Alabama Hills

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Alabama Hills
Alabamahills.jpg
Rocks of the Alabama Hills with the Sierra Nevada in the background, winter dawn
Highest point
Elevation 5,354 ft (1,632 m) [1]
Geography
Relief map of California.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Alabama Hills
Location of Alabama Hills in California
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
County Inyo County
Range coordinates 36°36′53″N118°05′45″W / 36.6146556°N 118.0959218°W / 36.6146556; -118.0959218 [2]
Topo map USGS  Lone Pine, Union Wash

The Alabama Hills are a range of hills and rock formations near the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada in the Owens Valley, west of Lone Pine in Inyo County, California.

Contents

Though geographically separate from the Sierra Nevada, they are part of the same geological formation.

Alabama Hills National Scenic Area

Beginning on May 24, 1969, the Alabama Hills were managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as the Alabama Hills Recreation Area. [3] In March 2019, the U.S. Congress redesignated the area as the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area. [4]

Camping

The Alabama Hills serve as a gateway to Mount Whitney and the Eastern Sierra Nevada. While dispersed camping is very popular with the backpackers, car campers, and the RV community, [5] the region's fragile ecosystem and increasing numbers of visitors prompted the Bureau of Land Management to discourage the practice, appealing that camping in campgrounds helps maintain the area's great scenery and recreational opportunities.

The City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power lands in the area are open for day use only." [6]

Geology

Two main types of rock are exposed at the Alabama Hills, an orange, drab weathered metamorphosed volcanic rock that is 150200 million years old, and an 85-million-year-old biotite monzogranite which weathers to large roundish boulders, many of which stand on end due to spheroidal weathering acting on many nearly vertical joints in the rock. [7]

Typical rocks in Alabama Hills 01-2007-AlabamaHills-02.jpg
Typical rocks in Alabama Hills

The rounded contours of the Alabama Hills contrast with the sharp ridges of the Sierra Nevada to the west. Though this might suggest that they formed from a different rock, the Sierra Nevada peaks that loom above the hills are also formed from monzogranite. The difference in shape and color can be accounted for by a difference in weathering. [7]

Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, towers nine thousand feet above this low range, which itself is 1,500 feet (460 meters) above the floor of Owens Valley. Gravity surveys indicate that the Owens Valley is filled with about 10,000 feet (3,000 m) of sediment and that the hills are the tip of a very steep escarpment. This feature was created by the same fault system as the 1872 Lone Pine earthquake which, in a single event, caused a vertical displacement of 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 m). [8]

Mobius Arch A345, Mobius Arch, Alabama Hills, California, USA, 2011.JPG
Mobius Arch

Dozens of natural arches are among the main attractions at the Alabama Hills. They can be accessed by short hikes from the Whitney Portal Road, the Movie Flat Road and the Horseshoe Meadows Road. Among the notable features of the area are: Mobius Arch, Lathe Arch, the Eye of Alabama and Whitney Portal Arch.

History

The Alabama Hills were named for the CSS Alabama, a Confederate warship deployed during the American Civil War. When news of the ship's exploits reached prospectors in California sympathetic to the Confederates, they named many mining claims after the ship, and the name came to be applied to the entire range. [9] When the Alabama was finally sunk off the coast of Normandy by the USS Kearsarge in 1864, prospectors sympathetic to the Union named a mining district, a mountain pass, a mountain peak, and a town after the Kearsarge. [9]

Filming location

Gunga Din Temple movie set (
36deg35'09''N 118deg06'41''W / 36.5857398degN 118.1112798degW / 36.5857398; -118.1112798
) Gunga Din Temple movie set.jpg
Gunga Din Temple movie set ( 36°35′09″N118°06′41″W / 36.5857398°N 118.1112798°W / 36.5857398; -118.1112798 )

The Alabama Hills are a popular filming location for television and movie productions, especially Westerns set in an archetypical rugged, isolated milieu. The first known movies to be filmed there are the lost films Water, Water Everywhere and Cupid, the Cowpuncher, both shot in 1919 and released in early 1920. The oldest surviving film shot in the hills is The Round-Up (1920), starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, which includes a cameo from his friend, Buster Keaton. [10]

Since then, hundreds of movies have been filmed there, including: Gunga Din, The Walking Hills , Yellow Sky , Springfield Rifle, The Violent Men , Bad Day at Black Rock , the Budd Boetticher/Randolph Scott "Ranown" cycle, How the West Was Won, Joe Kidd , Saboteur, and Django Unchained , Tremors, Iron Man, and The Monolith Monsters .

