5 Epic Photo Spots On California Highway 395 You Can’t Miss

If you are looking for some epic photo spots on California Highway 395, look no further. California’s Highway 395 is a breathtaking route that stretches through the Eastern Sierras spanning multiple geological phenomena, offering dramatic landscapes and some of the most photogenic locations around.

Here is the list I put together of the 5 best photo ops along the main part of Hwy 395. I am here to tell you where they are, basic info about getting the shot, pro-tips on gear and settings, and insights from my personal experiences of photographing along this route. All without making you wait till the end, here’s the list I believe to be the best photo spots along 395.

First location is actually three spots in one at Alabama Hills, second is Hilltop Hot Spring (not the hot spring itself), third is Hot Creek Geological Site, fourth is Mono Lake South Tufa Area, and last is Wild Willy’s Hot Spring. Whether you’re a professional photographer or just starting out, these locations promise to deliver epic shots, instagram-worthy photos, and unforgettable experiences.

1. Alabama Hills

Telephoto Compression Shot of Subject & Mt. Whitney

• Location 1 | Photographer (36.6135954, -118.1257001), Subject (36.6206949, -118.1139185)
• Best Time to Shoot | Sunrise to mid morning
• Recommended Gear | Supertelephoto

At location one, the key point is for you to stand at roughly this geo location (36.6135954, -118.1257001) and your subject to climb up to the top of the smaller yet still tall rock hill at this geo location (36.6206949, -118.1139185). Please be careful!

Then pull out the biggest telephoto lens you have. We have the Canon RF100-500 to achieve this photo. I wasn’t shooting at full zoom to get the shot. Roughly 350mm. I wanted to get Heather in focus and Mt. Whitney to still be somewhat in focus so I was shooting at about f/11 to f/13 with a shutter speed of around 200.

Then adjusted the ISO according to the light meter to get a well exposed photo. I believe this photo would look great right at sunrise all the way through mid morning. This photo was shot at around 9 am.

Mobius Arch Framing Mt. Whitney

• Location 2 | (36.6135954, -118.1257001)
• Best Time to Shoot | Sunrise early morning
• Recommended Gear | Tripod, wide angle

To get to Mobius Arch with Mt. Whitney framed by the arch you will need to park at the Mobius Arch trailhead then hike the short distance of about .3 miles.

We recommend getting this photgraph at sunrise. So make sure to check when the sun is rising and plan to get to the arch about 15 minutes before actual sunrise.

It takes a few extra minutes for the sun to begin kissing the top of Mt. Whitney, so don’t worry if it doesn’t begin right away. Walk around looking at the area and begin determining your composition.

I used a Canon RF24-105 lens at about 35mm to get my shot then punched in a little in post with a lovely crop. Again with this photo I wanted to both the foreground and Mt. Whitney in focus so I was shooting at about f/11, shutter speed at around 200, and ISO based off a well exposed photo.

This photo is of us about 15 minutes after sunrise. I got more photos with just her right as the sun was rising. I would bet this location would be incredble as a night photo if the milky way right behind the arch without a full moon. Unfortunately for us, the moon was nearly at its brightest, rendering a no go for night photography.

Wide Expansive View of Movie Flat & Mt. Whitney

• Location 3 | (36.6189162, -118.1148934)
• Best Time to Shoot | Sunrise
• Recommended Gear | Wide angle or drone

This photo requires some willingness to trailblaze up a steep mountain, some fitness, and to not be afriad of heights. The decomposed granite is loose and slippery, the giant boulders are sharp and rough against your hands. However, if you can brave these factors, you’ll be rewarded with some incredible views all around. Just an FYI, I did hike up to the top in Crocs in sport mode and made it fine.

If the previous doesn’t seem doable, then of course you can cheat the shot by flying a drone up there to get it. Although I prefer working for the shot to enjoy the views not through a screen, you, on the otherhand, will for sure get an incredle photo no matter which way you choose!

This photo was achieved through an f/8, shutter speed 250, and ISO to match a balanced scene.

