Amazing views in every direction. Although it was a holiday weekend, we found a great spot early Saturday morning. Find a spot not too far from a porta potty if you don’t have your own. Also be prepared for the heat and wind. A mister to cool you down and extra stakes or even weights for your tent and canopies would be helpful. Weather was in the 80s-90s and we survived! Few of us ended up heading to town to buy more ice for our coolers on Sunday. At night it was in the 60s but extremely windy. Overall both kids and adults had a blast.

Everyone knows about Alabama Hills now (thanks social media). That doesn't diminish the beauty out there. There is a plethora of available camping spots that all fill up quickly and for good reason. Falling asleep at night looking at Mount Whitney is something I could never get used to and the sunrises and sunsets out there are stunning. What the area "lacks" in camping amenities, it makes up for in sheer views. This is a gem.

This is such a beautiful area. Take some extra water and spend some time exploring this place. The rocks give me Joshua Tree vibes, and the views of Whitney are incredible. Have fun!

We spent one night in the Alabama Hills at the base of Mount Whitney at the beginning of April. Such a gorgeous place for a stopover. So many other people but still many options for dispersed camping with stunning views. Port-a-potties at nearby trailhead. Spotty AT&T cell reception.

Very very beautiful area, but we had a really hard time finding a spot that wasn't already taken.  Even far away from the movie filming locations (where the crowds were insane!), no matter how remote and tucked away the clearing was that we found on google satellite map, someone was already camping there when we got there. Granted this was on a Saturday in March.  It's possible that it clears out during the week and when the weather isn't so beautiful.

We ended up finding two different spots, both extremely quiet and peaceful. 

Warning about the extremely annoying and prolific gnats! 

Also watch out that there's private land in this area too, so have your BLM and Forest Service layers ready.

Cell service was spotty throughout the area, with mostly very weak or non-existent signal for all 3 carriers.

Great place. Snowed a bit on the first day but had beautiful views of Mt. Whitney. For sure a popular place but we were able to find a nice place to set up, and still not have neighbors nearby. Check out their IG @alabama_hills and practice leave no trace.

Can't believe I had driven through Lone Pine so many times without checking this place out.

It seems to be quite crowded nowadays, but I still find a site that felt private enough for a quick overnight stay.

Enjoy a bright red sunrise due to the wildfire smoke at the time. But I would love to go back with a mountain bike or ATV to do a little more off-road exploring!

I loved camping here. I heard rumors they were going to move it to a permit-based system as there are a lot of people using the area, but based on my stay most people seemed to be pretty respectful of the sites. Lots of hiking during the day and incredible views in every direction.

This place is amazing. Beautiful views, great dispersed camping. Very chilly at night in early March. Incredible star gazing too. Cell service (Verizon) in spots, mainly at high elevations.

The Alabama Hills Recreation Area is the perfect spot for dispersed camping. The Alabama Hills have several rock formations that make finding a private spot relatively easy, especially during off-peak times. The silence, views of the hills and Mt. Whitney, and privacy make this a favorite location of ours and we will be back. It can get cold at night, so pack accordingly, but the stargazing at night is well worth it!

It was really nice to wake up to the view of Mt. Whitney. Very majestic during sunrise and sunset times. I will be revisiting.

Returning to AHRA was a must - even though it did drop to the 20s at night. Maybe too cold for winter camping 😆

Either way I was able to take some gorgeous photos to add to my portfolio and take in a nice hike at The Arch Trail.

This time around there were plenty of spots and found new ones for the future. I’d have to recommend when finding a spot in winter to make sure you’re getting sunlight on camp for most of the day. It gets too cold even for the shadows during the day.

The base and access road to Mt Whitney had enough snow on the road to make it impossible in 2WD but it was still nice to see snow once again.

Even though it was cold cold we enjoyed a nice area with a beautiful open natural fireplace and shelter that made it epic.

We only did an overnight because of the frigid temps and then a nice day hike the next day. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves!😉⛺️🔥

I went towards the end of December 2020 as an initial test on my new (to me) truck. Super easy to find, head left at the one traffic light in Lone Pine, then take a right onto movie road. 

It is worth driving around and exploring before settling in if you are new here. I ended up packing up and moving a few times after poking around a bit. Also the early sections of the road tend to be more crowded in my experience.

We spent 2 nights out in a campsite off of Movie Rd. So many accessible spots, lots of sights to take in and rock formations to explore. There is no shortage of things to see. I especially enjoyed being outside and not having to deal with mosquitoes or any bugs that like to feed. Our dogs had a blast and we loved watching the stars at night. It did get pretty chilly overnight and there was a lot of wind at night so that was unexpected. But I would love to come back when i need to unplug!

Wow. That’s all I can say! Incredible views from every site. Most sites had rock fire pits existing already. Cold temperatures during the winter, but plenty of spots with large rocks to provide wind protection. Very easy to get here and find a spot! Highly recommend.

