(2026 Wild West Wander Ep 7)
From Death Valley California highway 190 rises nearly 5000 feet as it winds westward across several mountain ranges toward Lone Pine, CA. The 80-mile drive can be perilous during summer’s intense heat. Signs recommend that drivers turn off their AC to reduce the chance of overheating.
At just over 11,000 pounds, Percy and Pap are a heavy combination. Overheating (especially the transmission) is a real concern. We drove the route in the morning when temps were in the 70s and were thankful to make the trip with no issues.
Alabama Hills
Our destination was Alabama Hills, a scenic area of rounded rocks and eroded hills nestled at the foot of the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains near Lone Pine, CA. We bypassed several developed campgrounds nearby and boondocked for three nights in the midst of the hills instead.
Each morning, sunlight started at the tops of the Sierra Nevada mountains, worked its way down to the hills and finally to our campsite. Sunsets were the reverse – shadows engulfed us, then moved eastward until just the tops of the Inyo Mountains to the east reflected the golden sunset.
400+ Movies
The rugged beauty of the Alabama Hills has attracted Hollywood movie makers for more than 100 years. More than 400 movies and dozens of television shows have been filmed in and around the hills.
The Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine is a great place to learn about the films made in the area.
Many of the movies made in the area were westerns. Tom Mix, John Wayne, Roy Rogers, William Boyd and others starred in the movies that featured characters like Hopalong Cassidy and the Lone Ranger. The movie and TV show list includes classics like Gunga Din, How the West Was Won and Bonanza.
Portions of science fiction and action movies were made in the area. The list includes two Star Trek movies, a Transformers movie, Man of Steel, Iron Man and Godzilla.
Scenes in Gladiator, Django Unchained, two Tarzan movies and even Gone in 60 Seconds were also shot in the hills!
What’s with the Worms?
One movie filmed in the hills, however, stands out.
In the movie, giant worms up to 30 feet long hunt by detecting seismic vibrations in the ground. They devour people, cars and more in the isolated desert settlement of Perfection, Nevada. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward take on the creepy creatures in the 1990 cult classic Tremors.
(BTW, did you know there are eight movies in the Tremors series?)
Sets and Relics?
You might think with all the movie-making there would be sets and relics throughout the hills.
We drove Movie Flat Road, a bumpy dirt road that winds several miles through the hills. We searched for movie locations using a map that shows where several movies were filmed.
The landscape was nearly pristine, with no signs of moviemaking.
We did find one small set of relics – two metal shafts anchored in rock and several concrete pads used for a bridge in the 1939 movie Gunga Din.
Mobius Arch
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees this national scenic area.
We hiked several interesting trails, including a short one that leads to the area’s most famous natural feature – the Mobius Arch. You get a perfect view of Mount Whitney in the distance by looking through the arch’s natural viewfinder.
Next Week
We circle the Sierra Nevada Mountains to find the world’s largest trees and a deep canyon.
Take the LONG Road... 
Not sure how you got from Death Valley to Alabama. I recall the Tremors movie. Didn’t know there were 8 in the series.
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It’s about 80 miles, but not as the crow flies. Alabama Hills was named for a Confederate warship.
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