The Ultimate Alabama Hills Weekend Trip Guide

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There’s a stretch of land just past the town of Lone Pine where the road curves and becomes dirt, the valley opens up, and suddenly you’re looking at a pile of ancient boulders stacked against the base of the Sierra Nevada like some giant dropped them there and just…left. Behind them, Mount Whitney (the tallest peak in lower 48) is just sitting there, almost hidden by the other peaks.

It looks like Mars. Or a movie set (spoiler: it kind of is both).

It may not be a hidden gem, but people sleep on visiting Alabama Hills and it is one of the most unique landscapes I’ve ever visited. It’s only 3 hours from LA and sits just behind Lone Pine which is known as the “gateway to the Eastern Sierra.”

This is one of my favorite weekend escapes from Southern California because it’s a doable post work drive, the camping is cheap (or free), the hiking ranges from casual stroll to fun scramble to “oh my god that’s a lot of elevation.” It’s one of the coolest places I’ve ever taken photos and Koda, my shepherd mix and adventure sidekick, would also like you to know that the scrambling is excellent and the smells are top tier.

Here’s how I’d spend a perfect 48 hours there…

Planning

Getting There

From Southern California, you’re looking at roughly 3-4 hours without traffic, depending on where you’re starting from. It’s longer if you’re leaving during LA rush hours, which, if you’ve ever tired it, is its own special kind of suffering.

My move is to have the car packed and leave Thursday evening after rush hour dies down, drive up that night, and work remotely from Lone Start Bistro in Lone Pine on Friday. It’s a cozy little spot and it gives me an extra evening in Alabama Hills. But of course if remote work isn’t an option, I’d recommend leaving Friday evening once traffic clears, or bright and early Saturday morning if you’d rather sleep in your own bed.

The town of Lone Pine is your last stop for gas, groceries, or any other necessities. If you need anything, don’t skip it because there’s nothing once you head west toward the hills.

Pro tip: Cell service once you get into Alabama Hills is spotty at best but most likely non existent. Download your maps, trail info, and potential campsite locations before you leave town.

When To Go

Spring and fall are the sweet spots. Temperatures are mild, the days are long, and the crowds (while still real on weekends) are manageable. Spring is my personal favorite because the wildflowers are blooming and swaying in the wind and I love seeing the little spots of color in the desert landscape with the snow-capped peaks in the background.

Winter is great too if you don’t mind the shorter days and cold nights (I’m talking below freezing cold, not SoCal “it’s 60 degrees grab a jacket” cold). The air is crisp, the crowds thin out, and the night sky can be beautiful. Just be prepared with layers and a warm sleep setup.

Summer is the one I’d skip, especially if you’re bringing a dog. It gets brutally hot (I’m talking uncomfortable by 7 am), there’s not much shade out on the rocks, and the ground can get too hot for dogs’ paws.

Where to Sleep: Camping in the Alabama Hills

This is one of the best parts. If you plan ahead and get there early enough, you can camp for free in Alabama Hills and wake up surrounded by boulders with a view of the mountains right outside your tent/car. Hard to beat!

Dispersed Camping (Free)

The BLM has designated dispersed campsites scattered throughout Alabama Hills. Some are easier to get to than others, some require 4×4 or a high clearance vehicle, and some are quite a ways into the area. But what you get are unobstructed views, no neighbors directly next to you, and falling asleep to complete silence. These spots are free, but as of October 2024, you do need a free camping permit (primarily as an acknowledgment that you know the rules and will leave the place better than you found it). You can grab it online before you leave home.

Note that camping is only allowed in marked designated sites, so don’t just pull off wherever looks good. You’ll see a lot of day use areas and they have a sign that specifically says no camping. The catch is that all spots are first come, first serve and on weekends they fill up fast. Arriving Friday evening before sunset gives you a decent shot, but Thursday night is of course better.

Real talk: Don’t count on snagging a dispersed site on a holiday weekend. Plan to stay at a campground and save yourself the stress of off-roading in the dark looking for an open spot. Trust me, I have personal experience with this.

If the Dispersed Sites Are Full…

Campgrounds

You’ve got a few solid options nearby:

• Tuttle Creek Campground: This is the most popular fallback and honestly a great option. It’s a BLM-run campground about 5 miles from Lone Pine with 83 sites, fire pits, picnic tables, and vault toilets. Potable water is available seasonally (not in winter). Sites are $10/night, first come first serve, no reservations needed. Just show up and pay at the self-registration kiosk (bring cash!). Multiple failed dispersed camping site searches have lead me here and is the reason I try to keep some cash in my car.
• Portugese Joe Campground: A small Inyo County campground with 20 sites right near Lone Pine and Movie Road. It has drinking water, vault toilets, fire pits, and a creek running through it. Sites are $14/night ($5/night for additional vehicles) and some are reservable, so it’s a nice option if you want a guaranteed spot. The sites are a lot closer together than Tuttle Creek, but it’s a great backup if the former is packed.
• Lone Pine Campground: Located about 6 miles west of Lone Pine along Whitney Portal Road. Sites are $37/night, some first come first serve and some reservable, and no water. It’s a bit pricier, but puts you closer to the Whitney Portal trailhead if that’s on your agenda. It’s especially popular for RV camping.

Day 1: Hiking from Whitney Portal to Lone Pine Lake

The drive up to Whitney Portal alone is beautiful. You wind up Whitney Portal Road with the valley dropping behind you and the mountains getting bigger and bigger with each switchback and hairpin turn.