Among the television shows that have been shot there are The Gene Autry Show , The Lone Ranger, Bonanza, and Annie Oakley . [11]

In Lone Pine, the closest town to the Alabama Hills, the Lone Pine Film History Museum explores the area's relationship to the art of cinema. Exhibits include the Dr. King Schultz dentist wagon from Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, the 1937 Plymouth Humphrey Bogart drove in Raoul Walsh's High Sierra . [12] and a Graboid underground monster from Tremors .

Every Fall the Museum hosts the Lone Pine Film Festival, which bills itself as "the only film festival on location", because festival-goers watch films shot in the area and then take tours to see the very spots where the scenes were filmed. [10]

Astronomy

The Alabama Hills feature exceptional skies for Central California. It is Bortle class 2 or "average dark sky" site; this low level of light pollution meets or exceeds conditions in many of other popular nearby areas for amateur astronomy, such as Joshua Tree National Park (Bortle class 2–4). [13] On a clear night with no moon, a visitor with good, dark-adapted vision may see the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies with the unaided eye; the central Milky Way appears highly structured under these conditions. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inyo County, California</span> County in California, United States

Inyo County is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County is on the east side of the Sierra Nevada and southeast of Yosemite National Park in Central California. It contains the Owens River Valley; it is flanked to the west by the Sierra Nevada and to the east by the White Mountains and the Inyo Mountains. With an area of 10,192 square miles (26,400 km2), Inyo is the second-largest county by area in California, after San Bernardino County. Almost half of that area is within Death Valley National Park. However, with a population density of 1.8 people per square mile, it also has the second-lowest population density in California, after Alpine County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lone Pine, California</span> Census-designated place in California, United States

Lone Pine is a census-designated place (CDP) in Inyo County, California, United States, located 16 mi (26 km) south-southeast of Independence. The population was 2,035 at the 2010 census, up from 1,655 at the 2000 census. The town is located in the Owens Valley, near the Alabama Hills and Mount Whitney, between the eastern peaks of the Sierra Nevada to the west and the Inyo Mountains to the east. The local hospital, Southern Inyo Hospital, offers standby emergency services. The town is named after a solitary pine tree that once existed at the mouth of Lone Pine Canyon. On March 26, 1872, the very large Lone Pine earthquake destroyed most of the town and killed 27 of its 250 to 300 residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Whitney</span> Highest mountain in the contiguous United States

Mount Whitney is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States, with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m). It is in East–Central California, in the Sierra Nevada, on the boundary between California's Inyo and Tulare counties, and 84.6 miles (136.2 km) west-northwest of North America's lowest topographic point, Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. The mountain's west slope is in Sequoia National Park and the summit is the southern terminus of the John Muir Trail, which runs 211.9 mi (341.0 km) from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley. The eastern slopes are in Inyo National Forest in Inyo County. Mount Whitney is ranked 18th by topographic isolation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owens Valley</span> Valley in California, United States

Owens Valley is an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States. It is located to the east of the Sierra Nevada, west of the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains, and is split between the Great Basin Desert and the Mojave Desert. The mountain peaks on the West side reach above 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in elevation, while the floor of the Owens Valley is about 4,000 feet (1,200 m), making the valley the deepest in the United States. The Sierra Nevada casts the valley in a rain shadow, which makes Owens Valley "the Land of Little Rain". The bed of Owens Lake, now a predominantly dry endorheic alkali flat, sits on the southern end of the valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1872 Owens Valley earthquake</span> Major earthquake in California

The 1872 Owens Valley earthquake – also known as the Lone Pine earthquake – struck on March 26 at 02:30 local time in the Owens Valley, with the epicenter near the town of Lone Pine. Its magnitude has been estimated at Mw 7.4 to 7.9, with a maximum Mercalli Intensity of X (Extreme). It was one of the most powerful earthquakes to hit California in recorded history and was similar in strength to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Twenty-seven people were killed and fifty-six were injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owens Lake</span> Dry lake in the Owens Valley, California

