The best camping near Alabama Hills

Discover the most magical spots to pitch your tent or park your rig on your next Alabama Hills adventure.

Take in the scenery from the rocky foothills of the Eastern Sierra.  

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Top-rated campgrounds reviewed by the Hipcamp community.

Top-rated campgrounds near Alabama Hills

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Five Fours Camp in Three Rivers

2 sites · Tents2 acres · Three Rivers, CA
This is a private campsite with a million dollar view! We no longer open the bunkhouse campsite; so that spot is now another area for your group to relax and enjoy the spectacular views. We welcome dogs and don't charge additional fees for you to bring your dog(s) to camp. The park allows dogs into the park BUT NOT ON ANY TRAILS! (Only the national forests allow dogs on trails, not national parks.) PLEASE, let us know you are bringing dog(s), when you request to book. We currently have 2 - Our boy Chance is a Husky Doberman mix; and we rescued and are fostering the friendliest Great Dane, Winston! We can dog sit your dog(s) while you explore the park for $7/hour. Please contact us ahead of time, if possible, so we can arrange to be available to dog sit on your chosen day(s). Three Rivers is the southern gateway to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Our town has some wonderful and unique restaurants, shops and even a brewery next to the River! Our hillside property has great Mountain View’s and the driveway turns directly off of Sierra drive, four miles past the town center (3R post office) and just 2 miles from the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks entrance. It's conveniently located and easy to find! You can hear the tranqual sounds of the flowing Kaweah river from across the street. Sorry, there is NO river access from this campsite. You can go to Slick Rock Recreation area, Lake Kaweah or into the parks to swim, boat, fish and more. Lake Kaweah is about 8 miles away. You drive by it as you enter Three Rivers. My wife Elizabeth and I bought our log home in 2015 and we have been dreaming and adding here ever since! Our dog Chance chases all the fun wildlife off of our property! In addition to deer, we have seen fox, bob cats, an Ocelot, too many coyotes, wild turkeys and bear crossing an animal highway along our upper hillside property line. Hawks, hummingbirds, quail, blue birds, woodpeckers and yellow bellied finches are regularly seen here as well. Owls have been heard; but not seen. We love our country home and mountain views, and look forward to sharing them with you!
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$67
 / night
90%
(502)

