Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States at 14,505 feet above sea level, is a part of this breathtaking backdrop.
Most of the Alabama Hills is public land administered by the federal Bureau of Land Management, which maintains a number of easy public hiking trails on the property, as well as wider multi-use trails that are used by bicyclists and horseback riders.
The BLM also issues about 30 to 40 film permits a year for movies, TV shows, commercials and still photo shoots on the property.
Permittees agree to certain practices to prevent disturbing wildlife, vegetation and artifacts.
For the most part, the Alabama Hills have been used by filmmakers to represent the iconic American West.
For example, back in 1920, it was the setting for The Roundup, a silent western starring Fatty Arbuckle. For example, the Arch Loop Trail, a popular hiking trail in that visits a natural stone arch called the Mobius Arch, is about 0.
How to get there: In the town of Lone Pine in southeast California, the Alabama Hills is easily accessed from Whitney Portal Road, which leads from Route 395 into the conservation area.
Off Whitney Road, the trails of the Alabama Hills are accessed by two dirt roads: Movie Road and Horseshoe Canyon Road.
While driving in the area, watch out for jackrabbits, stray cattle and wild elk.
Information: Located in Owens Valley, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southeast California, the Alabama Hills Conservation Area is an usual desertscape that has been featured in hundreds of movies and television shows, including recent blockbusters Iron Man, The Lone Ranger and Gladiator.
Named after a Confederate warship that sank in 1864, the Alabama Hills — along with the much taller nearby Sierras — were thrust up from the earth millions of years ago, then eroded by wind-blown sand into domes and arches.
What you see today is actually just the top of a mountain range, buried by thousands of feet of sediment, possibly by earthquake activity, according to the Museum of Western Film History, located in the nearby downtown area of Lone Pine.
Surrounded cacti and desert flowers, these rounded rock formations are contrasted by the nearby Sierras, which forms a jagged, snow-capped line to the west.
And in 1994, the hills served as the setting for Maverick, a movie starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner.
For recreationists, the Alabama Hills is a popular spot for family-friendly hiking, biking, camping and rock climbing.
Jackrabbits are also common, and the bird community changes throughout the year.
For information, visit www.
Personal note: About a week ago, my husband Derek and I took a plane — or three — across the country to attend a wedding in Big Pine, a small town in southeast California.
While there, we took the opportunity to see several natural wonders, including the Alabama Hills.
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