Owens Lake is a mostly dry lake in the Owens Valley on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in Inyo County, California. It is about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Lone Pine. Unlike most dry lakes in the Basin and Range Province that have been dry for thousands of years, Owens held significant water until 1913, when much of the Owens River was diverted into the Los Angeles Aqueduct, causing Owens Lake to desiccate by 1926. In 2006, 5% of the water flow was restored. As of 2013, it is the largest single source of dust pollution in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mono–Inyo Craters</span> Volcanic chain in eastern California, United States

The Mono–Inyo Craters are a volcanic chain of craters, domes and lava flows in Mono County, Eastern California. The chain stretches 25 miles (40 km) from the northwest shore of Mono Lake to the south of Mammoth Mountain. The Mono Lake Volcanic Field forms the northernmost part of the chain and consists of two volcanic islands in the lake and one cinder cone volcano on its northwest shore. Most of the Mono Craters, which make up the bulk of the northern part of the Mono–Inyo chain, are phreatic volcanoes that have since been either plugged or over-topped by rhyolite domes and lava flows. The Inyo volcanic chain form much of the southern part of the chain and consist of phreatic explosion pits, and rhyolitic lava flows and domes. The southernmost part of the chain consists of fumaroles and explosion pits on Mammoth Mountain and a set of cinder cones south of the mountain; the latter are called the Red Cones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Muir Wilderness</span> Protected area in the Sierra Nevada of California, US

The John Muir Wilderness is a wilderness area that extends along the crest of the Sierra Nevada of California for 90 miles (140 km), in the Inyo and Sierra National Forests. Established in 1964 by the Wilderness Act and named for naturalist John Muir, it encompasses 652,793 acres (2,641.76 km2). The wilderness lies along the eastern escarpment of the Sierra from near Mammoth Lakes and Devils Postpile National Monument in the north, to Cottonwood Pass near Mount Whitney in the south. The wilderness area also spans the Sierra crest north of Kings Canyon National Park, and extends on the west side of the park down to the Monarch Wilderness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owens River</span> River in eastern California

The Owens River is a river in eastern California in the United States, approximately 183 miles (295 km) long. It drains into and through the Owens Valley, an arid basin between the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada and the western faces of the Inyo and White Mountains. The river terminates at the endorheic Owens Lake south of Lone Pine, at the bottom of a 2,600 sq mi (6,700 km2) watershed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inyo Mountains</span> Mountain range in California, United States

The Inyo Mountains are a short mountain range east of the Sierra Nevada in eastern California in the United States. The range separates the Owens Valley to the west from Saline Valley to the east, extending for approximately 70 miles (110 km) south-southeast from the southern end of the White Mountains, from which they are separated by Westgard Pass, to the east of Owens Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inyo National Forest</span> National forest in California and Nevada, United States

Inyo National Forest is a United States National Forest covering parts of the eastern Sierra Nevada of California and the White Mountains of California and Nevada. The forest hosts several superlatives, including Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States; Boundary Peak, the highest point in Nevada; and the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, which protects the oldest living trees in the world. The forest, encompassing much of the Owens Valley, was established by Theodore Roosevelt as a way of sectioning off land to accommodate the Los Angeles Aqueduct project in 1907, making the Inyo National Forest one of the least wooded forests in the U.S. National Forest system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Le Conte (California)</span> Mountain in the state of California

Mount Le Conte is a mountain located in the Sierra Nevada of California. The boundary between Inyo and Tulare counties runs along the crest of the Sierra, across Mount Le Conte. The mountain was named in 1895 for Joseph Le Conte (1823–1901), the first professor of geology and natural history at the University of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 395 in California</span> Highway in California

U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a United States Numbered Highway, stretching from Hesperia, California to the Canadian border in Laurier, Washington. The California portion of US 395 is a 557-mile (896 km) route which traverses from Interstate 15 (I-15) in Hesperia, north to the Oregon state line in Modoc County near Goose Lake. The route clips into Nevada, serving the cities Carson City and Reno, before returning to California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fossil Falls</span> Archaeological site in California, United States

The Fossil Falls is a unique geological feature, located in the Coso Range of California in the United States. Volcanic activity in the mountain range, along with meltwater from glaciers in the nearby Sierra Nevada, played a role in the creation of the falls. They are located near the community of Little Lake, 1.0 mi (1.6 km) off US 395 on Cinder Road to Red Hill, with signs to Fossil Falls.

