Spotlight On: The Gateway to Mt. Whitney
When I first moved to the area, a guy I met once said, “Lone Pine is popping on Friday and Saturday nights.” I stared at him for a moment, waiting for the punchline. A month later, while driving back on the weekend from the place that shall not be named (okay, it’s Los Angeles), I realized there wasn’t a punchline. Lone Pine was, indeed, popping. Food trucks and restaurants and… nightlife.
I think Lone Pine is the kind of place a lot of people drive through without fully taking all of it in. With its mix of Hollywood history, stark desert landscapes, a constant flow of hikers, road trippers, and repeat visitors, and yes, a bustling weekend vibe, there’s plenty going on right in front of you—and even more that’s easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.
That’s why a Facebook page like The Gateway to Mt. Whitney is so special. It highlights what makes this area so unique. What started out as a way husband and wife Mike and Elmira Foley would highlight local businesses turned into a page followed by tens of thousands of people that shows just what makes this region so very special.
What was the original inspiration behind launching “The Gateway to Mt. Whitney” page?
My wife Elmira and I created this social media page a year or two before launching our distribution business here in Lone Pine. We intended to bring more attention to local businesses through online photography, videos, and articles, knowing we would eventually supply these stores with the products we intended to make. While sharpening our photography skills, we slowly gained an audience and eventually reached 42K followers with our content.
What is the primary goal of the page: tourism promotion, local news, or historical preservation?
We live and operate right in Lone Pine on Main St., and we see it all. From the sidewalks being lined with backpackers headed into the High Sierra, the spectacle of vehicles traveling up 395, Hollywood production companies filming in town, to the most amazing sunrises and sunsets anyone could ever hope to see, and we’re here to share that with the rest of the world through social media.
Our mission isn’t necessarily to bring new visitors to this region, but to keep the return visitors coming back and spending money here while having a great experience. On The Gateway to Mt. Whitney page, we try to keep up with current events such as traffic, weather, new businesses in town, campground info, etc. Some of our videos have been aired by news outlets around the country.
So many people pass through Lone Pine on their way to Mammoth or June Lake every day. Most of them have no idea that they’re passing through a plethora of fantastic Wild West and recent history rich with amazing stories. Not to mention, a lot of their favorite movies were filmed here. So we’re trying to reach them online. Lone Pine’s roots in history go deep, and preserving that is absolutely one of our goals.
What type of posts do you feel generate the most engagement?
Occasionally, a tractor trailer with a wide load rolls through town hauling a mysterious freight with a CHP escort. I post the video and caption it: “What Are They Haulin’?” Those posts usually get a big response and lots of funny answers. Recently, one of those posts earned over a million views. I experimented with an idea not too long ago, and that particular content got huge responses, especially from locals in each town along 395. So we’re planning to start making those types of videos again soon. Otherwise, “Then and Now” pictures typically generate the most engagement. I find an old photo of Lone Pine, go to that exact spot, take an up-to-date pic, and then post them together for comparison. The fact that parts of Lone Pine haven’t changed much at all in the last 100 years is what gets their attention. Any post on the Alabama Hills Cafe gets a lot of likes and comments.
Who would you say are the people visiting your page and interacting with each other? You have 42,000 followers. Are they locals, out of towners? Are there people foreign to the U.S. on there?
Most of our followers live in Los Angeles. Roughly 600 in L.P.
Lastly, where do you see “The Gateway to Mt. Whitney” heading in the next five years?
Well, I think we’re going to have a name change here soon. We have much more content planned, bigger ‘n’ better stuff in the near future. I may bring in another like-minded local this summer to contribute their brand of social media entertainment. Our distribution business has taken off fast this season, keeping us busy, so we can use all the help we can get to keep this page going.
We’re opening a new store on Main St. this summer, which will be the new headquarters for The Gateway to Mt. Whitney. New content coming soon!
A special thank you to Mike and Elmira for answering our questions!
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