Movie Flat Designated Dispersed Camping
Alabama Hills Recreation Area
Write a Review Whitney Portal Rd. Lone Pine, CA 93545 760-872-5000 Official WebsiteGPS: 36.6054, -118.1189
Overview of Movie Flat Designated Dispersed Camping
Changes are being made to the Alabama Hills to improve the recreation experience for all users. As of late 2021 the west side of Movie Road in the Movie Flat area and any area marked with a no camping sign will be day-use only. Additional changes to dispersed camping will occur throughout the end of 2021. These changes will include a required free permit and converting all camping to designated dispersed sites. Click here for a reference map. Six porta-potties have been added as well. Please pack out all human waste - leave no trace!
Please check the official website link above to get the most up-to-date information.
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: Boondocking 101.
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by WorkinfortheWild on 4/28/2024
Longest RV Reported: 42 feet (Fifth Wheel)
Reported by The Wanderpreneurs on 6/17/2019
Number of Sites 50
Pad Type dirt
Elevation 4,593 ft / 1,399 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Movie Flat Designated Dispersed Camping
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 760-872-5000
closecalls asked on 1/20/2021
I have the sense that boondocking outside of the Turtle Creek campground at Alabama Hills Recreation Area is strongly...
RAMJETR asked on 7/5/2021
Whats the nearest dump station to Alabama Hills Recreation Area?
Kerry asked on 10/1/2021
Do I need a permit to camp at Alabama Hills Recreational Park?
KC Dale asked on 4/20/2021
Does anyone have an idea how busy Alabama Hills will be for camping mid-week in August?
Bri asked on 3/19/2021
Will I be able to enter into the Alabama Hills camping area in a Sedan? Just worried about needing 4WD ;/
Ridgeback12 asked on 1/22/2021
Will April be a good time to RV camp at the Alabama Hills Recreation Area? Not too hot or too many people? Any bloomi...
Reviews of Movie Flat Designated Dispersed Camping 103 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 14 Users
Last reported 5/22/2021
Confirmed by 29 Users
Last reported 4/29/2023
Confirmed by 5 Users
Last reported 11/27/2021
“Excellent location ”
Reviewed 6/26/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 7 |
| Site Number: | N/a |
Overall Rating
Amazing place to stay can fit any size rig
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Verizon
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Heaven on earth”
Reviewed 6/17/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 5 |
| RV Length: | 42' (Fifth Wheel) |
Overall Rating
This place is breathtaking. We found a great spot for our 42ft fifth wheel, nestled in the boulders with stunning views of the Sierras. Our favorite boondocking spot by far in all our travels. Highly recommend! No Verizon service but the city of Lone Pine is super close for work/internet needs.
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Verizon
The Wanderpreneurs would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Totally awesome off the grid place”
Reviewed 4/21/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| RV Length: | 23' (Class B) |
Overall Rating
Alabama Hills was our first boondocking experience the weekend of April 5, 2019 and we had a blast. Finding a site was not a breeze but we had options. The roads were generally very good, the place well kept. If you have an aversion to washboarding and dust, drive on. We chose a site about 150 feet off the road with rock character a... more
Alabama Hills was our first boondocking experience the weekend of April 5, 2019 and we had a blast. Finding a site was not a breeze but we had options. The roads were generally very good, the place well kept. If you have an aversion to washboarding and dust, drive on.
We chose a site about 150 feet off the road with rock character and a stellar view of Whitney that turned out to be remote and quiet. The site was not level though the pitch was manageable. Again, in a word, awesome. We were a world away for a bit. Moonless, star filled skies. Very unique character, self guided trail network and spectacular views.
Be prepared for day visitors and lots of dogs. We had a pit bull encounter that was memorable. Big male hanging rocks with a spiked collar coming into camp hot for our GSP. I would have felt better challenging the dog if I had bear spray on my hip. Drove it back to his idiot master, already headed to his vehicle. Bear spray and a Gerber were the newbie stuff added after that trip.
Go here adventurers!
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AT&T
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“These views for Free?!?!”
