Search hotels in Lone Pine, CA

There's a McDonald's which is always good for feeding children at a reasonable price. There's a good Mexican restaurant in town with a very friendly waitress. The motion picture museum is well done. The Alabama hills are very interesting along with Mt Whitney.

The museum of Western film history and surrounding Alabama Hills are fantastic - you can just imagine the Hollywood scenes being filmed. We drove up Mt. Whitney for a short hike; our Dow Villa motel had the best pool and lovely rooms, historical photos in the lobby. We ate across the street at the Alabama Hills café and liked that, too. Our L. A. cousins had driven past the museum enroute to Mammoth hundreds of times and have said they will definitely stop there on their next trip.

Lone Pine is a great little town and base for exploring the greater Owens Valley. From here you can drive up to the Mt Whitney Portal and in about 25 mins, you are at over 9,000 feet elevation surrounded by forest trees and a beautiful waterfall. The Alabama Hills are also well worth exploring with its' strange and wonderful terrain. There is also an old cinema that now houses a movie museum since so many old westerns were filmed nearby. The museum is a must! Even that cult classic "Tremors" was filmed nearby. And you cannot visit without stopping by Manzanar, a WWII Japanese-American concentration camp. Very sobering yet inspiring the resilience of the people who were incarcerated there without due process. Independence is nearby and another town worth visiting.

It has such a diverse mountain range. Historic Alabama Hills, Highest Mt in the contiguous U.S. Along with all western movies filmed here. A HUGE bonus is Seasons Steak House. Unbelievable peppercorn sauce, steaks, chops, seafood, elk, etc. Something for everyone. Also, the coolest little hardware shop ever, TrueValue!

Lone Pine is not a tourist trap. Many main-street businesses have closed, maybe for the season. It's directly east of Mt. Whitney and the trailhead is accessible from Lone Pine. Other than that, there's not much to do. I had a good meal at the Totem Cafe. The ribs were high-quality meat and the barbecue sauce was great.

Returning to northern California via Highway 395 is a welcome treat after the drudgery of Interstate 5. Beautiful scenery and a piece of California often overlooked. Lone Pine is quaint, but has everything you need.