Route 395 south from Bishop.

This March we traveled south to Parker, Arizona to enjoy some sun and heat. We took Highway 395 from Reno, Nevada with the intension of camping in Death Valley then to Parker. A too late start had us in Lone Pine, California at 5:00pm and two hours more to Death Valley. A choice between a motel or a night time tent assembly. We stopped at the visitors center at the entrance to Death Valley and asked the Ranger if there was any nearby campsites.Great response. "Haven't you heard about the Alabama Hills "?. "No. We usually just drive through here on our way someplace". Well,the information just rolled out. Over 400 movieshave been shot here since the 20s. Roy Rogers, Steve McQueen, Humphrey Bogart....all have shot movies here AND there are great campsites. Go back to THE stoplight in Lone Pine and turn left (if you are going north) travel 3 miles then turn left again.After a mile and a half you will see the entrance to Tuttle Creek campsite.Five dollars a night. To camp for free,turn right on Movie Road. Anywhere beyond the first mile is available as long it is on an existing road and an existing site.
Tuttle Creek was an excellent find. Extremely clean pit toilets with no odour and water at each camping loop. Tuttle creek is fishable and we used the water for dishwashing and handwashing. A day license can be purhased in Lone Pine. There is a good grocery in Lone Pine as well as a wonderful hardware store.
The other find is the Film History Museum just south of the stop light on the right hand side. It is $5.00 and money well spent. It has a brochure showing the sites of some of the epics shot on location as well as posters of the stars and their costumes. Movie props and pictures from all those cheeses western movies you watched as a kid are there. Wanted Dead or Alive, Paladin, Rifleman and so on.
A good place to camp for a few days and enjoy the atmosphere...oh and the gigantic boulders that make up the Alabama Hills.