US-395: Alabama Hills, Manzanar and the bristlecones

Route description

Lone Pine is about three and a half hours from Los Angeles by SR-14 and US-395, and a good base with fuel and stores. Whitney Portal Road climbs west for 13 miles to the Mount Whitney trailhead at 8,300 feet, with a waterfall by the car park. The road is steep with tight curves near the top; it is closed by snow in winter.

On the way back down, turn onto Movie Road into the Alabama Hills, a maze of rounded boulders where hundreds of westerns were filmed. The graded dirt road is fine for cars and careful motorhome drivers. A short loop trail leads to Mobius Arch, which frames Mount Whitney; come at sunrise, when the Sierra crest turns orange above the dark rocks.

Drive north on US-395 to Manzanar National Historic Site, where more than 10,000 Japanese Americans were held during World War II. The visitor center in the old auditorium and a gravel driving tour past rebuilt barracks, gardens and the cemetery take two hours or more. Entry is free. Continue through Independence to Big Pine, about 45 minutes from Lone Pine in all.

From Big Pine, SR-168 and White Mountain Road climb 23 miles to the Schulman Grove visitor center at about 10,000 feet in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. Trails loop among trees over 4,000 years old; the altitude makes walking harder, so go slowly. The road is paved to the visitor center and usually open May to November. Return to US-395 and finish in Bishop.