Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( GOOGLE MAP ;
760-932-7070; www.fs.usda.gov/htnf ; Hwy 395;
8am-4:30pm daily Jun-mid-
Sep, 8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri mid-Sep-May)
Stop by this center for maps, information and Hoover Wilderness permits.
SCENIC DRIVE: EBBETTS PASS SCENIC BYWAY
For outdoor fanatics, a scenic 61-mile section of Hwys 4 and 89 called the Ebbetts Pass
Scenic Byway ( www.scenic4.org ) is a road trip through paradise. Heading northeast from
Arnold, gaze up at the giant sequoias of Calaveras Big Trees State Park ( 209-795-2334;
www.parks.ca.gov ; per car $10; sunrise-sunset) and in winter stop at the family-friendly ski
resort of Bear Valley ( 209-753-2301; www.bearvalley.com ; lift tickets adult/child $64/19; ).
Continuing east, the stunningly beautiful Lake Alpine is skirted by slabs of granite, sever-
al great beaches and a handful of campgrounds, and boasts excellent watersports, fish-
ing and hiking.
The next stretch is the most dramatic, when the narrow highway continues past pictur-
esque Mosquito Lake and the Pacific Grade Summit (8060ft) before slaloming
through historic Hermit Valley and finally winding up and over the 8730ft summit of Eb-
betts Pass . North on Hwy 89 and just west of Markleeville , visit the two developed pools
and seasonal campground at Grover Hot Springs State Park. ( 530-694-2249;
www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=508 ; per car $8, pool admission adult/child $7/5, tent & RV sites $35;
variable hours year-round)
From San Francisco, it's a three-hour drive east to Arnold, via Hwy 108 and Hwy 49. Eb-
betts Pass closes after the first major snowfall and doesn't reopen until June, but Hwy 4
is usually plowed from the west as far as Bear Valley.
Twin Lakes
Eager anglers line the shoreline of Twin Lakes, a gorgeous duo of basins cradled by the fit-
tingly named Sawtooth Ridge. The area's famous for its fishing - especially since some
lucky guy bagged the state's largest ever brown trout here in 1987 (it weighed in at a hefty
26lbs). Lower Twin is quieter, while Upper Twin allows boating and waterskiing. Other
activities include mountain-biking and, of course, hiking in the Hoover Wilderness Area
and on into the eastern, lake-riddled reaches of Yosemite National Park.
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