Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights & Activities
A few basic motels, a supermarket, restaurants and stores (including gear and equipment
shops) flank Hwy 395 (Main St in town). Whitney Portal Rd heads west at the lone
stoplight, while Hwy 136 to Death Valley veers away about 2 miles south of town.
Mt Whitney
MOUNTAIN
West of Lone Pine, the jagged incisors of the Sierra surge skyward in all their raw and
fierce glory. Cradled by scores of smaller pinnacles, Mt Whitney is a bit hard to pick out
from Hwy 395, so for the best views, take a drive along Whitney Portal Rd through the
Alabama Hills.
As you get a fix on this majestic megalith, remember that the country's lowest point is
only 80 miles (as the crow flies) east of here: Badwater in Death Valley. Climbing to Mt
Whitney's summit is among the most popular hikes in the entire country.
Alabama Hills
NATURAL FEATURE
Located on Whitney Portal Rd, the warm colors and rounded contours of the Alabama
Hills stand in contrast to the jagged snowy Sierras just behind. The setting for countless
ride-'em-out movies, the popular
Lone Ranger
TV series, and more recently, parts of
Quentin Tarantino's
Django Unchained
, the stunning orange rock formations are a beauti-
ful place to experience sunrise or sunset.
You can drive, walk or mountain-bike along dirt roads rambling through the boulders,
and along Tuttle and Lone Pine creeks. A number of graceful rock arches are within easy
hiking distance of the roads. Head west on Whitney Portal Rd and either turn left at Tuttle
Creek Rd, after a half-mile, or north on Movie Rd, after about 3 miles. The websites of the
Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce and the Museum of Lone Pine Film History have excel-
lent movie location maps.
Museum of Lone Pine Film History
MUSEUM
( 760-876-9909;
www.lonepinefilmhistorymuseum.org
; 701 S Main St; adult/child $5/free;
10am-5pm Mon-Sat, to 4pm Sun, longer summer hours )
