The smell of the air and the open road,I have enjoyed many rides over the pass's in California. There is something about taking that ride,being able to pull off and look out over the valley of trees below with the wind blowing the smell of fresh pines..it honestly feels like heaven on earth and makes you feel like such a little piece of this vast world.
This scenic highway is fun to drive, and even more fun if you are a passenger. Stanislaus National Forest has lots of areas to stop and explore. Enjoy the curves and the scenery that unfolds.
Just an hour from home, Ebbetts Pass is a nice drive to the High Sierra where the crowds seldom go. If you simply go to Bear Valley for skiing in the winter, you owe it to yourself to come back when the pass is open and take the drive to Markleeville. The road narrows once you are past Lake Alpine and winds up to the wonderful view of the Dardanelles at Cape Horn. You reach Mosquito Lake and plunge down Pacific Creek down to Herman Valley where you'll find nice primitive camping. From there, take the detour over to Highland Lakes through an authentic High Sierra Cow Camp. Make your way back and continue over Ebbits and down the east side of the Sierra to Markleeville and back to civilization.
This was a beautiful road for most of the trip. The last couple of miles were a bit blah. The were quite a few narrow twists and turns that made me wish I was't in the passenger seat and closer to the edge. If you don't have a fear of heights and want to take a slow drive through some really pretty country this by-pass is the place to do it.
One of my favorite routes to explore in the Sierras. Highway 4 is not on the main tourist circuit, so rarely is the road crowded.Lots of trails and lakes to explore all the way from Arnold up and over the summit.I just hiked on the relatively new Arnold Rim Trail. This is a good hike for Winter, Spring or Autumn as it is a mid-elevation destination.Trail access is at the Logging Museum in White Pines or the Valley View Parking Area off of Lakemont Drive in Arnold. Beautiful scenery and spectacular vistas will be the reward for your efforts.
Riding over this beautiful pass in August is a thrilling experience and I am sure it would be wonderful in any type of vehicle. There was still snow on the higher peaks and the weather was absolutely perfect. Take a picnic and plan to eat lunch in one of the spectacular meadows.
Every year we take a drive over Sonora Pass and then northon 395 and back over Ebbits Pass. Then we go back to sonora Pass. Both passes in a day's drive make for quite a view of California. Amazing day!
This is the most beautiful hwy in this part of calif. from big trees state park to the biggest burger around at sues cafe in the ceder ridge center. i work here doing all the water plants on the pass and to taste the water is like drinking melted fresh snow.
Yes you should drive this road but slowly, if you are suicidal tow a trailer. Pretty but hard to pull off to see vistas, road is windy with some grades of 26%.
We made the drive from Murphy's to South Lake Tahoe on Hwy 4 and really loved Ebbetts Pass. There was lots of smoke in the area from fires near Yosemite, but this did not stop us. We only saw about six other cars during our drive and loved the view and seclusion of this drive.It was one of our favorite parts of our entire trip. The drive itself was fun and all the turnouts and small lakes were stunning. We took our time, drove slow and stopped often. Mosquito lake was beautiful and serene. We definitely recommend this drive to anyone who loves nature and a fun drive combined together.