown trout fisheries in California, and the artwork holds the lake under the Sawtooth Ridge as a single shape. A Medium in the Glossy finish reads well in a study, a fly-tying room, or a cabin entry, with a handwritten note from the studio.

The Bridgeport corridor is a long-standing Eastern Sierra summer haunt, and the painted treatment carries the lake, the aspen, and the Sawtooth as one piece. A Small or Medium pairs well next to a fly-rod rack or a topo map; a Large suits a mountain home or a lake cabin.

The deep lake-blue and granite palette reads well in mountain-modern, lodge, and Pacific Northwest rooms. The painterly stained-glass treatment also stands as a single colour anchor in a quieter California-modern study built around walnut, linen, and warm neutrals.

Above a sofa, a single Large at 24 inches anchors the wall; a 4-tile Mural at 36 inches fills a longer space and carries the full sweep from the lake to the Sawtooth. Above a console, the Medium or the smaller 4-tile Mural is the usual call. A Keepsake works on a bedside table.

Yes. The Dura Satin and Matte finishes are scratch-resistant and made for high-moisture rooms, including showers and full-height backsplashes. The Glossy finish is reserved for show-pieces and framed wall art rather than wet installations.

A microfibre cloth and water. No abrasive pads, no bleach. The colour lives in the surface of the tile and will not fade or scratch off in normal household use, on a wall, a table, or in a bathroom.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is drawn in Wender Studios' own visual language; the painting was made in-house, and the studio holds the original. We do not license third-party art.

if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.