BRIDGEPORT TO BEAR VALLEY – 89.5 MILES

After a ride up Hwy 395, turn onto Burcham Flat Road to hit the dirt. If you dare, take the optional Expert tracks, but make sure you allow several hours. Expect steep, rocky, loose terrain with sheer drop offs as you summit Mount Patterson (11,673’), and rocks and potentially deep sand on the remote Sweetwater Loop north of Lobdell Lake. If you summit Patterson and have had enough, simply backtrack the way you came and rejoin the main route. These challenging sections should not be attempted late in the day or alone as they are remote with no bailouts and don’t reconnect with the main route for nearly 40 miles.

Continuing northward, follow the smooth turns of Hwy 89 as it climbs over Monitor Pass (8,314’). The paved fun intensifies on Hwy 4 as the road narrows to one lane over Ebbetts Pass (9,186’), marking the official transition from the steep escarpment of Eastern Sierras to the more gentle slopes of the western flanks of the Great Sierra Nevada Range.