Alabama Hills Movie Road: Best Photo Spots
The Alabama Hills are large rock formations created 100 million years ago along the Eastern Sierra mountains. The rocks create a range of hills that look somewhat similar to the ones in Joshua Tree National Park!
This area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and is located just west of Lone Pine, California.
There is so much to do and see along Movie Road! The most famous photo spot is what I cover in this post. It’s easy to find, but you need to know exactly when and where to go for the best photos.
If you’re looking for detailed directions to Movie Road in Alabama Hills and tips for photographing it, continue reading below!
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How to Get to the Alabama Hills Movie Road Photo Spot
This photo spot’s fame is often only attributed to Instagram, but Alabama Hills has been used as a photo and film spot since 1919! It has been in almost 400 movies since then (more on that later) and has continued to rise in popularity with the invention of social media and modern-day photography.
The most famous photo spot in Alabama Hills is a particular area on Movie Road. These directions will take you to the exact location of that photo spot and provide a few key tips to get the best photo!
If you’re coming from downtown Lone Pine, turn onto Whitney Portal Road and continue driving for about 2.7 miles until you reach the turnoff for Movie Road on your right.
Once you turn onto Movie Road, keep driving for another 2.7 miles until you go up a steep hill. At the top of the hill, there is a pullout area on the right for parking.
The parking area is pretty large as far as turnouts on the side of the road go. It can probably fit 7-10 cars, depending on how they park.
Park and walk out into the middle of the road, facing the way you just came. That’s your shot!
Use the map below to find the exact location! It is labeled on Google Maps, which makes it pretty easy to find.
Exact coordinates: 36°37'15.8"N 118°06'59.4"W
Tips for Photographing Alabama Hills Movie Road
Go at Sunrise
I did not want this to be true because that meant a 4:45am wake-up call since we visited in June when the sun rises at 5:30am, but it was worth it!
The trick is to get there about 20 minutes before sunrise to get the epic pink glow on the mountains when the sun first peeks over the horizon behind you.
We did just that and got some of the best photos we have ever taken. As we were wrapping up, the sun had risen more and the mountains no longer had a pink glow.
Watch Out For Cars
While this is a dirt road, it is still a road that cars drive on! If you’re taking photos here, you’ll likely be standing in the middle of the road and will need to look out for cars.
When we went at 5am, not a single car went by for about 20 minutes while we shot photos.
The only car that came by was also coming to shoot sunrise photos as we were leaving. They missed out on the pink glow since they got there after the sun had already started to rise
On a related note: Do not park or stop your car in the middle of the road! There’s a turnout for parking and that is where you should park your car. Please do not block the road.
Shoot With a Long(ish) Lens
The longer the lens, the more compression you will get with the mountains, meaning they will look larger and closer. This is great if you’re shooting photos with a person as the subject. A long lens will also give you more of a background blur.
We shot all our photos with our Canon R5 and RF 28-70mm F/2 lens and kept it on 70mm for all the photos. Our aperture was also set to F/2 for all the photos to add more separation (background blur) between the background and me.
An 85mm or 100mm would be incredible, too! The photographer will just need to stand much further away to get the entire subject in the photo (especially if the subject is a person and not just the landscape!).
Be Courteous to Other Photographers
We got lucky with the place to ourselves, but this is a popular spot for photographers and it’s highly possible other people will be here at the same time as you.
Share the road, take turns shooting, and be kind! This was such an incredible experience for us and being kind and courteous to others will keep it that way for everyone.
Alabama Hills Photo Spots
Movie Road leads to many photo spots throughout Alabama Hills! While the spot above is the most famous, and a favorite among photographers, there are plenty of others as well.
Alabama Hills National Scenic Area
The beginning (near Lone Pine) and end of the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area is designated with signs. When you turn onto Whitney Portal, one of the first stops will be a right turn into a parking lot. There is a large sign for the Alabama Hills Recreation Lands here that you can take photos with.
Mobius Arch
The Mobius Arch in Alabama Hills can be reached by an easy 0.6-mile loop. There is a small parking area at the start of the trailhead and the arch is about half way into the trail.
We didn’t time our visit and came around midday on a foggy/overcast day. If you come at sunrise or sunset on a clear day, you can get some amazing shots with the Eastern Sierra mountains in the background of the arch.
I would not recommend this trail for anyone with a disability that impairs their walking, as it was bumpy and steep in some areas. I was glad to have my grippy trail shoes on!
Nightmare Rock/Miss Alabama
Although the Miss Alabama rock is not some natural phenomenon, it is worth a stop for some photos. It has a spray-painted face on it that seems to change periodically.
Miss Alabama had a lovely pair of bright-red lips when we visited, but I’ve seen photos of some nightmare-ish sharp teeth it had years ago (hence the Google Maps name of Nightmare Rock).
Iron Man Jericho Scenic Overlook
Remember the scene in Iron Man when he’s doing the Jericho missile test? That was shot at this spot! It was overcast on the day we were there, but it was still pretty cool to see.
Lone Ranger Canyon
The original Lone Ranger movie (unfortunately not the one with Johnny Depp) was shot in Alabama Hills! There is a canyon featured in the movie that has been named after it.
We stopped here briefly after shooting sunrise photos at the Insta-famous Movie Road spot but didn’t get out or shoot photos as there were cars camping in the canyon.
Downtown Lone Pine
Lone Pine is the town just outside of Alabama Hills and is really adorable! It has a vintage western town vibe and has some great buildings for photos.
Alabama Hills Camping
You can camp for free in Alabama Hills (called dispersed camping), though the BLM plans to implement permits (if they haven’t already by the time you read this post) to help reduce the number of visitors — permits will still be free.
The dispersed camping is bare bones and you will not have any access to toilet facilities, running water, or trash cans. You must bring everything you need and leave nothing behind. There are porta potties throughout the Alabama Hills which BLM asks people to use.
BLM encourages people to use the official campgrounds (which cost a small fee) to help preserve the fragile ecosystem and reduce harm to the environment. They have picnic tables, bathrooms, and sites for RVs and trucks with trailers.
The campgrounds in Alabama Hills are the BLM Tuttle Creek Campground, Lone Pine Campground, and Portuguese Joe Campground.
Visit the BLM website for more information about fees, rules, road conditions, reservations, and more.
Where To Stay in Alabama Hills
If you’re planning to visit Alabama Hills but don’t want to camp, check out the hotels in Lone Pine — it’s a cute old town that still has its western charm.
Use the map below to search for hotels in Lone Pine! If you cannot see the map, try turning off your ad blocker and refreshing the page.
Movies Filmed in Alabama Hills
There are almost 400 movies that were filmed in Alabama Hills (possibly more!). With it’s unique landscape of massive boulders set against the majestic Eastern Sierras, it’s no wonder so many directors chose this area for their films.
Alabama Hills was a popular spot for directors of wild west movies, including Gene Autry and John Ford.
Some of the popular movies that were filmed here:
Iron Man
Tremors
Django Unchained
Star Trek V
Man of Steel
Gladiator
& many westerns!
Check out the full list of movies filmed in Alabama Hills to see more!
best Camera Gear for Photographing Movie Road in Alabama Hills
You can absolutely use an iPhone to shoot photos here if you don’t own a camera! I prefer to shoot with a mirrorless camera for all my travel photos, including all the ones you see in this post.
My recommended camera gear:
For a full list of camera gear I recommend, scroll to the bottom of my Photo Spots page.
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