New Camping Regulations for Alabama Hills

The Bureau of Land Management is implementing new camping regulations in the Alabama Hills, in order to maintain and preserve the beautiful area as well as improving recreation for visitors and locals.

If you would like to camp at the Alabama Hills, your best bet is these nearby campgrounds, all of which are within a few miles of the famous Movie Road. Click the links for each to get more information on regulations and reservations.

• BLM Tuttle Creek Campground:
  • $8 per night, no reservations, open year round, 83 RV/tent sites, 5 miles NE of Lone Pine
• The Inyo National Forest Lone Pine Campground:
  • $26 per night, may be first come first serve, open year round, 42 single campsites with 1 double site and 1 walk-in group site, 6 miles W of Lone Pine
• The Inyo County Portuguese Joe Campground:
  • $14 per vehicle per night, 20 camp spaces, 6 people per site

Starting October 1st, 2021, any area with a no camping sign, as well as the west side of Movie Road in the Movie Flat area, will

be restricted to day use only. Throughout the fall, there will be additional changes to camping regulations, including a required free permit to camp, and further specification on possible camping areas.

Eventually, camping will be limited as shown in this map. As there will be upcoming changes, please check the BLM’s official Alabama Hills page for recent updates if you are planning to visit and/or camp in the area.

To locals and travelers, the Alabama Hills is a special place, known for its beautiful rock formations, views, wildflowers, and history. It has been an officially designated national scenic area since 2019, as well as being an iconic part of the Owens Valley. But like every place of natural beauty, the only way it can stay beautiful for future generations is if we properly care for and respect it.

Some ways you can respectfully visit the Alabama Hills, while also protecting the nature and wildlife:

• Do not drive over or park on the vegetation; give your car at least 3 feet between itself and any plants. The local fauna is fragile and cannot survive being crushed.
• Do not stand on or walk on the Mobius Arch (pictured left), the famous rock arch that has been used for climbing and photography purposes. As well as being a sacred spot, the arch will eventually weaken and break if it constantly holds weight. Please observe and enjoy it from afar and below.
• Leave the area better than you find it; pick up your trash and litter.
• If you are a local or a visitor, consider giving back to the community by checking    volunteer opportunities in the area for nature restoration.

In this video, titled “Alabama Hills: Care For and Protect,” Kathy Bancroft of the Alabama Hills Stewardship group sums it up perfectly when she says, “That’s the only thing that’s going to protect this place, is for people to understand how special it is, how fragile it is, and that we want to keep it in this semi-primitive way because that’s where it’s beauty lies. We need everyone’s help to do it.”

Ella Boehme

TIP JAR