Movie-set boulder country at the foot of Mt. Whitney with some of the most photogenic boondocking in the country.
Granite arches and rounded boulders glow orange at sunrise with the snowcapped Sierra Nevada wall as backdrop. The Alabama Hills have been the set for hundreds of westerns since the 1920s, and the BLM dispersed camping makes it one of the easiest scenic boondocks in California.
Where else can you park your rig under Mobius Arch, walk 200 yards to a Hollywood western set, and watch alpenglow on the highest peak in the lower 48 from your camp chair?
March–May and September–November. Summer is hot, winter brings snow at higher pull-offs.
US-395 to Lone Pine, west on Whitney Portal Road, right on Movie Road.
- 14-day stay limit, no fee.
- Pack out everything including used toilet paper — this place gets hammered.
- Fire restrictions are common; check inyocounty.us before lighting anything.
- The Recreation Management Area now requires staying in established sites, not pioneering new ones.
- Drive Movie Road slowly and pick a site away from the main loop for quiet nights.
- Sunrise from Mobius Arch is the iconic shot; arrive 30 minutes before light.
- Lone Pine has a great visitor center with maps of the movie locations.
- Top off water at the Lone Pine campground spigot before heading in.
Mt. Whitney trailhead, Death Valley (2 hours east), Bristlecone Pine Forest.