Travel west on Whitney Portal Rd from Lone Pine, then turn right onto Movie Rd. Dispersed campsites are plentiful and easily accessible along Movie Rd. Hardest challenge is choosing a spot! Two-wheel drive vehicles are okay to access most sites.

Otherworldly panoramic views on Mt Whitney and the surrounding Sierras. Camped here in December with comfortable overnight lows in the 30’s. Served as a tremendous stop on the way to Death Valley, less than 2-Hrs to the Park’s Panamint Entrance.

Tip: Take time to visit the local outfitters shops in Lone Pine for fire wood and other camping, hiking, mountaineering gear needs...or just drop in to show your support and talk story 😊🤙🏼🏔

Spent the night out here in July and got great views of the comet and the milky way. Plenty of open spaces to pick from. Just pull up and start setting up. Its closeby the Whitney portal so even drove up and checked out the waterfall there and Manzanar and Reward mine are in close proximity as well. Made a great weekend trip taking in plenty of sites.

Every “Van-Life” camper must go. So beautiful. FREE. Easy to get to. We loved our one night stay and plan on going back.

This is our fav. Boondocking spot off of the 395

Camped here in Nov 2020 when it was pretty chilly and got a dusting of snow overnight. This is boondocking at its best, with tons of secluded sites off the main road (Movie Rd).

Roads are decent, there are lots of level, large and pull-through sites. Amazing scenery of the Sierra Nevadas and the unique landscape of the Alabama Hills. Lots of hiking trails, arches and movie locations.

Download the Alabama Hills Rec Area digital map from Avenza for locations of the arches, trails and movie scene locations.

No amenities, no cell service but the town of Lone Pine is 10 min away.

Everything about Alabama Hills is incredible. From the moment you drive down Whitney Portal Rd to Movie Rd, it has uniquely amazing views. Movie Rd has the best dispersed camp spots. All with amazing views. SUV would probably be best for navigating the roads or at least 4x4. They’re all pretty far apart so they’re private. It’s so quiet at night you could hear a pin drop. The stars and the Milky Way are insane! So many constellations and shooting stars and satellites. Sunset was amazing over Mt. Whitney. The moon rise was quite the experience. Then sunrise... it was all just so beautiful!! Highly highly recommended! Pack lots of water! Lone Pine is nearby for firewood. But I think fires are currently restricted! As always pack it in and pack it out. Leave no trace!

Definitely one of the now "not so hidden" gems in the area. Popular with climbers, this spot is a great spot to explore and also set up a dispersed campsite. Drive the Movie Road Trail, 17 miles through the gnarly landscape. Nearby Whitney portal, it's a great spot to get views of Mt Whitney and the sierras. LOVE this area!

We’ve camped here many times on our drive up to Northern California. It’s other worldly and our kids love exploring this space. Each time we pull off into a new spot and stay a few nights. It’s boondocking, so it’s free to stay. You can take a quick drive up to Mt Whitney for the worlds biggest pancakes and a few waterfalls. There are great hikes in the area and even hidden swimming spots. Movies have been filmed here and it’s easy to see why.

Where do I start? If you’re someone who prefers dispersed camping such as myself, this is a great place. I cannot begin to express how beautiful it is. We arrived later in the day around 6-7 to avoid the heat. Lots of spots were taken by then. That was also due to it being fourth of July weekend, so I’m not sure how busy it usually is. Most of the spots are wedged right next to giant boulder formations, creating some nice shade during the day time. The roads were easy to drive on, we were perfectly fine in a 2WD old ass 4runner. There were a plethora of RVs, trailers, and low clearance cars as well. If you’re a climber this would be a great spot. We watched some climbers scale the massive boulder next to us which was fun to watch but made me nervous. Overall great experience and hopefully we’ll be back.

Camping in the boulders and dirt with the snow covered peaks, in an area that’s free BLM and the opportunity to choose your own spot within a massive and area= unbeatable. So beautiful. So raw. So private. We stop here a night or two in every trip as our jumping off and finishing spot when touring the east side.

Hands down my favorite place to camp! Granted, you won’t get the facilities or running water, but as far as beauty and open space go this place is unmatched. The drive along 395 to get there isn’t so bad either. Tons of hikes in and around Alabama Hills. Gets pretty toast in the summer though.

I always wanted to visit the Alabama Hills and I was extremely excited when my wife and I first went. It was an awesome experience! The campsites are far away from each other, so no one feels crowded. From my experience, most of the campers were fairly quite as well. I didn’t see any running water or any other amenities, but it is really close to Lone Pine, CA if you need anything. The area also offers some really cool hikes and rock climbing if you’re interested! As a photographer, the site offered great views of Mt. Whitney and Mt. Williamson. I will definitely go back!!