PCA SDR Off-road Tour

Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, CA

September 20-22, 2024

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This September, the PCA SDR is holding an Off-Road Adventure at the Alabama Hills Recreation Area which has such a unique landscape that more than 400 movies and countless commercials have used this area as their backdrop. The rock formations, arches, and towering Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous 48 states, makes for an incredible sight seeing adventure.

The purpose of this off-road drive is to enjoy a scenic road trip to the Eastern side of the Sierras, and then explore the wilderness areas at the base of Mount Whitney on the numerous dirt roads where the Porsche SUVs are just as at home on the dirt, as they are on the pavement. The drive is meant to give you a chance to explore the off-road abilities of your Porsche with no intention of harming it beyond getting a lot dustier than it may have ever been before, and having its fair share of bugs splattered on the bumper. Following the event, if you want someone else to bring your Porsche back to its garage queen status, or give it a make-over, please hit up our event sponsor One of One in San Diego - they can help!

WHO: This is an event for Porsches only: Cayennes and Macan SUVs, and any off-road capable Porsches may attend. That's right, if you have a "safari 911" that you want to get out into the dirt to explore with us on the mild maintained trails, come join in the fun. For those driving Cayennes that also have a full sized spare tire, there will be chances to drive rougher and more technical trails in the area.

PLAN: Saturday, September 21, is the designated day of off-road driving as a group at the Alabama Hills Recreational area in Lone Pine, CA. Since this area is about 300 miles and 5+ hours away, participants can plan to leave on Friday, September 20th, to reach the city of Lone Pine, CA. We will stay nearby the off-road location in a local hotel on Friday night where a room block has been established for the group.

On Saturday morning after breakfast, the group will depart for about 3 hours of off-road driving exploring the Alabama Hills Recreational Area. We will drive along the maintained dirt Movie Road at the base of Mt. Whitney, which passes by all of the popular movie sites. Part way we will stop for a short 0.6 mile hike along Mobius Arch Loop Trail, to see this interesting arch formed by years of erosion. The Saturday morning off-road driving will be on maintained dirt roads that are appropriately handled by Cayennes, Macans, and any other road Porsches that don't mind driving on rutted, bumpy, dirt roads with occasional rocks.

Following the morning of exploring the famous Movie Road which consists of non-technical maintained dirt roads, we will meet for lunch at a throw-back diner in the town of Lone Pine. Then after lunch, participants have options depending on whether they've had enough dirt and want to head back to San Diego, or are eager for more off-road driving. For those who want more, the group will head back into the Alabama Hills area to explore some more of the vast network of trails that give different perspectives of the incredible desert below Mt. Whitney.

The afternoon drive will be exploring more technical rocky trails with the intention of reaching the Manzanar War Relocation Center National Historic Site. The rockier trails for the Saturday afternoon drive are only appropriate for Cayennes that have increased clearance AND have a full sized spare tire. The rocky terrain on the smaller trails easily eats standard street tires and can require increased clearance beyond what even a Macan offers. So unless you have one or two full sized spare tires with you, only those with Cayennes with a full sized spare tire and more off-road oriented tires, should attempt the afternoon off-road drive. Remember that we will be 300 miles from home, which means if you get a flat you would be getting towed back home at significant expense, or trying to make the drive home on a donut spare tire that is limited to 50mph - definitely two situations to be avoided. For those that will sit out the afternoon off-road drive, an alternate paved route to reach the Manzanar National Historic Site can be taken to still meet up with the group and visit the Historic Site, or a group can explore the paved Mount Whitney Portal Road to a lookout that is part way up the mountain, reaching an elevation of 8,360 ft.

Following the afternoon drive, participants can then head back home to San Diego if they desire to make it home before too late, or stay another night at their hotel so they can head home for San Diego the next morning on Sunday, September 22.

Name	Hometown
DI Dennis Ignacio	Poway, CA
AM Andrew Montgomery	SAN DIEGO, CA
MS Matt Schiller	San Diego, CA
MW Mark Weatherup	San Diego, CA