Reviewed 4/13/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| RV Length: | 25' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
**Whitney Portal (past Alabama Hills) and Horeshoe Meadow are both gated shut until April 30, 2019. In case you were thinking of heading up that way to explore. We arrived on a Wednesday in mid April and found it to be busier than we expected. We were still able to find a spot that gave us good sun (solar), and views of both the roc... more
**Whitney Portal (past Alabama Hills) and Horeshoe Meadow are both gated shut until April 30, 2019. In case you were thinking of heading up that way to explore.
We arrived on a Wednesday in mid April and found it to be busier than we expected. We were still able to find a spot that gave us good sun (solar), and views of both the rocks and the snow capped mountains. Both nights we stayed there was a "high winds warning" and it was no joke, we thought we were going over!
We found it to be relatively easy to scout with the trailer still attached to the truck and only had to back out of one road we felt uncomfortable exploring further.
Some reports have stated that you can dump-n-fill at Tuttle Campground BUT there is not potable water. Only a black/grey tank dump and a nonpotable water spigot. If you are heading into Death Valley after Lone Pine GET GAS IN STOVEPIPE WELLS NOT FURNACE CREEK. Stovepipe Wells had regular gas for $3.45-ish and in Furnace Creek it was $5.65-ish.
QLCWithMe would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Cool Scenery, Inhospitable Staff”
Reviewed 4/5/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | n/a |
Overall Rating
Could write a novel on my first experience here, but will highlight the main points. All in all, cool area, just wish the BLM, or whoever, had a better handle on how they want people to access the area. Here's why: - Stopped by the Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center for addition information and was strongly discouraged to camp... more
Could write a novel on my first experience here, but will highlight the main points. All in all, cool area, just wish the BLM, or whoever, had a better handle on how they want people to access the area. Here's why:
- Stopped by the Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center for addition information and was strongly discouraged to camp in the Alabama Hills area. They stated it has gotten too popular and it's destroying the area. They recommended Tuttle Creek campground and Whitney Portal.
- Was already crowded finding a spot on Friday morning. Got worried at one point that we were going to strike out. It is very popular.
- Found what looked like a pre-existing camp spot (pre-used fire ring, parking area, etc), then BLM came by the afternoon on Day 2 and said the spot was "un-inventoried" and we had to move everything onto the parking pad and relocate the fire ring out by our car. I kindly told him we would be leaving tomorrow anyway.
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AT&T 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Amazing Campsite!!!”
Reviewed 3/22/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
Slept in our van here on a Thursday after spending the day driving through Death Valley. What a jaw-dropping spot! I have no idea why this place is not packed. Stunning Sierra Nevadas running the length of one side, Joshua Tree style rocks for bouldering in the site, and expansive night skies made for an awesome experience! There is a ... more
Slept in our van here on a Thursday after spending the day driving through Death Valley. What a jaw-dropping spot! I have no idea why this place is not packed. Stunning Sierra Nevadas running the length of one side, Joshua Tree style rocks for bouldering in the site, and expansive night skies made for an awesome experience! There is a paved road that runs up to the sites & dirt roads leading to spread out sites. In our 19’ Ford van with motorcycle on the back we had no issues with getting around & just enough cell service.
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AT&T 4G
k.olearycole would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Best camp spot EVER”
Reviewed 2/14/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | somewhere after Arch Loop Trail head |
| RV Length: | 8' (Truck Camper) |
Overall Rating
We pulled in after dark and stumbled around the road and settled on a spot. There were a few spots that were pretty rutted in the dirt road, but our truck camper got over them just fine. We probably could have done it in the Vanagon too. When we woke up in the morning, we were blown away by beauty. Such a fabulous camp spot. Both of... more
We pulled in after dark and stumbled around the road and settled on a spot. There were a few spots that were pretty rutted in the dirt road, but our truck camper got over them just fine. We probably could have done it in the Vanagon too. When we woke up in the morning, we were blown away by beauty. Such a fabulous camp spot. Both of us agreed that it was the best spot we have ever camped at. The view can not be beat! We enjoyed just hiking around looking at the huge, cool rocks. There is quite a bit of space between the camp spots and it was just great over all. Free, dry camping.
