Alabama Hills

[SoCal]

wow! Can't believe after doing the 395 to Tahoe trip 1000 times I never took the ten minute detour to check out the Alabama Hills just outside Lone Pine....One of the coolest places in Cali....With that beautiful Mt Whitney in the back drop and those unreal rock formations it is a sight to see!!! Stopped there on our way back home from picking up the new Jeep in Nampa Id after a couple days stay in Tahoe....It is a must see for anyone and a great place for some rock climbing and day camping.

here is a quick vid I did with my Mavic Mini

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[sourdough]

haha, Glad to hear you discovered it.

 

[Pig-Pen]

nice. never knew about it. can stay in a hotel or camp at lone pine and do some off roading out there.

 

[Fonzilla85]

nice. never knew about it. can stay in a hotel or camp at lone pine and do some off roading out there.

This is a place you’d camp at, the views are amazing especially during dusk and dawn. Winds can be a pain in the rear tho.

 

[Keith C]

I feel like this will be a summer trip this year!

 

[SoCal]

I feel like this will be a summer trip this year!

best to do it soon....it can get pretty hot up there, but not too bad....April-June is perfect

 

[R3TRO]

wow! Can't believe after doing the 395 to Tahoe trip 1000 times I never took the ten minute detour to check out the Alabama Hills just outside Lone Pine....One of the coolest places in Cali....With that beautiful Mt Whitney in the back drop and those unreal rock formations it is a sight to see!!! Stopped there on our way back home from picking up the new Jeep in Nampa Id after a couple days stay in Tahoe....It is a must see for anyone and a great place for some rock climbing and day camping.

here is a quick vid I did with my Mavic Mini

I was just telling my wife about this place! Wanted to do some day hikes and camp in the BLM land. Are there any real jeep trails out there or just fire roads?

 

[jadewolf]

That area is one of my favorite places in all of California! And was the first place I took my new JL after racking up some break-in miles around town. Also one of the camping stops on my next week-long desert trip, too.

There's tons of camping around the area, much of it free. And the scenery is just second to none. The contrast of the purple-grey Sierra Nevadas with the orange-brown granite boulders of the Alabama Hills is just so striking.

Can't recommend it enough!

Though, the wind can be ripping up there. Make sure you've got good tent pegs if camping.

As for trails, it's mostly just flat, graded dirt roads around the hills. Movie Road will take you all around the area and goes to a lot of various film locations. You can find some offshoot trails here and there that provide some more challenging rocks. You really have to look for them, though. And most don't really go anywhere so be prepared to turn around and come back the same way. It's more of a casual day out than anything serious.

If you're interested in a little film history after wheeling, consider stopping at the film museum in town. They've got a nice little collection of props and information from the many films made in the area. Lots of old Westerns in the 50s & 60s, along with more recent films like Tremors and Iron Man. For a five dollar donation, it's pretty reasonable. A nice break in the air conditioning too.

 

[RFR JLR 2.0]

Did a couple of camping trips there recently and hoping to go again soon before it gets too hot. It can get pretty busy on a weekend. There’s some nice trails to the many mines in the area. Also check out Reward Mine on the other side of the valley.

 

[LittleDog]

That area is one of my favorite places in all of California! And was the first place I took my new JL after racking up some break-in miles around town. Also one of the camping stops on my next week-long desert trip, too.

There's tons of camping around the area, much of it free. And the scenery is just second to none. The contrast of the purple-grey Sierra Nevadas with the orange-brown granite boulders of the Alabama Hills is just so striking.

Can't recommend it enough!

Though, the wind can be ripping up there. Make sure you've got good tent pegs if camping.

As for trails, it's mostly just flat, graded dirt roads around the hills. Movie Road will take you all around the area and goes to a lot of various film locations. You can find some offshoot trails here and there that provide some more challenging rocks. You really have to look for them, though. And most don't really go anywhere so be prepared to turn around and come back the same way. It's more of a casual day out than anything serious.

