Sunday, June 26, 2011

Archwalk at Alabama Hills

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Mobius Arch @ Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, Eastern Sierra
The Eastern Sierra Nevada of California is full of mind boggling diversity. It is full of extremes and contrasts. The low elevation has a stunnning desert scenery.
Looking East from the Arch Rock above, @ Alabama Hills
Whereas the high elevation has the giant forests.The Sierra is home to the giant sequoias, home of the largest tree by volume in the world.
One of the interesting stops at Highway 395 in the Eastern Sierra is Alabama Hills. Those who hike to Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in contiguous US, from Whitney Portal must have passed this place.
Mt. Whitney As Seen From Alabama Hills
Those who have not been to Alabama Hills may still find this place very familiar, or may have seen this place through the many movies filmed here! The mind boggling scenery here at Alabama Hills was a popular location for sci-fi, adventure and Western movies. Our poses in Mobious Arch was our fun way of copying John Wayne :)

Alabama Hills is very short detour if you are traveling on Hwy 395 to Death Valley National Park, or to Mammoth Lakes, or to Lake Tahoe, or to Yosemite National Park from Southern California, or vice versa. Movie Portal Road is only 2.5 miles from Hwy 395, and to the parking lot for the Mobius Arch is 1.5 miles of unpaved road.
  • Coming from Hwy 395 South to Lone Pine, Turn west (at the stop light) 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.
  • Go right and pull into the dirt parking area immediately on your left.
  • You will see the trail sign on the left side of this parking area; this is where you begin your arch walk, which takes approximately 15 minutes round trip.
- directions above were taken from Alabama Hills website.

If you have short time and needed to be in another place at a given time, you may skip driving the whole Movie Flats Road and just do the short Arch Walk (all pictures in this post were just from the Arch Walk). Why? The whole Movie Portal Flats is huge and may take you very long to complete it. You can have a movie tour by following this map which is also availabe at the inter-agency visitor center, or at Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce. Doing this however would no longer be a short detour. For a short 30 minute- 1 hr detour ( with photography), the Arch Walk would be enough.
Me, Trying to Copy John Wayne :) @ Mobius Arch (found at Arch Walk)
Lathe Arch close to Mobius Arch ( at Arch Walk )
For more information about Alabama Hills, please click the following below:

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18 comments:

  1. Beautiful scenery! Your 2nd picture looks almost like something from the moon.

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  2. I have not heard of Alabama Hills, and now learn something new! Thanks Betchai..I love your John Wayne shadow..

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  3. Very dramatic photos- one thing about stark landscapes.

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  4. Your copy of John Wayne is great. I love those photos.

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  5. I love those photos.

    And I always would like to go there.

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  6. what...every single picture is perfectly taken...thanks for sharing some nice spots in Alabama...

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  7. I might have said this before, but your photos always tell me how beautiful the earth really is.

    Love the shadow of you as John Wayne!

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  8. Love the photos especially the Mobius Arc! Awesome place! : )

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  9. You are not afraid that the arches might collapse? :D

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  10. Beth, you really are the landscape photographer! Amazing capture. I am so interested in experiencing the Sierra! :) Lovely post! :)

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  11. What beautiful mountain and rock formations. It looks so dramatic.

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  12. gorgeous shots!thanks for taking me on this trip...sunny smiles...

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  13. mind boggling, eye catching scenery...superb as always wonderwoman...another dream place for me to visit with you, one sweet Alabama day...:-)

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  14. Am back -hahaha! Love the shadow photos! Interesting! :)

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  15. Never knew these existed! Amazing nature!

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  16. Great shadow shot there, betchai. Of course, being the Southern girl that I am, when I saw Alabama hills, I immediately thought of the neighboring state to Georgia, where I was born! Never mind that I've been in California for about 34 years.

    You visit so many wonderful places in our state. I wish I could go back in time to my 30's...so I could do some of these things. At 66, in my current physical health, much of that is beyond me but I so love to do it all with you via your blog.

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  17. Even the dryness and the rocks are beautiful in their own ways. Nature is amazing, thanks for sharing.

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THANK YOU SO MUCH!!