Photo Guide to the Alabama Hills of California

We are most fortunate that nature had the benevolence to plant the Alabama Hills right in front of the most dramatic part of the eastern front of the Sierra Nevada Range. At the foot of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states (14,497 feet), and the even more visually dramatic Lone Pine Peak, the Alabama Hills are a jumble of eroded granite forms, boulders, and arches. There are a number of arches, but I can instruct you in only three of photographic significance. The Alabama Hills, named for the CSS Alabama, a Confederate warship, are so remarkable and visually unique that they have been the site of over 300 movies and a multitude of commercials since the 1920s. The last time I was there I arrived at 5:45 a.m. and an entire production crew, absent the night before, was already there and ready to shoot a Bayer Aspirin commercial. What does Bayer Aspirin have to do with granite rocks and mountains? Beats me, but I’m sure they found an angle. Among the cool places to take photographs, there are a number of arches that frame the mountains. I’ll describe the three I know about in a moment along with instructions on getting to them. But first a few tips.

How to Get There

The Alabama Hills are just outside of Lone Pine, California. Highway 395 runs north and south from Reno to Barstow and courses along the entire east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. Lone Pine is about an hour south of Bishop, California, home of the late master photographer Galen Rowell, and about 2 hours south of Mammoth Lakes. It is just to the east of King’s Canyon National Park and is the gateway to the easiest and hence the most popular climbing route on Mt. Whitney.

When to Go

Winter is the most visually striking time to photograph. The mountains are blanketed in snow and make a dramatic background to the myriad shapes present in the Alabama Hills. This is not a place for dramatic autumn pictures, as aspen trees are absent here. Summer is hot hot hot and crowded with people coming and going from climbing nearby Mt. Whitney. Spring is nice and the days are longer but the snow melts from the lower slopes pretty early many years.

Alabama Arch. The rocks in these "hills" were made by a series of intrusions of Mesozoic granite.Remember to arrive for sunrise. The light comes in low from the east and makes for dramatic rosy light on the mountains and impressive shadows and warm light on the rocks. You maybe joined by others and it can be a bit crowded getting the best angles in the best locations, so keep that in mind.

Consider night shots if the moon is up. The moonlight on the rocks, the curving stars from a long exposure create an other-worldly photographic experience.

The Arches

The local ranger station on the south side of Lone Pine provides a rough map and directions to the two most striking arches. They are not named as far as I can tell, so I will call them Knob Arch and Donut Arch for convenience. If anyone knows of their proper names, please contact me. Knob Arch is the easiest to get to and shoot from by far. By far. Through this arch you can shoot either Lone Pine Peak or Mt. Whitney. It lights up very soon after sunrise. The ranger station directions are good for Knob Arch, marginal for Donut Arch. Here are my modified directions:

Knob Arch
Take Rt. 395 to Lone Pine.

At the town’s only stop light, turn west onto Whitney Portal Road. Drive 2.5 miles to Movie Road. Turn right.

After 1.5 miles you will come to a Y in the road.

Bear to the right and pull into the parking area immediately to your left. A small heart-shaped arch can be viewed to the northeast of the pullout.

From the parking area a path on the northwest corner leads down into a wash and then climbs back out of the wash and heads north to the above referenced Knob Arch. It’s about 200 yards away, more or less due north of the parking area. It’s a little hard to spot because you need to be really close to it to see it. It’s kind of hidden behind some rocks on the south side of it.

Warning: May be crowded with photographers and tripods at sunrise. It’s a classic sunrise spot.

Donut Arch
DONUT ARCH is a pothole natural arch eroded in DeChelly sandstone. It is located on the top of an isolated butte (known as Saddle Rock). Take Whitney Portal Road same as above, but go 5.1 miles (1.6 miles past Movie Road). A dirt road turns off to a barbed wire fence. Go past the first turnoff. Go another 0.2 mi. and turn at a second dirt road turnoff. At that point, there should be a wide opening in the fence and room to park.

Cross Lone Pine Creek on a wooden bridge and follow a track that heads west and parallels a fence line to your left.

Soon you will come to a cairn and marker that leads you onto a path heading north. Small cairns guide you to a wash with a sandy bottom. (I must admit, I never found the cairns, but I finally found the wash).

Follow the wash as it swings to the north. You will go past the first, closest outcropping of rocks toward a gap between the first outcropping and the second, just north of it. When you see the gully or gap between the two rock outcroppings to the east of you (to the right), you will soon see the arch high up on the second outcropping from the hill. By this point, I’d estimate you have walked ½ mile.

Paths lead out of the wash and up the gap toward the arch.

This sucker is a killer to photograph, but is rewarding. Because of the hill behind it, you won’t get morning light on the arch for about an hour after sunrise, maybe a bit more. So you can shoot Knob Arch first, then go to this one. That’s what I did. Forget tripods. The ground is so low behind this arch that you can’t shoot the arch and the mountains from ground level. There is a big rock just behind this arch that’s like a huge slab. Behind that slab is another slab. If you climb in the gap between the two slabs, you can put your camera on top of the first slab and shoot the mountain framed by the arch. This is not easy or particularly fun. You need a bean bag or sweatshirt or something to put your camera on to steady it and keep from scratching it on the very sharp granite. You basically have to do a chimney maneuver to position yourself to get the photo. It’s a pain in the butt, but what a photo!!

Other Arches
Alabama Hills - Taper ArchNear Knob Arch there is a very thin arch I call Taper Arch. Easy to shoot from and gives some nice views. You need a wide angle lens for this baby.
I have seen photos of other arches but I haven’t had the time to explore and find them. If you have directions, email me and I’ll be glad to give you credit and add the directions to this Web site.

Non-arch photo opportunities
These are too many to describe. You could spend a long time exploring this remarkable area. Go nuts.