All in all, Alabama Hills is quite the surreal landscape of rugged, weathered rock formations in contrast to the towering backdrop of the Eastern Sierra mountains. This location is famous for its cinematic history, having been used in many movies and TV shows. Hence, you will for sure find something incredible to photograph.

Don’t use my guide as a copycat photo for yourself. Use it to get inspiration and find your own epic photo in Alabama Hills.

Probably my favorite spot is the the unnamed spot of where I captured Heather with Mt. Whitney dwarfing her. Which is the tallest peak (14,505ft) in the lower 48 United States. While visiting, the sunrise glowed over the rocks each morning, creating a lovely contrast against the granite boulders below. It just allowed for so many incredible photo opportunities.

I recommend exploring beyond the marked paths, as the area offers endless angles and compositions. I look forward to seeing what you come up with here in Alabama Hills. Tag @arboursabroad so we can see your photos.

2.Hilltop Hot Spring

• Location | (37.6601793, -118.7898703)
• Best Time to Shoot | Golden Hour Before Sunset and Sunrise
• Recommended Gear | Supertelephoto

When we arrived, we planned on getting right into the hot spring, however, there was a line of people and we didn’t fancy waiting our turn. Therefore, we turned a wasted moment into an opportunity to get creative taking some photos.

While this place was recommended to us to enjoy and photograph at sunrise, we decided to get to photographing right at the perfect golden hour lighting. Two of the three photos you see here are some of my favorite in the list. I suppose you could likely get the first photo anywhere in the massive Mammoth caldera.

However, the other two photos, require you to actually be at Hilltop hot spring.

In the first photo, I particularly like the layers in the foreground moving up the image towards the layers in the mountains and rays of light beaming off the mountain peaks before sunset. In the second photo I like the boardwalk leading to an unknown and the focus on the envirnment–not on Heather–which you would think should be the subject.

This shows Heather and the boardwalk are nothing more than an addition to the natural environment surrounding the two. And the last photo is depicting the first light on a mountain across the valley. Showing stark contrast between morning light and the shadows yet to be illuminated.

I’m not going to give exact photo settings here because you should use your own creativity and settings to achieve the ideal photo you have in mind. That was one of the fun parts about photographing at this photo spot on California Highway 395.

Definitely do enjoy the hot springs if you can as they were nice. I mean, that is the real point of going here. To watch sunrise on a hilltop while soaking in a thermal hot spring. At 5:50am the next morning we had the pleasure of enjoying the small single tub by ourselves until about six people showed up 15 minutes later.

3.Hot Creek Geological Site

• Location | (37.6636672, -118.8271198)
• Best Time to Shoot | Golden Hour Before Sunset and Early mid-morning
• Recommended Gear | Medium focal length lens i.e., 24-105 or 24-70, drone

This spot wasn’t intended to be a photo spot. Heather saw this spot actually as a free dispersed camping location in the Mammoth Lakes area and it just so happened to be one of the best free camp spots we have ever stayed at! It was just so pretty and the way the Hot Creek cuts through the canyon below and the steam rising up truly makes for an incredible scene and spectacular photography.

Personally, I would opt for the drone on this image as you can tell in the first image, however there are some amazing photo opportunities from the ground as well (second image), which will challenge your skills and creativity.

Basically anywhere around the geo location you will find amazing compositions. My favorite photo of the hundreds I had captured is from the drone pulled out a bit from the geo pin giving a sense of wide expanse and understanding of the landscape below.

I took this photo during mid morning while a massive cloud rolled in to create a nice diffusion of the light throughout the valley below. If that cloud hadn’t rolled in, I would have been dealing with some harsh light. If I didn’t get that shot, I would suggest shooting right at sunset or just after sunset so that you aren’t dealing with harsh light and strong shadows.

4.Mono Lake South Tufa Area

• Location | (37.943103, -119.027997)
• Best Time to Shoot | Sunset
• Recommended Gear | Wide to Medium focal length lens i.e., 24-105 or 24-70mm

This particular area was unknown to us until a friend had recommended it to us to go visit. We really had no idea the type of geological phenomena we were about to witness. However, as the light was fading we knew we were in store for a great sunset nonetheless. So as we were approaching on the gravel road, we were almost flooring it to get there in time. It was such a fun rush of adrenaline to get there before sunset.