Kearsarge or Kearsarge City is a former mining settlement in Inyo County, eastern California. It was located high on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada, near Kearsage Pass, 8 miles (13 km) west of present-day town of Independence, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kearsarge Peak</span> Mountain in the American state of California

Kearsarge Peak is a 12,620-foot (3,847 m) mountain located less than two miles east of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in Inyo County in northern California. It is situated immediately northwest of Onion Valley in the John Muir Wilderness, on land managed by Inyo National Forest. It is also 8.5 miles (13.7 km) west of the community of Independence, and 2.1 miles (3.4 km) north-northwest of Independence Peak. Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises 5,250 feet above Onion Valley in two miles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Corcoran</span> Mountain summit of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California

Mount Corcoran is a 13,701-foot (4,176 m) mountain summit located on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. It is situated on the boundary between Tulare County and Inyo County, as well as the boundary between Sequoia National Park and John Muir Wilderness. It is 12 miles (19 km) west-southwest of the community of Lone Pine, 3.6 miles (5.8 km) southeast of Mount Whitney, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) northwest of Mount Langley, and 0.23 miles (0.37 km) immediately south of Mount Le Conte, the nearest higher neighbor. Topographic relief is significant as it rises approximately 1,800 feet above Iridescent Lake in one-half mile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thor Peak (California)</span> Mountain in the American state of California

Thor Peak is a 12,306-foot-elevation (3,751-meter) mountain summit located east of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Inyo County, California. It is situated in the John Muir Wilderness on land managed by Inyo National Forest. It is 12.5 miles (20.1 km) west of the community of Lone Pine, and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Mount Whitney. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 3,937 feet above Whitney Portal in 1.5 mile. Hikers on the Mount Whitney Trail pass below the impressive south face of the peak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirque Peak (California)</span> Mountain summit in California

Cirque Peak is a 12,900-foot-elevation (3,900-meter) mountain summit located on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. It is situated on the common border of Tulare County with Inyo County, as well as the shared boundary of Golden Trout Wilderness and John Muir Wilderness, on land managed by Inyo National Forest. It is 14 miles (23 km) southwest of the community of Lone Pine, 7.7 miles (12.4 km) south-southeast of Mount Whitney, and 3.2 miles (5.1 km) south of Mount Langley, the nearest higher neighbor. Cirque Peak is the highest point of the Golden Trout Wilderness, and ranks as the 175th highest peak in California. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 1,800 feet above Cirque Lake in approximately one mile. The Pacific Crest Trail traverses the southwest slope of this mountain, providing an approach option. The mountain was apparently named in 1890 by Joseph Nisbet LeConte and companions who noted the remarkable cirque on the north aspect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobius Arch</span> Natural arch in California

Mobius Arch is a natural arch in the Alabama Hills range in Inyo County, California. Its name comes from its similarity in appearance to a Möbius strip. The nearest settlement is Lone Pine. It can be accessed through a short loop trail. The arch is a part of the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area and its window is about 6.5 ft (2.0 m) tall. It is a popular subject with photographers and filmmakers due to its framing of Mount Whitney.

References

  1. "Alabama Hills". ListsOfJohn.com. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  2. "Alabama Hills". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  3. BLM Alabama Hills Recreation Area
  4. "Alabama Hills National Scenic Area". US Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  5. "Alabama Hills Dispersed Camping at the Base of Mount Whitney". Seek Adventure. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  6. "Alabama Hills Map and Guide 2019" (PDF). Bureau of Land Management Alabama Hills National Scenic Area. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Alabama Hills: A California Geological Treasure". Applied Earth Sciences. 15 January 2020.
  8. Sharp, Robert; Glazner, Allen F (1997). Geology Underfoot in Death Valley and Owens Valley. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press. pp. 200–204. ISBN   9780878423620. OCLC   1153638266.
  9. 1 2 Kyle, Douglas E. and Hoover, Mildred Brooke (1990). Historic Spots in California, p. 122. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN   0-8047-4483-1.
  10. 1 2 Malone, Tyler (2020-08-03). "These Strange Rock Formations Have Been a Filmmaking Hotspot for Over a Century". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  11. "Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  12. "Current Exhibits". www.museumofwesternfilmhistory.org. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  13. "Light pollution map". www.lightpollutionmap.info. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  14. "bortle dark sky scale". www.handprint.com. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
Sources