Lone Pine is a cute little town too. We enjoyed the Western Movie Museum too.
HeatherSea would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Big rigs not recommended”
Reviewed 12/9/2018
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| RV Length: | 34' |
Overall Rating
We camped here years ago with just a tent, and it was a perfect experience. Beautiful, isolated, and plenty of camp spots in December. A little cold but nothing intolerable. We probably should have stuck with that. We now have a 34’ fifth wheel four years later and wanted to return to Alabama Hills. Finding a suitable camp spot was ... more
We camped here years ago with just a tent, and it was a perfect experience. Beautiful, isolated, and plenty of camp spots in December. A little cold but nothing intolerable. We probably should have stuck with that.
We now have a 34’ fifth wheel four years later and wanted to return to Alabama Hills. Finding a suitable camp spot was time consuming. Most sites are sandy, have huge dips (be careful of scraping your rig), are small loops, and would require scouting ahead. If you have a big rig you’re nearly guaranteed to run over some plants in the turning or backing up process - which is Very Bad (and you’ll be fined!).
We ended up talking to a park ranger at one point and he said that this place had gotten pretty popular recently, but they don’t encourage big rigs to come here for the reasons mentioned above. It’s BLM so do what you want, I guess, but they clearly feel uncomfortable with trailers like ours. Although that sucks, we completely understand why. This place is perfect if you’re a car camper, have a van, or a small motor home. We’ll be back - sans trailer.
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T-Mobile 4G
Uproot Travel would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Gloriously Beautiful Boondocking!”
Reviewed 11/2/2018
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 3 |
| Site Number: | na |
| RV Length: | 40' |
Overall Rating
This place is a must stay boondockers paradise! There are many good spots to set up and enjoy the unique and beautiful scenery. There have been countless movies and TV episodes filmed here and you can recognize many of the locations. Tony Stark blew the whole place up in Iron Man 1. We stayed at Lone Ranger Canyon. This is totally... more
This place is a must stay boondockers paradise! There are many good spots to set up and enjoy the unique and beautiful scenery. There have been countless movies and TV episodes filmed here and you can recognize many of the locations. Tony Stark blew the whole place up in Iron Man 1. We stayed at Lone Ranger Canyon. This is totally dry camping so come prepared. Water, Propane and Gas are all available in Lone Pine which is just 3 mile down the road. There were rigs of all sizes so anyone should be ok. The roads are dirt but generally level and in good shape. Make sure you go to the Movie Museum at the south end of town. It is very informative and interesting and you can get maps of the area. The area is off of Whitney Portal Road along Movie Rd. The Mt. Whitney trail head is a couple of more miles up the road to the west.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Jackpot!”
Reviewed 10/3/2018
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 7 |
| Site Number: | N/A |
Overall Rating
This was my first visit to the Alabama Hills and certainly won't be my last. I arrived on Monday 9/24 and had plenty of choice camping spots to choose from. The weather was perfect; 90's during the day and low 60's at night. Yes, there was wind, it's the desert. As others have said this is a very popular area, even during the week t... more
This was my first visit to the Alabama Hills and certainly won't be my last. I arrived on Monday 9/24 and had plenty of choice camping spots to choose from. The weather was perfect; 90's during the day and low 60's at night. Yes, there was wind, it's the desert.
As others have said this is a very popular area, even during the week there is constant traffic on Movie Rd so don't camp too close to the road.
The other reviews provide great information about the area and were very helpful in planning my visit. My disappointment was the trash left by so many people. I hiked and rode most of the area and everywhere I went I saw used toilet paper, wet-wipes and broken glass. I collected a bag full just around my camp. Why do people visit beautiful places and then trash it for everyone else?
I had zero AT&T coverage in the area.
Robert would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Page 7 of 11
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
- Dispersed Camping
Site Amenities
- big rig
- pull thru
- view sites
Pets
- pets
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