Alabama Hills - Movie Flat (Area)

There might be a lot of confusion lately with the San Bernardino National Forest order ( No. 05-12-00-23-03 ) closing almost all forest trails in southern California. This trail is still open.

Easy Trail With Amazing Views you just can’t BEAT! 5/5 if you need a place to camp and enjoy a relaxing day.

I'd rate this trail slightly harder than the 1-2. There were a number of areas with medium size rocks in the middle of the trail that had to be articulated with a bit of thought. There were a few up and down small valleys that I wasn't sure a stock vehicle (and it's stock front bumper) would have cleared. There were some areas with some moderate off-camber going over rocks. There were also a few areas that were pretty dang tight side-to-side (not counting the Squeeze). That being said, it's pretty fun and easy for a lifted vehicle. The camping options are numerous but even mid-week in November, it was fairly full with RVs. I went to the high-ground camp (which, with its final obstacle, probably excludes a lot of low-clearance vehicles) and it was nice, though crazy windy at night. Lots of evidence of previous use (if you know what I mean...yuck). I was glad I arrived early as there were quite a few other rigs that swung by looking for campsites. Make sure you check the Alabama Hills BLM website before going to camp as currently (Nov 2021) it looks like they are going to start requiring a permit to camp and will also be limiting the number of places that you are allowed to camp in the near future.

Made a quick run through here on my way home.

Hit the road from LA all the way up to Alabama Hills purely as a Sunday drive. Didn't do much and didn't camp, but gosh what an excellent getaway after being cooped in the house so much due to the pandemic.

The area is very beautiful and unique. The trail itself was easy but keep an eye out for rocks/boulders. Also keep an eye out for campers on the trail - many points dead end and campers find their way into the cracks and crevices. We camped at high ground camp and there was nightmarish winds from about 9pm until 3am. The group was getting blasted with sands, privacy tents and other goods flew off without a trace into the night. Roof top tents were lifting off the ground about 6 inches and slamming back down. Will not be returning for camping there due to the winds but day trips are still on the table.

This place is absolutely incredible! Every type of vehicle can make it. A bit of a cold front came through so the weather was perfect. We will be back here many more times. It would be cool if the trails were challenging enough to limit the number of people, but I guess it's nice for the RV owners. Check out my first ever travel video for the trip.

Been to Alabama Hills twice. Last one being in late February 2020. Weather was perfect! 60's-70's by day, down in the 40's by night. Alabama Hills is a fairly easy, accessible even to sedans. However it is a great getaway with lots of hiking an breath taking views. Awesome spot for astral photography, see my Milky Way capture below. We did some exploring during the day - Mt Whitney Portal, Cerro Gordo Mines/Ghost Town, just to name a few. I recommend Cerro Gordo Ghost Town.

I was surprised by how busy the area was mid week in October! I camped at high camp (waypoint 12) which was surprisingly one of the few campsites available. Amazing views. It got down to about 50 at night with howling winds. There is a 3 car width road that moves throughout the park if you're towing a trailer. I made it to high camp with a 16 ft off-road teardrop with good clearance. There is 1 notable obstacle if you're trying to tow anything to high camp located @ 36.62041, -118.11212 which includes a drop off of a couple feet accompanied by a large boulder in the middle of the trail. I got out and walked the line, which I would suggest depending on how long your rig is. There is a camp spot about 20 yards before this obstacle if you discover your setup won't make it. Most trails are wide enough to pull over and allow other vehicles to pass, and vice versa. Definitely a cool area worth checking out but be prepared to search for camp sites as this place seems to be busy even mid week. One thing to note is that because this is a popular area for movies to film you may have certain roads coned off. While I was there the Mobius arch loop hiking trail was closed for 2 days. Disappointing but I suppose it comes with the territory.

Great area to explore. So many trails and side roads. Good winter spot below the snow line. BEWARE THE SQUEEZE. It’s tighter than it looks in the pictures

What a scenic place!

Fun trail in a richly historic area with some pretty decent rock climbing. I took some friends through here in the late afternoon and it was beautiful. Very mellow and vehicle friendly - except the squeeze which you can by-pass. There are a lot of great camping spots through here if you are a traveler on 395 or want to use the area as a base camp for climbing in the Portal. Great food in Lone Pine and great burgers up in the Whitney Portal.