What clients say about Alabama Hills National Scenic Area in Lone Pine (CA)
Visiting the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area was an unforgettable experience for my wife, daughter, and I. Just outside of Lone Pine, this incredible landscape is filled with unique rock formations, natural arches, and wide-open desert views, all set against the towering backdrop of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Exploring the Alabama Hills together felt like stepping into a movie scene. As we drove along the dirt roads and wandered through the rock formations, it was easy to see why so many films have been shot here. One of our favorite spots was Mobius Arch, where we were able to see the iconic view of Mount Whitney perfectly framed through the arch.
For our family, the Alabama Hills was more than just a scenic stop, it was a chance to slow down, explore together, and take in the beauty of nature. From climbing around the rocks to simply standing back and admiring the incredible views, it’s a place that left us with memories we’ll always hold onto. ?
I can't believe they don't charge an entrance fee! Since so many other people have left comments, I'll just post pictures. However, I strongly recommend parking your car where Whitney Portal Road and Hogback Road meet and hiking up Whitney Portal Road. The incline is steep, but it offers incredibly stunning views. Please be careful, as there's a risk of rocks falling from the cliffs.
It’s a shame that because there are so many high profile National Parks in the area, tourists don’t really know about this wonderful part of California. The hills are such a great experience offering hiking opportunities for all ages. The landscape is truly stunning. We weren’t able to stop to visit the individual landmarks but thoroughly enjoyed the drive down Movie Dr. Highly recommended.
On our way to Whitney Portal, we stopped by the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area, located just a mile west of Lone Pine, California. The road is accessible by any car. The loop hike is only 0.75 miles but worth the drive. This time of year, the temperature in Southern California goes over 38C (above 100F), so morning or evening is the best time to visit it.
The Alabama Hills are known for their natural arches and beautiful granitic formations. Mt. Whitney and many other peaks in the Sierra Nevada provide a stunning backdrop to this high desert landscape. The Alabama Hills are a formation of rounded rocks and eroded hills set between the jagged peaks of the Sierra Nevada and the geologically complex Inyo Mountains. Both geologic features were shaped by the same uplifting that occurred 100 million years ago.
The Alabama Hills is a great place for photography, rock climbing, exploring natural arches, and viewing the swaths of wildflowers that bloom every spring. If you are visiting that location, add it to your bucket list.
Alabama Hills never gets old -- the cool rock formations backed by the magnificent view of the Sierras. You can pull out and explore just about anywhere. Campsites and daysites are well-marked by BLM, though it can be tough to figure out where they are. There's a handy map online and at the visitor center near town.
Alabama Hills is a must-see on Highway 395 on the way to Mammoth. The rock formations are incredible and make for some amazing photos. The roads are mostly off-road, so a 4WD or off-roading vehicle is ideal for exploring. The landscape feels like a movie set—definitely worth the stop!
As of summer 2024, access to the Alabama Hills is limited due to storm damage on Whitney Portal Road. It's still possible to get to the main sites, but requires driving on dirt roads that are often poorly maintained. The detour signs won't bring you to the trailheads, which require crossing the creek on a sketchy dirt road. If your car can't handle that, it's still possible to see many of the formations along Tuttle Creek Road and take the detour to Whitney Portal.
This is anouther area that many different people on youtube recommended. In regards to parking it's okay. It's unclear what your looking at times. There's no plaques on how it was created or why it looks like it does. It's mostly hard to access roads for miles on end. Mostly dirt roads to get to the only two movie sites that are recently. Idk it's out of the way and imo there's better rock formation spots in America near by
Amazing scenery and good place for car camping. However there is a lot of noise from OHV on the trails during the day, so if you want peace and quiet you have to hunt around for the best camping spot farther in. In the last couple years they've transitioned from open dispersed camping to only allowing camping at certain spots, so you have to search for the ⛺️ signs - many "day use only" signs are now posted all over the park which does detract from the landscape a bit - but I supposed much less so than irresponsible campers trashing everything.
One of the best public lands to explore, i took a short trip into Alabama Hills 05/11/23. Blooming flowers, bugs everywhere it wasn’t a problem. It’s best to visit on weekdays, you will get clear and stunning views of Mt. Whitney along side other high sierra peaks. Alabama Hills is managed by Bureau Of Land Management, permits are free for dispersed camping (you can camp pretty much anywhere here)
I really feel a spiritual and physical connection to these huge rocks and boulders in the way their position and the geological miracle in this area I love hiking here and seeing the white calf mountains and then seeing Big W Mount Whitney in the background yeah if you get a chance to come up here there's a lot of different hikes you can take yeah I love it here I've been back three or four times.
Any park that I visit three times is going to be absolutely amazing, and that includes Alabama hills. This is truly an otherworldly vista and experience. The hikes to find various arches will always include the discovery of interesting flora and fauna. There are porta potties at the day use areas. I visited mid-May and it does get into the '80s F during the day. Strangely most of the winds seem to be coming at night, out of the North. There were plenty of spots to be found for camping any given day of the week we were there. My last visit a year ago was mid-April and it was absolutely packed.
I heard about the Alabama hills from a friend and was blown away by their accessablilty and beauty. Worth the drive and I would recommend car camping inside to watch the sunrise and enjoy it while there are less people driving around. Both of the arches area quarter mile hike from the parking lot but there's is so much more to see here!
Beautiful nature area outside of Lone Pine California. It has creeks flowing through it with little forests clinging to the waterside. An amazing view of the Sierra Nevadas and very interesting rock formations and arches. You can also find spots where they filmed movies like Iron Man. In the summer and early fall, you can also go to Whitney Portals and see some of the amazing views and nature there
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