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2025-08-04  
2025-07-31  
Alabama Hills Wandering, CA
mini location map2025-07-31
22 by photographer avatarJohn10s
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Alabama Hills Wandering, CA 
Alabama Hills Wandering, CA
 
Hiking3.05 Miles 350 AEG
Hiking3.05 Miles
350 ft AEG
Partners none no partners
I got a permit to hike Mt. Whitney in early August, so I took a few days off work and turned it into a long weekend trip. The drive from Phoenix to Lone Pine took a little over eight hours with a few stops, and I arrived with plenty of daylight left, so I decided to check out Alabama Hills. It's only a 10-minute drive from Lone Pine and packs a lot of fantastic scenery into a short outing.

I made a quick stop at Nightmare Rock before turning onto Movie Flat Road, then parked near Three Brothers and found the alcove with the petroglyphs/pictographs--a little faded but still cool to see. As I explored that area, I passed Gene Autry Rock before driving to the the next stop at Arch Loop Trail. That's the most popular spot in the area and has a parking lot, bathrooms, and a signed trail. There were a few other vehicles in the lot and quite a few people on the loop, particularly around Mobius Arch, so I didn't spend much time there.

Farther down the road, I stopped again and checked out Boot and Cyclops Arches and had those to myself as the sun dropped behind the Sierras. Cyclops was the highlight, with two big arches and a smaller one in that single rock formation (which begs the question why a triple arch is called cyclops), and the views of Whitney and the other peaks at that time of the evening were impressive. Driving back toward Lone Pine, I pulled off at a small parking area that overlooks the Iron Man film site. Beautiful area, and nice to get a few miles of hiking in on a mostly driving day to start the trip.
 Geology
 Geology [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Natural Arch
 
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