LONE PINE, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office would like to encourage all visitors who plan on camping in the Alabama Hills this fall to plan ahead and prepare in order to have the best camping experience possible while enjoying and taking care of public lands. Camping in the Alabama Hills from mid-September through November can be very busy, with campsites filling up on weekends.  Additionally, the main access to the Hills through Whitney Portal Road is closed and visitors must use an alternate route, which adds travel time to get to Movie Road.

The best place to camp in the Alabama Hills is the Tuttle Creek Campground, which offers 83 first come first serve campsites, with ten pull-through spaces. All sites include a fire pit, picnic table and a lantern holder. Other campgrounds near the Alabama Hills include the Inyo National Forest’s Lone Pine Campground, and the Inyo County Portuguese Joe Campground.

Camping outside of a developed campground in the Alabama Hills is only allowed in designated semi-primitive campsites. Camping in these sites requires extra time and preparation to make sure impacts are minimal. Free Alabama Hills camping permits provide information on how to find a designated campsite in the Hills, how to minimize impacts, and how to leave your campsite upon departure.

“The free Alabama Hills camping permit is a great educational tool to help visitors understand how to have a better camping experience and take care of their public lands,” said Bishop Field Manager Sherri Lisius. “We encourage visitors to arrive before dark to make sure they can find a great place to camp.”

Starting October 1, camping at designated semi-primitive campsites will require the Alabama Hills free permit.  This free permit does not guarantee a campsite, as all sites are still first come first serve.  The free permit, which is valid for one year, acknowledges that the visitor knows how and where to camp in the Hills.  

The Alabama Hills free camping permit can be found online, at the Eastern Sierra Visitor Center in Lone Pine, or issued in person by a BLM park ranger within the Alabama Hills. For more information, please contact the Bishop Field Office at 760-872-5000 or BLM_CA_Web_BI@blm.gov.