Best Arches to See in Alabama Hills, CA

Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, CA is one of those off the beaten path locations that constantly surprises you with all of its hidden beauty. It’s like Disneyland but with unique rock formations, natural arches, and breathtaking views. One of our favorite things to do there is to go arch hunting, and cool rock formations too! It’s super fun because it reminds us of going treasure hunting or geocaching. So below is the list of our favorite best arches and rock formations in Alabama Hills and where to find them.

We love Alabama Hills, we hope you do too. Therefore, please help us protect and keep this area clean and free for generations to come. This means take out ALL your trash, DO NOT deface any rocks, and leave things where they are.

STATS:

Where:

Alabama Hills Recreation Area –
Coordinates: 36°35’43.94″N 118° 6’31.52”W

Hours:

Alabama Hills is open 24/7.

Fee:

Believe it or not, Alabama Hills is free to visit!

Parking:

Parking is at either dirt lot or on the side of dirt roads.

Restroom:

There are no restrooms here.

Estimated Completion Time:

2 – 4 hours. Depends on how much you want to explore each place.

Ideal Weather:

It can get pretty hot here in the summer. Spring and fall are probably the best seasons to visit.

Ideal Time:

Morning or evening would provide you with the best lighting for photos and it will get you out of the heat of the day in the summer.

Dog-friendly:

Yes. However, please make sure to watch out for snakes and scorpions. Also, please make sure to clean up after your pups!

Additional, Important Info:

There are no facilities, water, or food in Alabama Hills. Bring water and food if you’re planning to stay here for a bit. The good thing is this place is only about 5 minutes drive from the town of Lone Pine. Unless you’re camping, Lone Pine would be your best option for sleeping accommodation, food, and other amenities.

Another quick note, even though Alabama Hills is right next to Lone Pine, it is a big place at whopping 30,000 acres. And there is NO cell reception here. Therefore, make sure to have a full tank of gas before going in. You don’t want to get stuck here. Also, in some of these places, you might need 4WDs or high clearance vehicles to get there.

If you plan on exploring by car, all the roads in Alabama Hills are washboard roads. The few main roads there, even though bumpy, they are mostly flat. However, most of the smaller roads will require at least high clearance vehicles.

Weather:

VIDEO:

GETTING THERE:

To get here, from U.S. 395, turn onto Whitney Portal Road to go toward Mt. Whitney. About 2.8 miles, turn right onto Movie Road. Most of the best arches and rock formations in Alabama Hills will be located along this road. Movie Road is a washboard road. There is one rock formation that is on Whitney Portal Road, before the turn.

LOCATIONS:

Although you can access some areas in your regular cars, we recommend bringing 4WDs or high clearance vehicles. This will help you make the most out of Alabama Hills, especially when hunting for its best arches and rock formations. You will also need a good GPS device. There is no cell reception here.

Face of Alabama Hills

Coordinates: 36°35’47.5″N 118°05’54.5″W
This super cool rock formation is also called Nightmare Rock. It is a giant boulder that someone painted into a face. The face’s features change over time, depends on who decided to give it a fresh paint job. This rock is located right outside Alabama Hills, on Whitney Portal Road, acting as a greeter to welcome visitors to this beautiful place.

Hitching Post Arch

Coordinates: 36°36’11.1″N 118°06’24.6″W
This is a smaller arch, peaking over a pile of rocks. You kind of have to strain your eyes to see it. You will need to go off-road from Movie Road to see this one. There is another bonus arch near the Hitching Post arch. You should be able to see it from the road.

Gene Autry Rock

Coordinates: 36°36’14.2″N 118°07’01.4″W
This rock is named after Gene Autry, a famous cowboy, and actor. Gene Autry Rock was featured in one of his movies “Boots And Saddles“. It was also in one of the scenes of “Django Unchained“. You will need 4WDs or at least high clearance vehicles for this one. This rock sits on top of a hill, on a small dirt road. It sticks out of its surroundings so you won’t miss it. Once you’re on top, you can get a pretty good view of the valley below as well as Mt. Whitney in the back.

Gene Autry Rock - features in "Boots And Saddles"

Surprise Face Arch

Coordinates: 36°36’05.3″N 118°07’06.5″W
Entrance: 36°36’06.7″N 118°07’07.0″W
This little guy is one of my favorite arches here! He is so cute! We stumbled upon him by accident. During our bike ride up to Gene Autry Rock, Dustin spotted a small round arch in the rock pile. Then, as he flew his drone to get some ariel shots, Dustin flew closer to the round arch he spotted earlier. As he circles around, I heard him laughed out loud. Someone painted a pair of eyes on top of the round arch, turning it into an adorable surprise/happy face. You can only see the face from the front so it caught us by surprise since saw his backside first. The next thing we know, we scrambled up the canyon to say hi to our new friend Doug and to feed him some snacks.

To find Doug, use the coordinate for the entrance. From here, walk in through the canyon, but via toward your left as it curves. It should be a short walk. Use the coordinates for Doug to help you locate him. You have to climb up a few small boulders to get there, but it should be an easy climb.

Hidden Window

Coordinates: 36°36’26.98″N 118° 7’46.18″W
Hidden Window is a neat-looking rock cave that almost shaped like a shell. On its side, there is a small hole on the rock wall that resembles a window. It stands by itself next to the dirt road so you shouldn’t have any problem finding it.

Heart Arch

Coordinates: N 36°36.780 W 118°07.398
This is one of the easiest arches to find in Alabama Hills. You can get a good view of Heart Arch from the parking lot of Mobius Arch. Another good view would be right after the rock stairs on the Mobius Arch Loop Trail. In fact, Mobius Arch Loop trail is a perfect little walk that will let you get to not only Mobius Arch, but to Heart Arch and Lathe Arch as well.