Sequoia Mountain Farms

45 sites · RVs, Tents10 acres · Miramonte, CA
We have over 10 acres of stunning campground conviently nestled only 15-20 minutes from the North entrance to the Sequoias and Kings Canyon! We are located between both, so you have the best access to both attractions here! We have multiple sites to accommodate every type of camping from tent camping to tents-attached-to-cars, to pop-up campers to RVs and trailers with or without power/water hookups. There are wonderful views down into the valley with off-the-chain sunsets and city lights twinkling in the valley distance! Come get away from it all and enjoy the wonderful beauty and quiet serenity of mother nature in the South West Sierras at Sequoia Mountain Farms!!! Welcome Hipcampers! PLEASE read all of the below before booking and screenshot/print the directions below. Please note we have different site types with different prices and capacities. Choose the type that's best for your group. We are outside of Bear and Marmot areas, so no Bear cans needed here. However, we are not far away and nature is wild and can be unpredictable sometimes, so please keep food in your car at night as a precaution. We have not had issues and we don't want to invite any! Hot showers, flushing toilets, deep sinks for washing and WIFI (over 70 mps in many places for you teleworkers) now available for all campers at no extra charge! ARRIVAL: THERE ARE 3 GATES HERE: RIGHT GATE: just to the right of the Giant Sequoia Tree with address sign, goes to the CAMPSITES! Look for ORANGE CONES a few feet off the highway and drive down camp road about 600 feet to the camp. MIDDLE GATE: RV1 and RV2 LEFT GATE: house, please DO NOT ENTER this gate or approch the house. DIRECTIONS: If you put our address in to navigation apps, sometimes it brings you to our neighbors (fire department) for some reason, even after multiple emails to google...if this happens come south/down hill about 600 feet and look for the ORANGE CONES on the same side of the road. Drive between them and down camp road to your site! (There is a pic of the site map in the posted pic's) Go to Google Maps (NOT GOOGLE SEARCH). Search for Sequoia Mountain Farms Campground. Navigator apps sometimes push folks coming from the south up the 245 highway. It is a very windy and slow climb up the hill. It is doable (even for bigger rigs), but we HIGHLY RECOMMEND continuing north on highway 99 towards Fresno and then heading east on highway 180 up the mountain. It's faster, much more scenic and a much smoother drive. This route also goes right by the nearest gas station on your way up! Heading east on highway 180, out of Fresno, the last gas station is a Valero at 35468 E Kings Canyon Rd. (aka Clingan's Junction). From Clingan's, head east on the 180 for exactly 13.8 miles to the 245 highway (it comes up quick with only 1 or 2 small signs), make a right, heading south. If you hit the park entrance, you went too far, turn around drive back about 5 min and look for the 245 on your left. Once on the 245 heading south, go 5.1 miles. On your right you will pass the 'Pinehurst Lodge', which is on google maps, an easy reference point and is 1 minute or less away (great food, bar, pool table and karaoke on weekends in the summer!). Then a few seconds later the U.S Forest Service "Work Center" is on the right and we are just past that on the same side of the road. First you will see a Giant Sequoia Tree in the front yard (campground road is just to it's right with ORANGE CONES on either side) then an apple ranch with an ole loggers cabin chimney from the late 1800s still standing in the front yard directly off the highway! If you hit the 'leaving sequoia national forest' sign and the community center, you went too far, turn around and drive 1 minute back and look for the apple ranch on your left, pass it and turn left at the ORANGE CONES. Please take note of the posted pics from directly across the street facing what you will see when you get here. PLEASE CHECK THE WEATHER: If you ask us about weather, were just going to have to look online too, so please be sure to check it yourself prior to your trip, before asking us to do it for you. Just know we are operating under the assumption that you are aware of the conditions and are prepared for them. If nature happens message us and we will do our best to assist! We look forward to seeing you soon at Sequoia Mountain Farms!! :)
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$50
 / night
98%
(584)

Sierra Foothills Ranch -722 acres

14 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents722 acres · Springville, CA
Swimming in North Fork Tule River, miles of hiking trails on ranch. River Ridge Ranch goes from 1,000' elev. to 3,000' elevation. Hike right on the ranch. We are between Sequoia National Park (about an hour) and the Giant Sequoia National Monument (16 miles to groves up Hwy 190 and no entrance fee). Choose from individual tent sites, group tent sites, tiny cabins. the 5-acre Compound or the Entire Ranch. There are 33 giant sequoia groves in our Southern Region of the Giant Sequoia National Monument, some easily driven to, and some remote. Our ranch is a nature preserve and an education demonstration site, teaching sustainable and regenerative land use practices. River Ridge Institute, our non-profit, hosts a variety of events for the public. Please note: you are expected to leave the ranch and kitchen area as you found it, i.e., dishes washed thoroughly and dried and put away, recycling separated from trash, food scraps in compost buckets, sticky marshmallow removed from forks and surfaces (ick!). Thank you. Enjoy: The Kitchen has a 3-burner cooktop, large fridge, microwave, full dishes and utensils and pots and pans with a big washing area in the back. Propane barbecue grill.. There's a River Barn to use as a remote space and Turtle Cove for swimming. Saturday morning Farmer's Market in downtown at 9 AM - Noon. Ancestral land of the Foothill Yokuts tribe. Homesteaded in 1859, owned by the Negus family from 1909-2000. Barbara and I bought it to save it from subdivision and it's now protected by a Conservation Easement and acts as a community center for the arts, music, poetry, gatherings and outdoor education. We're both biologists, so, just ask us. Please see the Rules and Safety section to review our Waiver of Liability.
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$40
 / night
75%
(8)

