Map & Guide

AlabamaHills Recreation and National Scenic Area

U.S. Department of the InteriorBureau of Land Management

The Alabama Hills are a formation of rounded rocks and eroded hills set between the jagged peaks of the Sierra Nevada and the Owens Valley. The hills consist of nearly 30,000 acres of public land located west of Lone Pine that are managed by the Bureau of Land Management. In March 2019, Congress designated 18,610 acres of the Alabama Hills as a National Scenic Area.

Care for and Enjoy the Alabama Hills The indigenous people of this valley still reside in this place where their ancestors have lived for thousands of years. They ask that you respect and care for this land.

• Pack out all trash. There are no trash services. In the high desert environment, even natural items like orange peels take years to decompose.

• Travel on existing roads and trails. Vegetation in this climate can take decades to recover when crushed by off road driving or parking.

• Camp in campgrounds. Using campgrounds reduces the number of vehicles, so that the great views are not blocked.

• Use the restroom in town or at nearby campgrounds. If that isn’t an option, bury human waste in catholes 6 inches deep and 200 feet away from water, trails and camp. There are no restrooms in the hills.

• Have a great time. The Alabama Hills are a great place to explore natural wonders and experience your public lands.

Photographer capturing Mobius Arch by Jim Pickering, Cover photo of photographers by Bob Wick

Tent site at Tuttle Creek Campground near sunset by Josh Hammari

Day Use The Alabama Hills is a small Recreation and National Scenic Area best suited for day use. Here are just a few things you can do:

Explore the locations of over 400

• Take pictures. The Alabama Hills scenery has been an inspiration for photographers for decades.

• Have an adventure. rock climb, explore natural arches, mountain bike, ride horses, view the

Overnight Use Tuttle Creek Campground, located within the National Scenic Area, offers more than 80 sites for affordable camping with spaces for tents, RVs, and trailers. The campground boasts views of Mt. Whitney, and has large campsites with plenty of space for longer vehicles. Drinking water and restrooms are available. Tuttle Creek

birding opportunities.

Camping is also available at the Portagee Joe Campground just to the east of the Alabama Hills and the Lone Pine Campground on the Whitney Portal Road.

Camping in campgrounds helps maintain the area’s great scenery and recreational opportunities. City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power lands in the area are open for day use only.

Photo from The Lawless Range courtesy of Beverly and Jim Rogers Museum of Western Film History

Film & Television

an interest in the Alabama Hills for its natural scenery.

Movie stars such as Tom Mix, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, and the Lone Ranger, shot it out with outlaws. Classics such as Gunga Din, Yellow Sky, and How the

on location in the Alabama Hills. During 1993, portions

Generations, Gladiator, Iron Man, and Django Unchained

West Was Won 1990 Sci-Fi classic Tremors

of Maverick Star Trek

Find a copy of the Movie Road Touring Brochure online or at the Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine.

Each October, the community of Lone Pine hosts the Lone Pine Film Festival. This festival features speakers,

The hills were named after the C.S.S. Alabama, a Confederate warship responsible for wreaking havoc during the Civil War. Prospectors sympathetic to the Confederate cause named their mining claims after the Alabama and eventually the name stuck.

Geology The rounded, oddly shaped contours of the Alabama

Hills form a sharp contrast to the glacially carved ridges

of the Sierra Nevada. While both land forms consist

of the same granitic rock, the fantastic shapes of the

hills were formed by a combination of natural chemical

weathering and wind erosion.

Mobius Arch Eye of the Alabama The Corridors

Wildlife

Chuckwalla lizard Red-tailed hawk Townsend’s big-eared bat

Plants

Scarlet milk-vetch Desert needlegrass Barrel cactus

Alabama Hills with Mt. Whitney in the distance by David Kirk

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Desert plants keep the soil healthy and provide homes and food for wildlife.

While these plants are specially adapted for their environment, they can be destroyed easily if walked on or run over by a vehicle. Stick to designated trails and roads to keep your public lands healthy.

Don’t Crush the Brush

BLM/CA/GI-2015/007+8300+1115 REV 2019

For More Information: Bureau of Land Management

351 Pacu Lane, Suite 100 Bishop, CA 93514 (760) 872-5000 https://www.blm.gov/california

Subscribe to News.bytes, our weekly e-newsletter https://www.blm.gov/media/magazines-and-newsletters/california-newsbytes

In an Emergency• Call 9-1-1• Inyo County Sheriff (760) 878-0383• Nearest hospital:

Southern Inyo Hospital (760) 876-5501 501 East Locust Street, Lone Pine, CA

The Bureau of Land Management and the Alabama Hills Stewardship Group care for this area with the goal of keeping the hills in as close to a natural state as possible for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

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Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Lands

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Rock Climbing Area

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Travel on existing roads and trails. Don’t park on vegetation.

Creating new roads and trails harms the landscape and is illegal.

Most roads in this area are unpaved and require 4-wheel drive.

Spring and fall are the most popular seasons.

Be sure to bring plenty of water.

Remember to leave plants, rocks, and artifacts as you found them for others to discover.

Travel Tips

Have a great time!

AlabamaHills Recreation and National Scenic Area

U.S. Department of the InteriorBureau of Land Management

No warranty is made by the Bureau of Land Management. The accuracy,

reliability or completeness of these data for individual use or aggregate use with

other data is not guaranteed.

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