Lone Pine & Alabama Hills
A small town at the foot of Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous US, with Mobius Arch sunrises and Western film locations in the Alabama Hills, plus the WWII Japanese American internment camp of Manzanar to the north.
Lone Pine sits in the southern Owens Valley in Inyo County, California. US 395 runs right through town, the eastern wall of the Sierra Nevada rises immediately to the west, and Mount Whitney (4,421 m), the highest peak in the contiguous United States, stands about 20 km west of town; to the east, across the dry Owens Lake, the road leads on to Death Valley. West of town, the Alabama Hills are strewn with rounded granite boulders and natural arches and have served as a Hollywood Western film location for nearly a century; the sunrise over Mount Whitney framed by Mobius Arch is the Eastern Sierra's most classic photograph. Highlights: shoot sunrise in the Alabama Hills at dawn and hunt for film locations along Movie Road, visit the Museum of Western Film History in the morning, then drive up to Whitney Portal to escape the heat or hike to Lone Pine Lake; 15 km north is the site of Manzanar, the WWII Japanese American internment camp. March–May and September–November have the best weather; in summer the valley floor often tops 38°C, so head for higher ground. The Mount Whitney climbing season runs July–September and requires a permit won in an advance lottery; Whitney Portal Road is usually closed in winter. Lone Pine is about 3.5 hours' drive from Los Angeles and about 4 hours from Las Vegas; a car is essential. Plan on 1–2 days, and combine it with Death Valley, Bishop and Mammoth Lakes for an Eastern Sierra road trip.
Top sights
- Alabama Hills – Rounded granite hills at the foot of Mount Whitney, where hundreds of Westerns were filmed. Sunrise views of snow-capped peaks and rock for…
- Mobius Arch – The most famous natural stone arch in the Alabama Hills. Looking through the opening frames Mount Whitney perfectly, making it a sacred spo…
- Mount Whitney – The highest peak in the contiguous United States at 4,421 meters. Climbing it requires a permit obtained by lottery, and the town of Lone P…
- Movie Road & Film Locations – A dirt road winding into the Alabama Hills, lined with classic filming locations for Westerns such as Gunga Din and The Lone Ranger.
- Whitney Portal – The trailhead for Mount Whitney at about 2,550 m, with pine forests, a waterfall and an old-fashioned store. A summer favourite for escapin…
- Lone Pine Lake Trail – A classic day hike from Whitney Portal to a high-mountain lake that requires no permit. It is the best way to experience the Whitney Trail.
- Manzanar National Historic Site – One of ten camps that held Japanese Americans during World War II. Reconstructed barracks, watchtowers and a memorial tell the story.
- Museum of Western Film History – A film museum at the southern entrance to Lone Pine, displaying Western props, costumes and vintage cars from films shot in the Alabama Hil…
- Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center – A combined visitor centre south of Lone Pine, where you can pick up climbing permits, get road conditions and look out at Mount Whitney.
- Owens Lake – A once-great lake that dried up in the 1920s after its water was diverted to supply Los Angeles. Parts have since been refilled and now ser…
- Cerro Gordo Ghost Town – One of California’s richest silver mines in the 19th century. The mining town’s ruins sit high on the Inyo Mountains; the site is privately…
- Horseshoe Meadows Road – A road that climbs about 1,800 m from Lone Pine to the alpine meadows at 3,000 m. It offers views over Owens Valley along the way and ends…
- Fossil Falls – A dry waterfall carved by the ancient Owens River into basalt lava during the Ice Age, its black rock worn smooth.
- Eastern California Museum – A local museum in Independence with Paiute basketry, Manzanar artefacts and the history of settlement in Owens Valley.
- Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery – A stone hatchery built in 1917 in Tudor Revival style, known as the “jewel of the Sierra.” Its garden pond lets visitors feed trout.
Where to eat
- Alabama Hills Cafe & Bakery – Lone Pine's top-rated breakfast spot, with house-baked bread and giant cinnamon rolls, a fixed stop for climbers before…
- Merry-Go-Round Chinese Restaurant – A family-run Chinese restaurant in a former carousel-style building, with a chef from Taiwan, China, specializing in Si…
- Seasons Restaurant – Lone Pine's most acclaimed dinner, known for filet mignon, elk and lamb; reservations required.
Itineraries
- US West National Parks & Coast Grand Loop – A Los Angeles loop passing through Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Yosemite, and San Francisco, returning…
- Eastern Sierra US-395 & Yosemite Crossing – Head north from Los Angeles along US-395, crossing the mountains via Tioga Road to Yosemite and San Francisco