If you have not heared of Alabama Hills of Lone Pine before, it is place where there are lots of rock formations and over 300 Hollywood western style movies were filmed there. So it must be an interesting place for photographers and yes it is. It is located in Lone Pine of California, a little less then 4 hours away from Los Angeles.
Lone Pine is such a small town that no body would remember it if not for the two spots that many outdoor people like to go: Alabama Hills that mentioned above and Mt. Whitney, which is the highest peak in US continent. So people come to Lone Pine to climb Whitney, or to have fun in Alabama Hills.
There are a few nice hotels in the town of Lone Pine and campsites are available at the bottom of Mt. Whitney and in Alabama Hills area.
In Alabama Hills, you would photograph Mt. Whitney, rock formations and small arches. The best time to photograph is from sunrise till early morning. In the afternoon, you can not photograph Mt. Whitney as you are facing the setting sun.
1. Mt. Whitney.
If you go there before sunset, you will have a chance to get pictures of the first ray of sun shining on Mt. Whitney. You will have to use a tele lens (200 mm at least) to get the peak. You can photograph the peak anywhere from Alabama Hills.
2. Arches area
Arches in Alababma Hills are very small. You can follow the arches map and the GPS coodinates to find them. These three are relatively easy to find:
Mobius Arch: This is the most photographed arch in that area. Many people use it to frame it Mt. Whitney in the background. Best time to shoot is at sunrise. You will have to walk for about 20 min from the parking spot.
Lathe Arch: This is a tiny arch which you will see on your way to Mobius Arch (be carefull or you will miss it).
Eye of Alabama Hills: This arch is on a hillside so you will have to climb for about 20 min to get there. It was amazing looking through the eye to the rocks. Early morning is the best but late in the afternoon also works.
There are many other small arches. You can find them from the map if you are interested in photographing them.
3. Hiking
It is really a great pleasure to hike around Alabama Hills area and photograph as you hike. There are many short trails and interested rock formations there. You could spend days exploring the area in depth. If you do not know where to go, try this area: 36.602465,-118.128178
Rock in Alabamia Hills
Hiking trail in Alabama Hills