Cartago Springs

2 sites · RVs1 acre · Cartago, CA
Cartago Springs is right off of the 395 HWY, with beautiful panoramic views of the Sierra mountains with bright twinkling open skies at night. Just minutes from cotton wood creek and a short drive to the Alabama Hills and Mt. Whitney. Open land to park your trailer or RV. Star gaze and eat under the stars. Cartago wildlife area is a five minute walk down the road from the property. The Cartago Wildlife area is a protected wet land that homes many different birds and wild life, there are walking trails and a small pond to enjoy. The property sits near what was once the old Cartago dump. You can find beautiful colored glass, porcelains, neat items like silverware, car parts, old lighters, a pickers paradise. feel free to take any treasures you find home with you! If you like to ride, Olancha dunes is just down the road. Cactus Flats Road in Olancha will take you into the Coso Mountains where the trails are endless, the views are beautiful and the peace is surreal. Cartago Springs is a few miles north of the Mobile gas station, where they serve hot food a perfect convince for the traveler. Hope to see you soon!
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$24
 / night

The best camping near Alabama Hills guide

Overview

About

At the base of the Sierra Nevada, the Alabama Hills offer visitors the chance to hike and mountain bike past ancient rock formations while taking in fantastic views of Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48. Dispersed, first-come, first-served camping is the name of the game in the primary Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-run Movie Flat area, though some sites are only accessible by 4WD vehicles. Meanwhile, reservable campsites can be found in the nearby Inyo National Forest and at Inyo County’s Portuguese Joe Campground. The BLM also runs an official first-come, first-served campground, Tuttle Creek Campground, which can accommodate RVs up to 30 feet long with a dump station but no hookups.

Tips for snagging a campsite

  1. Camping on BLM land is normally free, although Tuttle Creek campers must pay a small fee.
  2. Alabama Hills camping is available year-round on a first-come, first-served basis, though this is one of the most popular dispersed camping spots in California. If you want to guarantee a spot, you may prefer to book a reservable site nearby through Hipcamp or Recreation.gov.
  3. You are only allowed to camp in parts of this 18,610-acre National Scenic Area marked with a sign bearing a tent symbol.
  4. You can stay at a campsite for up to seven days in a 28-day period and up to 14 days in a calendar year.
  5. Free-of-charge dispersed camping permits may be required. If so, they will be available at information kiosks or online. Permits are not considered campsite reservations.

When to go

Alabama Hills campgrounds are open year-round. The best time to visit the Alabama Hills is during the spring, when colorful wildflowers erupt all around. The temperatures this time of year are also generally pleasant, particularly in April and May, though temperatures begin to climb into the 90s in June and stay hot well into September. Fall is also a good time for a visit, particularly after Labor Day weekend, when area campgrounds tend to be less crowded.

Know before you go

  • You can pick up groceries, fuel, and supplies in the nearby town of Lone Pine.
  • There are six porta-potties in the Alabama Hills, located at the Mobius Arch trailhead and opposite the Shark Fin parking area.
  • Movie Road is the area’s most iconic spot—seen in many movies and Instagram posts. Most Alabama Hills camping is set off this road.
  • Campfire permits are required, but are free of charge. These can be obtained online or at BLM, Forest Service, and Cal Fire offices.
  • Fires must be contained in existing fire rings. Burn bans are common, especially during the summer forest fire season, so check ahead before burning.
  • The Alabama Hills are pet-friendly, but dogs must be leashed at all times.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, camping in Alabama Hills is free. This area, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), offers dispersed camping at no cost. However, there are no amenities like restrooms or potable water, so be prepared to practice Leave No Trace principles and pack out all trash and waste. The area is popular for its unique rock formations, natural arches, and stunning views of the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains.

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