Movie Road/Alabama Hills

Overview: Spend an hour or all day exploring rock formations so unique they’ve been used in famous movie sets for over 70 years. Enjoy breathtaking scenery enroute to a hiking trailhead that goes to the top of 14,495-ft. Mount Whitney (hiking permit required). Only main roads are described here; for maximum fun, you’ll want to explore dozens of side roads to movie sites in the Movie Flat Area. For detailed directions, pick up a free copy of the Movie Road Alabama Hills Driving Tour available at the Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center south of Lone Pine. For a complete movie history, we highly recommend Dave Holland’s pictoral guide, On Location in Lone Pine. To see Alabama Hills Arch, get directions at visitor center for one-hour, round-trip hike. Inyo National Forest. Call the visitor center at (760) 876-6222.

Rating:

Easy. Main roads are well graded. Spaghetti-like network of side roads is compacted sand, narrow in places and suitable for cars when dry.

This trail is one of 75 trails from the book, Guide to Northern California Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails, by Charles Wells, and is available at www.funtreks.com.

Tips: You have to hike to see the Alabama Hills Arch. From Highway 395, drive west 5.3 miles on paved Whitney Portal Road to hiking trailhead on right. Follow a dry wash north about a mile or so. We found the arch at GPS coordinate N36º 36’ 32.4” W 118º 09’ 37.2.” It’s hard to find without a GPS location.

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