Our Opinion: Rave. Boondocking doesn‘t get any better than this.Date of Stay: May 3-4, 2008
Weather During Stay: Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 70’s. Some wind. Low’s in the upper 40‘s.
Sites: No developed sites. Dispersed camping only.
Rate: Free. 14 day limit (BLM).
Phone/radio/TV: No Verizon phone or aircard, but both work three miles down the hill in Lone Pine. Nothing to block satellite. Didn‘t bother with antenna. . Satellite radio only. The NOAA weather radio doesn’t even work!
Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: Elevation is just under 4,600’. View is of blooming wildflowers, the Alabama Hills and beyond to Mt. Whitney and the eastern Sierra, still snowcapped, to the west; dry Owens Lake to the east, with the towering Inyo Mountains beyond.Lighting/Noise: No night lighting whatsoever. So dark it was scary. No moon, so tons of stars; it would be fun to camp here with a full moon, too. Noise during the day from passing traffic on Movie Road (paved where we are)… and the wind, birds, and insects.
Favorite Sites: Dispersed camping available along dirt roads throughout the Alabama Hills. Because of our size and weight, we selected a reasonably level site just off the paved portion of Movie Road. I took the top photo looking to the southwest; the bottom photo was shot looking northeast.
Hiking/Walking: Step outside and head off on the dirt tracks and trails of the Alabama Hills, or drive in any direction to more challenging hikes. From where we are parked, strike out on the first dirt road to the left (across from the Alabama Hills sign) and head towards Mt. Whitney. At the top of the hill, turn right and loop back around to Movie Road. This loop is about 5,000 steps.Comments: Perfection. We are snuggled into the rock formations of the Alabama Hills, facing Mt. Whitney and the backbone of the eastern Sierra. Lone Pine is a few miles away, with groceries, restaurants, and the new Movie History museum. The Interagency Visitor Center is 5 or 6 miles away, with information on all the sights to see in the area. Mining ruins and ghost towns around Owens Lake. Manzanar Internment Camp is just up the road on Hwy. 395.
5 comments:
I agree. A truly wonderful spot for solitude and beauty. We have a 27'Class C and there are a multitude of locations adequate for us beyond the paved section of Movie Road.
How do you dry camp for 14 days? After 4 days we loose the frig and lights. What aren't we doing? Thanks
Deb Valentine
Pentwater, MI
Deborah, we DON'T dry camp for 14 days - but it is the stated limit at most free BLM sites. We have a large, on-board generator that we use to recharge our batteries when needed, and run the frig on propane when drycamping. For us, the limiting factor is water - we use up our fresh water and fill our gray water holding tank in somewhere between 5-9 days, depending on our conservation efforts - but by then we are ready to move on, anyway. :)
This looks wonderful. Came to this post via Wheeling It, and I love to hear about beautiful, remote boondocking sites. Thank you!
Boon-docking now that is RV'ing not in some crowded campground. I'm at the slabs in CA. and love the stars at night and all the local "color" too :)
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