California Road Trip 2019 - Tuttle Creek Campground - Lone Pine (Part II)

Friday, September 27, 2019
Tuttle Creek Campground

We had such a nice relaxing day. After checking the forecast for our next stop at June Lake, we decided to delay our arrival since they were predicting snow (and forecasted lows in the teens). Rather than stay at Tuttle Creek over the weekend (with a wind advisory for 50 mph gusts), we reserved two nights at an RV park in Lone Pine and head over there in the morning. 

Sunrise

My favorite camping partner.

There were a lot of Friday afternoon arrivals, but our spot at the end of the loop still felt peaceful and somewhat isolated, in spite of the lack of trees and shrubbery around us.

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California Road Trip 2019 - Tuttle Creek Campground - Lone Pine (Part I)

Thursday, September 26, 2019
Cantil to Lone Pine, CA
Tuttle Creek Campground BLM (Bureau of Land Management)
Route: Hwy 14 to Hwy 395
Site #52
Distance: 98 miles
Duration: 2 nights
Cost: $4 per night (50% senior discount)
Weather: Sunny and warm (80s)

We had a very short and easy drive up Hwy. 395 from Red Rock Canyon State Park to Lone Pine. The weather was perfect and the view of the mountains took my breath away. We stopped at the Visitor Center where I got a few postcards, a t-shirt, and took in the scenery. Wow!

The view from the Visitor Center.

I could gaze up at this mountain range all day!

We decided to stop in at the Museum of Western Film History, which is located on Main Street (Hwy. 395) in Lone Pine. There is plenty of parking, so we didn't have to find a spot on a side street for the RV. We wandered around the exhibits for an hour or so and enjoyed watching a video about the movies that were filmed in the Alabama Hills, including Star Wars and Iron Man. At $5 a person, it was worth the visit.

After a mediocre lunch at the Bonanza Mexican Restaurant in downtown Lone Pine, we made our way up the hill to Tuttle Creek Campground. We used our Senior Pass to get 50% off the nightly fee of $8.00, which made for a very inexpensive stay. Tuttle Creek is a dry campground (no hookups) but there are vault toilets, picnic tables, fire rings, decent cell service (for both Verizon and Sprint) and amazing views of Mt. Whitney and Lone Pine Peak. Another first-come, first-served campground, we were surprised to have so many sites available to us in the middle of the afternoon. We took #52 toward the end of the loop at the top of the hill, but we now know that some of the best sites (#6, #18, and #20) are next to the creek. Not only can you hear the water from those sites, but some have a fair amount of shade, which would have been nice as it was pretty hot.

Tuttle Creek

After dinner we took a long walk, enjoying the peace and quiet. The campground wasn't very full and it almost felt like we were boondocking. Lovely spot.

Click on photo for larger view.