If you're interested in a little film history after wheeling, consider stopping at the film museum in town. They've got a nice little collection of props and information from the many films made in the area. Lots of old Westerns in the 50s & 60s, along with more recent films like Tremors and Iron Man. For a five dollar donation, it's pretty reasonable. A nice break in the air conditioning too.

The Museum of Western Film History I hope? Just added to my map.

Just love little museums like that. Old westerns, great, but you had me at "Tremors".

"No penetration, even with the elephant gun!" -Reba McEntire, Tremors.

 

[jadewolf]

The Museum of Western Film History I hope? Just added to my map.

Just love little museums like that. Old westerns, great, but you had me at "Tremors".

"No penetration, even with the elephant gun!" -Reba McEntire, Tremors.

Yep! That's the spot!

"Broke into the wrong goddamn rec room, didn't ya, you bastard!" --Burt

"Tremors" is one of my all time favorite B-movies. Part of my last trip up there I drove out to some of the filming sites for it around the hills. I've got coordinates for most of them. Some are no longer accessible, but it was a fun little diversion anyway.

 

[LittleDog]

Yep! That's the spot!

"Broke into the wrong goddamn rec room, didn't ya, you bastard!" --Burt

"Tremors" is one of my all time favorite B-movies. Part of my last trip up there I drove out to some of the filming sites for it around the hills. I've got coordinates for most of them. Some are no longer accessible, but it was a fun little diversion anyway.

Equally love that movie, but it was A-list, all the way! Fred Ward, your career died much too young.

"No longer accessible " only pertains to non-wranglers, right? Post the coordinates! I'm sure some of us (me) would love to see the birthplace of those nefarious graboids.

 

[jadewolf]

Equally love that movie, but it was A-list, all the way! Fred Ward, your career died much too young.

"No longer accessible " only pertains to non-wranglers, right? Post the coordinates! I'm sure some of us (me) would love to see the birthplace of those nefarious graboids.

Here's the main ones of interest:

Boulder where Val, Earl, and Rhonda spent the night: 36.60977, -118.12633

Scene where the roadworkers get eaten: 36.58095, -118.08561

Site of Perfection on Cactus Flats: 36.21186, -117.93533
* Note on this one: The town set is long gone, but the site still used to be accessible and someone had put up a "Welcome to Perfection" sign at the spot, but as of my last visit a few weeks ago, it's behind a closed gate now. There's no fences, so you could conceivably park on a side road and hike to it. But I did see a ranger vehicle drive by while I was there, so exercise caution. And for the official record, I would never condone trespassing.

 

[LittleDog]

Here's the main ones of interest:

Boulder where Val, Earl, and Rhonda spent the night: 36.60977, -118.12633

Scene where the roadworkers get eaten: 36.58095, -118.08561

Site of Perfection on Cactus Flats: 36.21186, -117.93533
* Note on this one: The town set is long gone, but the site still used to be accessible and someone had put up a "Welcome to Perfection" sign at the spot, but as of my last visit a few weeks ago, it's behind a closed gate now. There's no fences, so you could conceivably park on a side road and hike to it. But I did see a ranger vehicle drive by while I was there, so exercise caution. And for the official record, I would never condone trespassing.

Super cool, thanks.

The government has restrictions on airspace, but I'm pretty sure they have nothing on underground-space.

I've a four-door with roof rack; how did you carry long enough poles with the wrangler, in order to pole vault back to safety?

 

[jadewolf]

Super cool, thanks.

The government has restrictions on airspace, but I'm pretty sure they have nothing on underground-space.

I've a four-door with roof rack; how did you carry long enough poles with the wrangler, in order to pole vault back to safety?

No space for that on my two door, unfortunately. I recommend visiting with a buddy. One you can outrun.

Also bring a few household chemicals in the proper proportions.

(Unfortunately, the pole vaulting rocks were mostly fake rocks because they couldn't find any close enough together for the stunt guys to safely pole vault across. They built some, placed them, and then removed them after production. Same for the big rock where they went 'fishing' for the graboids, that one was another fabrication. But the rock they were stuck on overnight was real and still exists there.)

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