This popular tourist attraction just a few miles from Lone Pine, CA—The Alabama Hills National Scenic Area—consists of 18,000 acres of the larger 30,000 acre Alabama Hills conservation lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Video
The reason I mention those numbers is it’s good to know that there are a lot of additional opportunities for dispersed RV camping up to a 14 day stay in addition to the designated camping areas I show in the video below. And the small town Lone Pine has all the basic amenities you’d need i.e. gas, restaurants, cafe, grocery store.
Movie Road and natural arches are the main attractions
I didn’t get to check out Movie Road as trailers are not allowed and at the time of my visit there was a road closure for repairs so I didn’t unhitch the trailer to drive it; another time! Movie Road is super easy to visit and leads to different spots where shooting of over 400 films made in this area have been shot plus the famous Mobius Arch with views of Mt. Whitney in the background. Super cool.
You can learn about the film history of Alabama Hills by visiting the Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine. More information about this museum is here: Museum of Western Film History.
One campground in Alabama Hills National Scenic Area plus 53 free campsites!
The only campground located within this national scenic area is Tuttle Creek Campground. It’s first come first serve, open year round and super cheap at just $10 night. There are 83 sites and it is a BLM campground with a 14 day stay limit. It’s not recommended for RVs over 30 feet in length. There is also Portuguese Joe and Lone Pine campgrounds nearby. Just past Tuttle Creek you start to see the free campsites.
Download PDF of dispersed campsites here: Map of Free Campsites.
Of the few that I checked out some are really tight, best suited for vans, others more spacious and others on off-roads needing a high clearance vehicle. That hot tip I got from calling the BLM office: 760-872-5000. The guy was super nice and helpful.
Can get the free visitor’s pass that’s good for one year online
You can get the free visitor’s pass online here: Alabama Hills Designated Camping Permit. We drove in not knowing we needed a permit but the ranger gave us one. Important to know is you have ONLY 14 DAYS IN A YEAR to free camp. After that you need to go into the BLM office and get a 30 day permit.
Video of Alabama Hills National Scenic Area
This is a video of the area past Tuttle Creek Campground on the way to Movie Road which is around 2 miles away. You get to see what the dirt roads are like, where to camp, and a few campsites you may want to check out on your visit. Enjoy!
Spotty cell service at the campground
I didn’t have any cell service at the free campsite Tiger and I stayed at but the ranger and the BLM person I spoke to said there is some cell coverage at the Tuttle Creek Campround. But it’s spotty. They mentioned Verizon and AT&T may allow some texting, etc.