Mobius Arch

Coordinates: 36°36’48.9″N 118°07’32.4″W
Mobius Arch is probably one of the most popular and best arches in Alabama Hills. The main reason it is so popular because if you stand in the right spot, the window of the arch perfectly frames the towering and ominous peaks of Mt. Whitney which happens to be the tallest mountain in the United States. This arch is named after the Mobius strip because it looks like one. To see Mobius Arch, you have to hike here. It is a short and easy hike that will take you through Heart Arch, Mobius Arch, and Lathe Arch.

Lathe Arch

Coordinates: 36°36’48.2″N 118°07’33.4″W
Lathe Arch is right behind Mobius Arch. However, it is hidden so it will be a bit harder to find. Although it is smaller than Mobius Arch, it still frames the beautiful Mt. Whitney perfectly. Check out the Mobius Arch hike for more direction.

[Show slideshow]

Shark Tooth Arch

Coordinates: 36°36’52.2″N 118°07’18.2″W
Shark Tooth Arch looks like a shark tooth, with a hole in the middle. It is hidden from the dirt road. You will have to do a short walk to get there. It’s not that far though. Make sure to spend some time exploring the area. It is beautiful here.

Grandfather Arch

Coordinates: 36°37’10.5″N 118°06’33.9″W
This one is more like a blind arch/cave. I wouldn’t go here to see this particular arch. However, the view on the rock ledge next to this cave is super pretty.

Eye of Alabama Hills

Coordinates: 36°36’57.9″N 118°07’00.0″W
This is another arch that you can see on the main Movie Road. You have to drive past the Mobius Arch parking lot for this one. It will be on your right-hand side. There is a small parking lot right past it if you want to park and walk up to the arch. It is kind of blends into the rockscape behind so you have to really look for it. You can actually climb all the way up to the Eye of Alabama Hills. The view up here is amazing. Since it sits up higher, you have panorama views of Alabama Hills.

Boot Arch

Coordinates: 36°37’57.71″N 118° 8’0.33″W
Boot Arch is another popular and best arches here in Alabama Hills, especially for night photography. From Eye of Alabama Hills arch, you can continue down on Movie Road, away from Mobius Arch parking lot. Boot Arch should be on left. There is a small dirt road that will take you to a turn out where you can park your car. From here, it is a short walk to the arch. You should be able to see Boot Arch on your drive here though.

Double Arches/Cyclops Skull

Coordinates: 36°37’48.0″N 118°08’06.7″W
Double Arches or Cyclops Arch is our favorite arch! Even though this arch is just down the road from Boot Arch, however, this one is a bit harder to find. You can’t see it from the dirt road. You’ll want to follow the same road where you park for Boot Arch. About 0.5 miles, there should be a turn out on the right. You need to walk quite a bit in, past the large boulder clusters. These double arches are hidden behind these clusters. Use the coordinates above to help you find them.

Bonus: Blind Arch

This one is in the same area as the Cyclops Arch. We don’t remember the exact coordinates, however, it is near one of the rock clusters, closer to the street. If you have time, it would be a little fun thing to find.

We hope you have fun arch hunting as we did. Alabama Hills is such an amazing place to explore, especially if you’re road-tripping through U.S 395. Another cool spot on the way is Fossil Falls. If you love public art, check out Olancha Sculptures. Let us know if you find any other awesome arches there!

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RECOMMEND GEAR:

These are the gear that we personally use and find them helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.

The majority of these links are through our affiliate links so if you buy something, it is at no extra cost for you but it helps us support the site. That being said, don’t buy something just to support us, buy something if you think it will enhance your travels and adventures.

• Hiking shoes
For some of the arches, you do need to do some rock scrambling to get there. It’s good to wear your hiking shoes. Vy’s shoes are Merrell Women’s Moab 2 Mid Waterproof Hiking Boot. Dustin’s shoes are TARGHEE III WATERPROOF.

• Sunscreen
Alabama Hills can get very warm. Bring sunscreen! We use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter – Zinc Oxide – Coral Reef Safe, and All Good Sport Sunscreen Lotion – Coral Reef Safe (3 oz)(2-Pack) or Stream2Sea SPF 30 Reef Safe Sport Tinted Sunscreen.

• Water
There is no water here. Bring lots of water. Especially if you go in the afternoon. Vy uses the Camelback L.U.X.E. Dustin uses the Clik Small pack (sadly Clik is no longer around). Patagonia Women’s Nine Trails Pack 18L is also a great backpack for a shorter hike like this.

• Snacks/Lunches
Depends on how long you want to explore this area, snacks and lunches are a must.

• Good GPS
Alabama Hills has no cell service here. That’s why you need a good GPS device. Some of the arches here are hard to find without the GPS coordinates. We use Garmin inReach Explorer+, Handheld Satellite Communicator with TOPO Maps and GPS Navigation.

• Jacket
Depends on the season, it might get a bit chilly. We love our packable Patagonia Puff Jackets! It can keep you warm, yet pack up super light. You can get Vy’s version here, and Dustin’s version here. If you want some lighter, we love the packable Patagonia Women’s Houdini® Jacket and Patagonia Men’s Houdini® Jacket

• Full tank of gas
The closest gas station is in Lone Pine. It is close but not that close, especially if you’re planning to explore Alabama Hills. There is no cell reception here either so it’s not good to run out of gas. Make sure to fill your gas tank before heading in.