Alabama Hills
California · BLM · California Region
Ancient rounded granite boulders framing the jagged Sierra Nevada with Mt. Whitney in the background. Desert terrain with 14,000 foot mountain backdrops, all accessible by dirt road from Lone Pine.
- Best season
- Spring and Fall (hot summers)
- Permit required
- Varies
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Permit info verified
- April 2026
Permit Information
BLM Special Recreation Management Area managed by the Bishop Field Office. Small elopements (couple + photographer, no structures) do not require a formal permit under BLM casual use provisions. Larger groups or commercial operations require a BLM Special Recreation Permit (SRP), fee varies by group size and activity (formula based, not flat rate). Multiple elopement photographers confirm the permit requirement for commercial shoots. Contact BLM Bishop Field Office at 760 872 5000 or BLM_CA_Web…
Planning Your Day at Alabama Hills
One-Spot Day
Alabama Hills is sprawling but the two hero spots (Mobius Arch and the Movie Road boulder fields) sit within a 5 minute drive of each other off Movie Road. Plan a sunrise ceremony at Mobius Arch (Whitney glows pink at first light), an early portrait session in the boulder fields, and breakfast in Lone Pine 3 miles away. Lone Pine has hotels (Dow Villa Motel is the photographer favorite), restaurants, and a small grocery. The dirt roads are rough but passable in any vehicle in dry conditions; rain turns them to clay.
Ceremony + Portraits Split
BLM Bishop Field Office casual use rules cover small elopements (couple plus photographer, no structures) without a formal permit. Anything larger or with paid commercial services requires a Special Recreation Permit with fees calculated by the BLM formula based on group size and activity (call 760 872 5000 for a quote). Multiple working elopement photographers confirm the SRP requirement for commercial shoots, so file early. Processing takes several weeks during peak spring (March through May) and fall (September through November) seasons. No structures, no chairs, no arch, no decor allowed without explicit permit approval. Pack out everything including microfiber from the dust.
A Note on Light
Sunrise alpenglow on the Sierra Nevada is the entire reason to be here, with Mt. Whitney lighting up pink between roughly 5:45am in summer and 7am in winter for a 15 minute window. After alpenglow fades the boulders take on warm golden tones until 9am or so. Midday is brutal direct desert sun with no shade. Sunset works for boulder portraits but loses the Whitney glow because the peaks are east of the boulder fields. Spring (March through May) and fall (September through November) are the only realistic ceremony seasons; summer routinely tops 100F by 10am with overnight lows still in the 70s.
Ceremony Spots at Alabama Hills
- Mobius Arch — Natural granite arch framing Mt. Whitney and the Sierra Nevada crest
- Movie Road Boulder Fields — Otherworldly rounded granite boulders with Mt. Whitney and Sierra Nevada panorama