The Alabama Hills and the Ride Home

After the big bicycle ride in Mammoth Lakes, Mike and I drove south through the Owens Valley to the town of Lone Pine, the starting point for hikers who want to climb Mount Whitney.

The foothills of the Sierras here are called the Alabama Hills, and their rocky beauty (as well as their accessibility to Los Angeles) made this a popular filming location for both movies and television. Hundreds of early westerns, including Hopalong Cassidy and the Lone Ranger serials, were shot here. The area was cast as India in Gunga Din and Rifles of the Khyber Pass. More recent filming included Iron Man (subbing for some anonymous desert in the Middle East) and Django Unchained.

We visited the Lone Pine Film History Museum on Saturday afternoon, and the next morning, went in search of the good guys and the bad guys on Movie Road before leaving the Sierras to return home.

Back to Eastern Sierras Trip