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Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, CA

Photo: steveberardi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFree

Alabama Hills

Movie Road, 2.5 miles west of Lone Pine on Whitney Portal Road · Lone Pine, CA

Why you should go…

The Alabama Hills are a field of rounded rocks and eroded hills at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, managed by the Bureau of Land Management as a National Scenic Area. You can hike to natural arches such as Mobius Arch, climb or boulder, ride a bike or a horse, and tour the sites of the many films shot here, most of them Westerns. Wildflowers bloom in spring, and the dark night sky draws stargazers. Camping needs a free permit and is first come, first served.

  • #natural arches
  • #film locations
  • #rock climbing
  • #stargazing
  • #scenic drive

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Alabama Hills, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Manzanar National Historic Site

    Free

    Tour the site of a World War II camp where more than 11,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated.

    8.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Mount Whitney

    Under $25

    Hike 22 miles round trip from Whitney Portal to the highest summit in the contiguous United States, with a permit.

    9.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Kings Canyon National Park

    $25–$50

    See giant sequoias at Grant Grove, then drive Highway 180 down into a glacier-carved canyon more than a mile deep.

    33 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    General Sherman Tree

    $25–$50

    Walk a paved half-mile trail through Giant Forest to stand at the base of the largest tree on Earth by volume.

    35 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Sequoia National Park

    $25–$50

    Walk among giant sequoias, stand at the base of the General Sherman Tree and climb the stairway up Moro Rock.

    36 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Outdoor Adventure

    Bishop

    Free

    Eastern Sierra gateway town near Mammoth Lakes with access to hiking, fishing and Bishop Creek Canyon.

    55 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing