Elevation: 3,700 ft
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.

In 1913 the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power diverted the Owens River into the Los Angeles aqueduct, causing it to run dry and transforming much of the Owens Valley into a desert.

Due to a 1997 lawsuit, LA was required to restore the river in what was the largest river restoration ever undertaken in the US. Starting in 2006, a sixty-two mile stretch of river is again flowing including fish habitat.

Culture & History: By the end of the 19th century, Lone Pine became an important supply town for nearby mining communities including Kearsarge, Cerro Gordo, Keeler, Swansea, and Darwin that that now have turned into inhabited ghost towns. The Cerro Gordo mine high in the Inyo Mountains was one of the most productive silver mines in California.

Over 400 films (including Star Wars, Iron Man, and Gladiator) were filmed in these orange rock formations.

Nature Highlights: Mobius Arch. A natural stone frame that aligns perfectly with Mt. Whitney in the background.

Running: The transition zone. You leave the high-desert sagebrush and begin to smell the pine trees of the Sierras.

Clubs: The Lone Pine Film Society.

Eat/Buy: Alabama Hills Bakery & Chinese Café. Get the “Whitney High-Carb” pastries.

Sleep: The Dow Villa Motel (where John Wayne used to stay) or camping in the Alabama Hills “Movie Flats.”