We parked the van and litterally ran to the Tufas. The sky rapidly started changing colors of reds, oranges, and pinks/purples. It was truly magical.

I didn’t have much time to scout and compose the photo, however, I was just sort of rapid firing taking any and all photos I could as the sunset faded to blue hour.

My favorite photo of the evening was this one shooting back towards sunset, getting a leading line of the pathway below, incorporating some Tufas and reaching my arms as high as I could to get a sort of “top down” view into the South Tufa Area!

I suppose if I thought of then, it would have been nice to put the camera on a tripod and a delayed shutter to achieve an even higher top down view. Settings for this photo were not the best as I didn’t have too much time to figure it out. So for this specific shot, I opted for an f/8, shutter about 80 and an ISO of 400. Thank goodness for IBIS.

5.Wild Willy’s Hot Spring

• Location | (37.659359, -118.771077)
• Best Time to Shoot | Pre-sunrise
• Recommended Gear | Supertelephoto

Again, for this hot spring, the photography isn’t for the hot spring itself, although getting in the spring is nice after you get your photo. This particular photo is taken pre-sunrise so that there is no harsh lighting and everything is a soft blue in that blue hour pre-dawn time period.

It is taken on the north end of the parking lot looking to the west away from where the sun is rising. The only hard part for this photo is getting up early enough and braving the cold.

I used my supertelephoto at its full 500mm focal length to get that massive compression of a large mountain. The way the rock formation is to me is out of this world. The blues and purple magenta hues are also some of my favorite parts of this image.

The neat part of this area is that there is so much beauty in a full 360-degree panorama. So you can shoot in any direction and find “your shot” and be sure to walk away happy with what you captured.

Once you get this zoom image of lovely mountains, move to a wide angle lens and walk down to the hot spring capturing all the fin details of the steam rising off the hot water and enjoy sunrise while staying warm soaking in Wild Willy’s Hot Spring.

Tips For Your Photography Trip Down HWY 395

• Timing is Key: Plan your itinerary to shoot each location during optimal lighting conditions I highlighted above. If you have more time, spend a couple days at each spot to guarantee you get the shot you’re after.
• Pack Smart: Carry extra batteries (we have three), memory cards (we have two, and your laptop so you can post in real time and to see if you need to go back and re-shoot a location.
• Respect the Environment: Follow Leave No Trace principles to preserve these locations for future visitors. No one wants to see trash, human waste, or trampled on fragile landscapes.
• Weather Awareness: Conditions can change quickly on the Eastern Sierras—be prepared for anything. That’s why we left when we did. There was a weather system coming in the next couple days and we didn’t have chains. Thank goodness we left, because it dumped snow just a few days after leaving highway 395.
• Camera Gear: I use the Canon EOS R5 with my RF24-105 f/4 lens, the RF100-500 f/4.5-7.1 lens, and my DJI Mini Pro 3 drone. Extra items to consider would be a variable ND and polarizing filter, a tripod like my Peak Design Travel Tripod, and a backpack to hold all your valuable electronics.

Some Extra Info to Help You Out Going Down HWY 395

• If you’re into geological features, then read about it here.
• Now, if you need to get warmed up and clean, read about the 7 hot springs along 395.
• There is certainly many more things to see on CA Highway 395, so learn about our favorites.
• See where we camped along 395 for free.

Wrapping Up Your Photo Spots on California Highway 395

Highway 395 is certainly packed with epic photo opportunities and unforgettable stops, making it a must do photo trip for any photographer or road-tripper. From the incredible landscapes of Alabama Hills to the unreal Tufas at Mono Lake, this stretch of road delivers on every level.

Whether you’re chasing sunrise, golden hour, or just looking to soak in the hot springs after getting the shot, this epic photo guide has everything you need to caputre these spots with ease. Get creative, explore beyond the obvious, and don’t just copy my photos—find your own angles and make the shots yours.

Now, get out there, have fun, and capture some insane photos. And hey, tag @arboursabroad when you post—I’d love to see what you come up with!

My Top Tip is To Camp At Each of The Locations Above

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