Lone Pine & Alabama Hills

Lone Pine is a small, storied town on US-395 about an hour north of Ridgecrest, nestled at the base of the highest peaks in the Sierra Nevada. The town serves as the gateway to Mount Whitney and the dramatic Alabama Hills — a landscape of rounded granite boulders and arches that has served as the backdrop for hundreds of Hollywood westerns and blockbuster films since the 1920s.

The Alabama Hills are the main attraction for most visitors, and for good reason. These weathered granite formations create a surreal landscape that seems to belong on another planet, framed by the jagged, snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada rising directly behind them. The contrast between the smooth, warm-toned boulders in the foreground and the sharp, alpine peaks behind is one of the most photographed scenes in the American West. Movie Road winds through the heart of the hills, passing locations used in films starring John Wayne, Gene Autry, Clint Eastwood, and many others.

The town itself is charming and walkable, with the Museum of Western Film History documenting the area's cinematic heritage with props, costumes, and memorabilia from the hundreds of productions filmed here. Lone Pine also serves as the last supply point for hikers heading to the summit of Mount Whitney via the Whitney Portal Road, a stunning 13-mile drive that climbs from 3,700 feet to 8,300 feet in elevation.