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THINGS
TO DO IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA |
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Alabama
Hills Owens Valley California
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By Lacey
Kohlmoos |
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Take a drive
in the Alabama Hills’ “movie flats”
and walk in the footsteps of the Lone Ranger, Russell
Crowe, Gene Autry and Mel Gibson. Or simply enjoy the
natural beauty of one of California’s most delightfully
weird outdoor destinations while hiking, biking or climbing.
Located in the Owen Valley at the foot of the Sierra Nevada
Mountains, the Alabama Hills’ collection of spectacularly
unique sunburned granite rock formations and arches has
become known as the quintessential western landscape.
The Alabama Hills got its name from prospectors
living and mining in the area during the Civil War. When
news reached California about the great victories won
by the Confederates’ warship, the CSS Alabama, miners
supporting the South named their claims in the ship’s
honor. Even though Union forces sunk the ship in 1864,
the name “Alabama Hills” stuck.
On May 24, 1969, the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
designated 30,000 acres of the area west of Lone Pine,
CA as the “Alabama Hills Recreation Area.”
This designation protects the area from development and
preserves its natural beauty. The BLM has created a network
of nature trails so that it is easier for visitors to
enjoy the area – the most popular one being the
Alabama Hills Arch Nature Trail.
The unique rock formations of the Alabama Hills not only
make a stunning playground for geologists and tourists
alike; they have also proved to be a perfect set for movies.
Since the early 1920s, hundreds of TV shows and movies
have featured the area’s distinctive arches, oddly-rounded
rocky hills and breathtaking views of the Sierra Nevada
Mountains.
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The Alabama
Hills is a perfect destination for movie buffs, geology
experts and outdoor enthusiasts alike. Take a self-guided
driving tour along Movie Flat Road, which will lead you
to places like Gene Autry Rock and the Lone Ranger Ambush
Site. For the younger generations, the “Movie Flats”
also offers up scenery recognizable from movies like Iron
Man and Gladiator.
As tantalizing as it is to walk through former movie sets,
so is experiencing the Alabama Hills’ unparalleled
natural beauty. Centuries of wind, snow and sand storms
have weathered the area’s granite hills, resulting
in uniquely rounded rock formations and arches. The most
famous of these arches is a fifteen minute round trip walk
along the Alabama Hills Arch Nature Trail.
At the end of the short, hilly hike is the Mobius Arch (also
known as the Alabama Hills Arch and the Movie Road Arch).
Its smooth, fluid contours form an oval that perfectly frames
Mount Whitney in the background, making it the most photogenic
of all the Alabama Hills’ arches.
For the more intrepid hikers, the “Mt Whitney Trail”
begins at the Alabama Hills’ Whitney Portal. The 22-mile
roundtrip hike makes for a grueling day hike, but is well
worth it for those eager to claim bragging rights on summiting
the tallest mountain in the continental United States. With
much of the trail at an elevation above 13,600 feet, it
is not a hike to be taken lightly despite being an extraordinarily
popular one.
Where there are cool rock formations and spectacular mountains,
there is also rock climbing. The granite is good quality,
the weather phenomenal and most of the climbs are 100 feet
high or less. This makes it a fun destination for beginner
and expert climbers alike. Some of the most popular sites
include the Whitney Cave, Cattle Pocket, Alabama Dome, Dinosaur
Cracks, Pillar of Toth and the Poodle Wall.
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BEST
WESTERN PLUS Frontier Motel Enjoy either
mountain or valley views in one of 73 well-appointed
guest rooms, each featuring cable satellite television
and high-speed Internet access. Guests are welcome
to an expanded complimentary continental breakfast
each morning before exploring local attractions. View
Best Western Lone Pine on map. |
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COMFORT
INN LONE PINE Located at the base of
the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains and home to Mt
Whitney, Lone Pine is your gateway to adventure. Climb
Mt Whitney, visit Alabama Hills, site of many movies,
or enjoy fishing or water skiing. Also visit nearby
Death Valley or head North for snow skiing. All non-smoking
hotel. View
Comfort Inn Lone Pine on map. |
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Most visitors to the Alabama Hills stay
in the nearby town of Lone Pine. This small frontier town
is home to the Beverly and Jim Rogers Lone Pine Museum
of Film History, which houses a huge collection of memorabilia
from movies filmed in the Alabama Hills. The museum also
hosts the annual Lone Pine Film Festival, and each night
screens classic movies in the Wild West Theater.
For those who want to spend every possible moment amongst
the Alabama Hills’ rock formations and ghosts of
movies past, stay at the Tuttle Creek Campground. Visitors
can also camp anywhere in the Alabama Hills Recreation
Area up to 14 days a year, but campers not in a designated
campground are asked to carry out everything and leave
no trace.
The Alabama Hills are 220 miles from Los Angeles. This
trip is best enjoyed with at least a one night stop over.
Directions to the Alabama Hills from Lone Pine: take US
395 to the town of Lone Pine and turn east onto Whitney
Road. The visitors’ center, where there is information
and a map of the Alabama Hills Recreation Area, is located
a mile down the road.
Turn right onto Movie Flat road which is paved for about
about mile and then turns into dirt road. To view Mobius
Arch turn right where the road splits and there is a parking
lot and trail that leads to the famous arch. You can also
view Heart arch from the parking lot.
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Scotty's
Castle smack dab in the middle of Death
Valley National Park. Must see
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China
Ranch is a working date farm near Death
Valley National Park. |
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Randsburg
a living ghost own
on the edge of the Owens Valley in eastern Kern
County. |
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Vasquez
Rocks If you are a film and television
buff, Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park is a must
see. |
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