Alabama Hills

Wednesday, 6 February 

A slow start this morning as we thought that we would make a stop by an RV place for a part (non-critical), only to find out it was closed on Wednesdays.  In heading west from Yermo, we saw a sign in Barstow to exit off I-15 for the Historic Route 66.  So we overruled Google maps and drove a few miles on Route 66 to get our kicks on Route 66.

Next destination was Red Rock Canyon State Park.  It was difficult to find good info on why it might be a good stop, but we thought if it was anything like the red rocks near Sedona, AZ, it would be awesome.  When we arrived, we found the Visitor Center closed.  Strike one.  And few hikes were too short to be worth getting out of Sprinty for in the 40 degrees and blustery conditions.  Strike two.  And the rocks were not very red.  A pale pink.  Strike three.  Based on the printed guide, it seems to be more of an OHV destination.  We did drive through the parking lot and found few sites that were suitable for Sprinty, making us glad we did not stretch yesterday to try and stay here.  Strike four.

So we continued north into Owens Valley.  With mountain ranges over 14,000 feet on both sides, the Owens Valley is one of the deepest valleys on earth.  At the bottom of the valley is dry Owens Lake.  A result of Los Angeles appetite for water.  We saw a lot of standing water in the lake, likely the result of recent rains.  We saw lots of dike-like structures and other improvements in the lake bed, which was part of thousands of computer controlled sprinklers covering nearly 30 square miles of the dry lake bed to control dust storms.  Operated by the Los Angeles Water Department.

We stopped at the Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center in Lone Pine, CA to gather some information about Alabama Hills, Lone Pine and Death Valley NP.  We picked up an Alabama Hills map and guide.  We have seen numerous posts on various solidarity media of people camping in Alabama Hills that were just awesome.  

The Alabama Hills are a formation of rounded rocks and eroded hills set between jagged peaks of the Sierra Nevada and the Owens Valley.  The hills consist of nearly 30,000 acres of public land located west of Lone Pine that are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  Which also permits free dry camping.

In researching the area, we found that over 400 movies have been filmed in Alabama Hills including classics such as Gunga Din, How the West Was Won, Gladiator, and Django Unchained.  Many of the film locations are on or near Movie Road inside Alabama Hills.  Movie road that starts as paved, then turns to a dirt road.  Washboard type, so we drove at about 10mph, which was great for taking in the stunning views.  Fortunately, the trailhead for the hike was only down the road about a mile.

There was also a short hike to Mobius Arch on Movie road.  Along the way, we had Sprinty test out several potential campsites for the future.  

And this is the view we would have enjoyed from one of the campsites:

For the future as the low temperature tonight is expected to be 19 degrees in Alabama Hills, and Sprinty is resisting being winterized again. 

The hike to Mobius Arch was fairly easy, and wandering amongst the rocks reminded us of Joshua Tree NP hikes earlier this week.  Except as you can see above, you can camp in and amongst the rocks.  While we felt Red Rocks Canyon State Park was not worth the 10 minutes we stopped there, Alabama Hills more than made up for that.  If the weather were 20 degrees warmer (highs and lows), we would have probably stayed at least three nights to explore the area, hike amongst the rocks and absorb the stunning scenery.  We might have even visited the Film Museum in Lone Pine, and played golf at the Mount Whitney Golf Course in Lone Pine.  Of course, if it was 20 degrees warmer, there would have been a lot more people also enjoying Alabama Hills.  As it was, the place was almost deserted today.

Mobius Arch with Mount Whitney, the tallest point in California, in the distance.

We then headed for Death Valley NP via California Highway 136 and 190, entering the park from the west side.  

Once over the pass at about 5,000 feet, we descended to Panamint Springs at 2,000 feet where we stopped for the night at the campground.  

A very basic campground - so we opted to dry camp for $20.  While we plan to skip the showers (there is no door on the bath house and the temperature is in the 40s), they do have WiFi.  And with only a few campers tonight, it is somewhat usable.  Nice as there is no cell service in Death Valley.

The general store at Panamint Springs, where you check in for the campground, also sells gas and diesel.  Diesel is over $2 more per gallon than we paid earlier in the day.