One of our last stops in last winter’s snowbird season was a place that has been recommended to us by a few fellow RVers: Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California.
Some of the best places we’ve discovered have been from those kinds of recommendations, and this one sure didn’t disappoint. In fact, it’s now our favourite campsite!
We had the most amazing view of any campsite we’ve been to. Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States with an elevation of 14,505 feet, was clearly visible from our site (that’s it in the back under the dark cloud).
Please click the photo to view a larger version.
I made this photo just before sunset one evening as the last of the day’s rays lit up the tops of the peaks. With my Sony NEX6 mirrorless camera firmly attached to my tripod, I used a small aperture to ensure that both the rock in the foreground and the mountains in the background were all sharply in focus.
If you’re curious about the new mirrorless camera’s, check out my review of the Sony NEX6.
The best part about this location was that there was no one there but us. Our days usually included a couple of people stopping by for a quick look, but otherwise we had the whole place to ourselves. It’s probably not like that in summertime as it was April when we were there.
This photo will give you a better idea of what our campsite looked like:
It was a bit of a bumpy road getting out there, but not too bad. Nothing broke, so I think it was well worth it!
I have many more images to share from this location coming up soon on the blog!
Stunning image, Anne! The Alabama Hills is one of my favorite places. Our son pastored the Assemblies of God church in Lone Pine several years ago, and that gave me a great excuse to go as often as I could. The challenge for photographing that area is coming up with unique images, as it is a popular place for photographers. And yet, I never tire of images of that place. So I look forward to more of your images from there!
The Highway #395 corridor, and Death Valley are our favourite places in California. We stopped in Lone Pine for breakfast, but didn’t camp there … on our next trip to that area I will plan to camp in the Alabama Hills … thanks for the tip!
Maxdave
We love the Alabama Hills and I adore your photography!
Terrific images Anne. I have always wanted to spend time in the Alabama Hills and this post has moved it up in my bucket list.
Wow, what a view! This would be a magical place to go camping at and all by yourself!
Also love this place hope to get back one day 🙂 it’s amazing.
http://www.dylan-garcia.co.uk/p704641238/hcf5cca0#hcf5cca0
Also love your image 🙂
Quite a view Anne. Nice to see you had some isolation out there for your campsite vs. 100’s of other RVs right next to you.
Anne,
Thanks for your very useful information. I am thinking of going to Kings Canyon park next week and will stop at Alabama Hills for photography with my NEX-6.
Any ideas on location photo ops for each of these locations?
I have the 16-50, 10-15 and 55-210 lenses but am considering buying the Zeiss 16-70 as the kit lens has its limitations. How about you?
Keep up the great work,
Bill in Long Beach, CA