Finding an EPIC campsite and sleeping in the back of the Bronco - Alabama Hills [pics and video]

[Nate Train]

Was feeling burned out after Christmas, so packed up the Bronco and drove to the Eastern Sierras to Alabama Hills. If you've seen any truck commercial (or the movie Tremors!) in the last 2 years, you will recognize the area ! Found what I believe to be the best designated dispersed camp site in the area, and spent two nights just relaxing and unwinding. Love that my Bronco can take me to the spots away from all the Teslas and Priuses. Video above; hope you enjoy it!

In search of camp...

Found it!

The dogs approve

Setting up the DeepSleep

View from bed in the morning...

Broncos looks good in the morning light...

Our dogs absolultely love going on adventures in the Bronco!

Tremors is an all time favorite. Frankly, it's a wonder to me that Dances with Wolves won best picture that year instead of Tremors.

Really nice video, by the way. Your videography is WAY better than mine!

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[userdude]

Very cool location. If you were on those uprisings, you'd be somewhere very similar to Wolf Caves in Mason, TX.

 

[Pale Horse Adventures]

Tremors is an all time favorite. Frankly, it's a wonder to me that Dances with Wolves won best picture that year instead of Tremors.

Really nice video, by the way. Your videography is WAY better than mine!

Love Tremors! And thanks, really appreciate it. We're learning as we go. My wife does most of the camera work, so I'll pass along the feedback.

 

[Pale Horse Adventures]

Very cool location. If you were on those uprisings, you'd be somewhere very similar to Wolf Caves in Mason, TX.

Whoa... that place looks intense!

 

[userdude]

Whoa... that place looks intense!

Mason, Texas is a big rock crawling town. I assume Alabama Hills is a managed gov't property, so they don't want you going on the uprisings. Texas is only 3% public lands, so Katemcy Rocks (K2 now) and Wolf Caves are famous for their difficult rock. However, it's degraded marble (?), so it's real grippy and if you look up videos on either one, you'll see some pretty wild vertical climbs.

 

[Pale Horse Adventures]

Yes, Alabama Hills is on BLM land, and the trails are very easy. Southern California has an abundance of public land... some of which features some serious rock crawling - notably Johnson Valley, which hosts the King of Hammers this month.

 

[Gypsy]

Was feeling burned out after Christmas, so packed up the Bronco and drove to the Eastern Sierras to Alabama Hills. If you've seen any truck commercial (or the movie Tremors!) in the last 2 years, you will recognize the area ! Found what I believe to be the best designated dispersed camp site in the area, and spent two nights just relaxing and unwinding. Love that my Bronco can take me to the spots away from all the Teslas and Priuses. Video above; hope you enjoy it!

In search of camp...

Found it!

The dogs approve

Setting up the DeepSleep

View from bed in the morning...

Broncos looks good in the morning light...

Our dogs absolultely love going on adventures in the Bronco!

Loved your video, and Tremors is one of our favorites too. We are planning a 4 wk camping trip out west in the fall and are planning to sleep in our Bronco. We are going to get a tailgate tent to put our gear in to make room to sleep in the back.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[805BaseSquatch]

Cool spot! Alabama hills used to be a fav for me but they have all but removed camping from the good areas due to over crowding and people leaving trash. Winter is the best time to go as you can tell. Californians don’t like cold weather camping I highly recommend to go across the valley to the east next time to a place where Prius’s truely cannot go! (They can make it just about anywhere in Alabama Hills).

Mazourka Peak has incredible views over the valley and sheltered camping in the tree line looking out down toward Alabama Hills. There is also Reward Mine nearby and Coyote Flats. A few places not yet overcrowded with arguably better views.

This is great info! I saw that cave on YouTube but couldn't find it in person. Thanks for the write up, and a camping option out of the crowds

 

[popo_patty]

This is great info! I saw that cave on YouTube but couldn't find it in person. Thanks for the write up, and a camping option out of the crowds

I’m going out to the cave around May 3rd weekend with a small group

 

[projectbadlands]

Mazourka Peak / Pappose Flat has been on my list for quite a while. Will get up there in the spring this year probably. Made it up to Coyote Flats in June ‘22. So glad I went then, because I believe it’s been closed for over a year after last winter. Incredible place.

coyote flats is currently flooded and is impassable.

 

[tourproto]

I really like sleeping in the Bronco. It's great for cold and/or windy weather (as opposed to tent camping).

The DeepSleep is inflatable memory foam, and is really comfortable. I am 6' 3'', and while there's not tons of extra head/foot room, I do fit in it fine (even with my wife and two dogs in there too).

I'll be doing a product review on the DeepSleep probably sometime next week (btw I'm not affliliated with them).

Thanks for watching!

I am 6'1" and use the deep sleep and it works fine, but IMHO only on the passenger side. The driver side has a hump on the tailgate that takes about 3" of room in the foot area. Also the seats have to be moved forward quite a bit and the seatbacks raised to vertical. My wife sleeps on the driver side as she is only 5'3".

 

[EasternSierra]

Somehow I don’t think that’s actually Alabama.

The hills were named after the CSS Alabama in 1863. The name is pretty incongruous because nothing in the area looks anything like Alabama. There has been talk over the decades of returning them to the old Paiute Indian name (which I don't know) but there is nothing definite yet.

 

[bluemts]

Is your Bronco color Area51 or Cactus?

 

[Pale Horse Adventures]

Is your Bronco color Area51 or Cactus?

Cactus grey

 

[Icypu]

I went to the reward mine and found it much less stressful. Alabama hills was hard to get a good spot. I had a Outback with me and he couldn't reach the campsites which were available, but we lucked out and found one at the very end.

Reward mine has a beautiful level concrete pad at the base area where my Outback buddy could setup his rooftent.

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