Alabama Hills

Descending down from the Inyo Mountains on the western edge of Death Valley, the Sierra Nevada Mountain range takes center stage. The small town of Lone Pine California sits in the middle of a 3,700-foot elevation valley along scenic route 395. It looks like something out of a postcard… or possibly an old famous western movie.

When we drove into the valley from Death Valley National Park, we knew there was something special about this place. The small town of Lone Pine, the entrance point to Alabama Hills, is a quaint, friendly place and hard to believe just 200 miles from Los Angeles. The backdrop to the west is the snow-covered magnificent Sierra Nevada with Mt. Whitney, the tallest point in the contiguous United States, as the centerpiece. Providing significant contrast to the Sierra’s are the rugged hills with hidden arches and unique rock formations in the foreground called Alabama Hills.

Alabama Hills is an area of nearly 30,000 acres in which 18,610 acres are designated a National Scenic Area managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Hollywood has used this land since the 1920’s as a backdrop for western movies. Folks like Audie Murphy, Roy Roger, Steve McQueen, Randolph Scott and John Wayne among many others frequented these hills. Famous movies were filmed here such as Rawhide, How the West Was Won, The Tall T, The Enchanted Hill, Gunga Din, Rio Bravo, Trails to San Antone and The Lone Ranger. There have even been some more recent movies filmed here, taking advantage of the unique landscape, such as Tremors and Iron Man. The Museum of Western Film History, right on Main Street, is a great place to start your trip to learn more about the movie history of this area. They even have the 1941 Plymouth Coupe that Humphrey Bogart drove in High Sierra.

TIP: Before you leave the museum pick up a Self-Guided Tour pamphlet to help identify the movie set locations. They charge a couple bucks for it and we found it quite helpful.

We also recommend a quick stop at the Eastern Sierra Visitors Center to get the lay of the land and pick up some maps. As with most visitor centers, the rangers and volunteers are extremely helpful and will guide you accordingly to get the most out of your visit.

Movie Road is a gravel road and the main thoroughfare through Alabama Hills and access to all the scenic points. Although the road can be driven with any kind of vehicle, the many side roads are sand and can be tricky for the family sedan and many require 4WD. Keep this in mind when adventuring the area. Again, the rangers at the Visitors Center can provide specific detail and updates on current conditions.

After getting acclimated at the museum and visitors center, the next day we were off searching for all the movie scene locations. This was a lot of fun and it took little imagination to visualize a horse and buggy passing by or a gun slinging cowboy racing by on horseback. Little has changed in these hills over the years. The landscape is incredible and it’s no wonder why Hollywood chose this location for all of these westerns.

Searching for the many natural arches is the other fun activity in Alabama Hills. There are dozens of arches, some easy to access and others much more difficult to locate. The most popular arch is Mobius Arch which is accessible by a short half mile hike. Not only does the trail give you access to this iconic arch, which perfectly frames Mt. Whitney, you can also see Heart Arch, a perfectly shaped heart, and Lathe Arch, a low elongated arch framing the mountain range, along the way.

Mobius Arch is also a great place for sunrises and sunsets. I got up early one morning and watched the moon set through the arch as the sun rose from behind me. A truly magical experience!

Other arches that can be seen right from Movie Road, or a short walk to get closer, include Eye of Alabama Hills Arch and Boot Arch, an arch shaped like a ladies boot.

Possibly our favorite arch was Cyclops Arch. I’m not sure if it was our favorite due to the challenging adventure to find it or because of its unique double arch shape. This will require a high clearance vehicle (or longer hike) to get to and a bit of scrambling on foot to find, but once you do it is something special. Climbing within and around these rock formations is a lot of fun.

Another very cool thing to see, albeit not really an arch, is Hidden Window. This small rock cave has a tiny opening, aka window, which makes it look like something out of the Flintstones. This shouldn’t be too difficult for most vehicles to get to depending on conditions.

There are multiple opportunities to explore this area on foot or in a vehicle and in some cases a 4WD high clearance vehicle is requires. We had some fun in an area called Movie Flats in the Jeep, which offered some good challenging climbs and amazing scenery.

A must stop as you come in or out of Alabama Hills is Alabama Hills Cafe & Bakery. This is one of “those places” – a small cafe that serves up amazing breakfast and lunch and over the top baked goods, and even some lattes. We visited three times while we were here and could have gone every day. As an apple pie connoisseur, their apple pie was one of the best I have had.

TIP: While at Alabama Hills Cafe & Bakery ask for one of their maps to the unique rock formations. The map will take you on a scenic tour where you will see Polar Bears, Cougars, a Wounded Night an Indian Family and wherever else your imagination might take you, all carved naturally in the rocks.

OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST AROUND LONE PINE

There are plenty of other sights along 395 to see, from Red Rock Canyon State Park a couple hours to the south and Mammoth Mountain a couple of hours to the north. Closer in to Lone Pine are three places in particular that should not be missed.

Mt. Whitney

With an elevation of 14,505 feet, Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous United States, strange since it’s only 100 miles from the lowest point in North America, Badwater Basin in Death Valley. Whitney Portal Road takes you half way up the mountain from Lone Pine and access to the hiking trail for those brave enough to tackle the beast. However, the road is seasonally closed around the 6,000 foot level. We stopped there and let the dogs have some fun playing in the snow. We hope to return someday in the summer months to drive the entire road which was the setting for the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz movie, The Long, Long Trailer (watch it).

Manzanar

Another must see, but extremely sobering place to visit, is the Manzanar National Historic Site. Manzanar was one of ten “War Relocation Centers” that were established during World War II. Some 120,000 Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans were rounded up and brought to these centers, with only the personal belongings they could carry. 10,000 were sent to Manzanar. They were told the goal was to protect them during the war. However, when they arrived at the camps it was obvious that this was something very different. The barbwire faced inward and the guns from the guard towers were pointed inside the camps, not outward to predators. They left their lives and business behind and were held prisoners here until the war ended. The US government later formally apologized to the Japanese imprisoned in these camps and provided some financial compensation. The sediment was right but could not possibly make up for the injustice that was served.

The visit was very eye opening for us both and expressed the importance of keeping our history alive for today’s generation and tomorrow’s generations to understand, learn from and assure we do not repeat our mistakes. If you are ever in this area, you should feel compelled to visit this historic site.

Fossil Falls

You wouldn’t think a dry waterfall would be something to go out of your way to see but Fossil Falls is a rare find and well worth the drive 40 miles south of Lone Pine. This unique geological feature was created 10,000 to 400,000 years ago by Volcanic activity along with meltwater from glaciers in the nearby Sierra Nevada. The falls are dry today, revealing the sculpted volcanic rock features. It’s a short hike from the parking area to reach the falls and then you can explore til your heart’s content. Be careful though, the rocks along the falls are worn smooth and are very slippery. It’s a very unique spectacle to see and well worth the visit. We even saw some climbers while we were there.

We found one of those hidden gems in the Lone Pine and Alabama Hills area. It’s one of those special places with small town charm, friendly people and amazing natural beauty every way you look. From the minute we arrived we felt comfortable being there and were somewhat sad when it was time to leave.

Be sure to check out all of our pictures from the Alabama Hills area.