Whitney Portal is a popular launching point for Mount Whitney summit attempts, so there’s always a fun mix of energy up there: people gearing up for big days, mountaineers getting their gear together, and backpackers checking their packs. Fun to people watch especially if you’re just day hiking.

Lone Pine Lake via Mt. Whitney Trail

The trail follows the first few miles of the Mount Whitney Trail which is well-marked, a mix of dirt, rocky switchbacks, and stairs. The trailhead starts at 8350′ so before you even start, you’re already at elevation. If you’re coming from sea level (hi fellow coastal SoCal friends), the it easy and don’t let the short mileage fool you. The altitude is real and will humble you if you go out too hot.

The hike is about 6.1 miles round trip with roughly 1780′ of elevation gain, putting you at just over 10K’ at the lake. The trail levels out near the top and then the lake just appears, ringed by granite walls and boulders. You can walk along the lake to get to an outlook with a view of what you climbed, and it looks completely different from the landscape of Alabama Hills that you woke up in. It’s a crazy contrast!

The best part? Lone Pine Lake sits just outside the Mount Whitney Zone, so no permit is required to hike here. A bit past the lake is where the permit requirement kicks in, and it’s not infrequent that a ranger is there checking permits. The Whitney permit lottery is notoriously competitive, so plan ahead if it’s on your radar, but for a weekend trip, Lone Pine Lake is a perfect little spot for some snacks and a view.

Pro tip: Parking at Whitney Portal fills up fast on weekends. Get there early, or you’ll be adding an unplanned road walk as the warmup to your hike.

The trail is overall well marked but can be hard to navigate when there’s snow. Highly recommend downloading an offline maps before you head out in case you need some direction!

Back to Camp for Sunset

Get back to Alabama Hills with enough time before sunset (and I mean actually plan for this, don’t let the hike run long and miss it). If you didn’t find a dispersed site for the night before, you can try again and I found that my chances are higher the earlier in the day. Scramble up whatever rock formations catch your eye around your camp site, find a perch, and just take in the view. I love not having an agenda in the evening and taking my time to cook and setup my bed for the night.

Day 2: Mobius Arch Loop & Movie Road

If you didn’t get a chance to watch the sunrise the day before, highly recommend getting a glimpse at least once even if it’s while you’re burrowed in your sleeping bag or quilt. The colors of the morning glow on the mountains here are unrivaled and one of my favorite views in Alabama Hills.

I like to opt for a slow start around camp on Day 2 with some morning tea and light breakfast while Koda checks her peemails around camp and gets her initial zoomies out. Then head over to Arch Loop Trail

Mobius Arch Loop Trail

The trail is a short one at just 0.6 miles with barely any elevation gain, but it can connect to the Alabama Hills Trail if you’re looking for something longer. Don’t let the low mileage fool you into dilly dallying too much in the morning though. Heading here in the morning is still the move because of cooler temperatures, better light on the mountains, and a much smaller crowd jockeying for the same shot at the arch.

And there is a shot. If you get the angle just right on the side of the arch not facing the mountains, you can perfectly frame Mount Whitney and the Sierra Nevada right through the center of it. It’s like nature set the stage and said look here and I love it.

The loop also passes two other arches: Lathe Arch just before Mobius Arch and Heart Arch about 2/3 of the way through so keep your eyes open! There’s also a ton of offshoots that connect to other trails in the network with lot of fun boulders to scramble on so allot some time to explore around the trail.

Movie Road

After the arch, stay on Movie Road and follow it for a while. You’ll pass an iconic section that runs perpendicular to the mountain range that looks like it rolls endlessly. And you’ll also pass plenty of day use areas, rock formations to climb, and wildflowers if you’re there at the right time.

Alabama Hills is the perfect place to drive around and be directionless for a while, especially for a type A planner like myself. I love wandering around the trails and off shoot and finding boulder formations to scramble up with my dog. There’s no huge agenda for this part of the day, so stop at pullouts, take photos, dilly dally, and let your dog sniff all the rocks and bushes she wants.

Leaving around mid afternoon will get you home not too late even with stops for gas and food. My go to stops when I’m heading back from this area is the In-n Out that’s right next to a Dutch Bros in Lancaster (you’re welcome).

Leave No Trace: Don’t Be That Person

If you’re planning to visit, make sure you practice leave no trace principles. Alabama Hills is a fragile ecosystem because of how dry and hard for things to grow it is. More people are discovering it every year, and with that comes stuff I’ve personally seen that sucks: toilet paper haphazardly buried, litter around campsites, and fire rings stuffed with trash. It’s gross and terrible to find and is the kind of thing that causes more restrictions or areas to close. Nobody wants that, so don’t be that person.

A few things that actually matter out here:

• Waste – this is a big one. There are no bathrooms or pit toilets in the dispersed camping area, which means people like to get creative and not always in ways the ecosystem can handle. Use the porta-potties at the trailheads when you can, or bring a WAG bag and pack your waste out. Yes really. This isn’t an area where you can dig a hole to go #2 and I promise a WAG bag is not as bad as it sounds
• Fire rings – use existing ones only, don’t build new ones. And please, don’t use them as trash cans. Pack out everything you pack in, even biodegradable things like orange peels or banana peels. No one wants to be responsible for your trash when they visit.
• Don’t crush the brush! There are a lot of trails and scrambles you can do, but do your best to avoid stepping on plants and brush. I want to reiterate that it’s a fragile ecosystem where it’s hard for things to grow, so don’t contribute to trampled plants.

Final Thoughts

Alabama Hill is such a special place and it’s so close and accessible to millions of people. There’s a potential for a lot of boots on a lot of rocks, so how you move through it matters! So pack your camera, bring your dog, and leave it better than you found it~