Introduction:
What? :
This road trip drive provides a scenic and high-altitude route that runs along the spine of the Southern Sierra Mountain range, offering a gateway to the large Sequoia National Forests area.
I did this drive from west to east.
This was an overnight drive, starting from Highway 395 in the eastern Sierra I drove Kennedy Meadows - Sherman Pass Road. I spent the night camping in Sequoia National Forest.
During the morning I hiked to the beautiful waterfall of Seven Teacups.
From here I drove west on M90 and Highway 190.
Overall from Johnsondale at the west to Porterville, CA at the east it was a 58 mile long drive.
In this Blog I will describe the places I visit along the drive.
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Where? :
From the west the drive starts from Porterville, CA, passing through the hills area of Porterville, CA. From here the road east climbs up into the high Sierra mountain area, passing through Camp Nelson, Cedar Slope small mountains communities all the way up to Ponderosa.
As Highway 190 reaches the Quaking Aspen Campground, it becomes the Western Divide Highway, M90 in the maps.
From the east you can start your drive at Mountain Highway 99 and M50 near the small community and RV camping park of Johnsondale. Short drive to the east from Johnsondale and you will reach the large new bridge crossing the Kern River.
When? :
The Mountains Roads sections (M90, M50 and some sections of Mountain Highway 99) are closed during winter months and are not cleared for snow.
The best time to visit here is late spring, summer and fall.
Due note 1:
Fill your fuel tank prior to your drive !
Small towns along the route may have limited services.
Due note 2:
Drive slowly: Some of these roads are narrow and winding with steep drop-offs.
Due note 3:
Have a paper map or download your driving instructions before heading here. There are no cell receptions along the way.
Due note 4:
There are few mountain communities that may provide during the summer months places to sleep and to eat something to eat.
Due note 5:
This area of the Sequoia National Forest provides endless opportunities for camping, and hiking trails free of charge.
My thoughts:
My main visiting destinations to this southern Sierra mountain was to drive Sherman Pass mountains and to hike to Seven Teacup waterfalls.
The drive west was a nice bonus, providing a drive with some stops along the way.
I will not come just for the road but if you are visiting the area you will enjoy the drive and the views it offers along the way.
The Drive:
The southern section of the Sierra mountains is unique because the mountain range is split into two prongs, with the Kern River Canyon separating them.
The road climbs to over 7,200 feet, offering High-Altitude Scenery with a different landscape of mountains, pines, and aspen groves.
It's important to clarify that Highway 190, M90 and M50 roads are creating continuous routes over paved roads crossing the mountains east west. The Mountains Roads sections are closed during winter months.
I drove here from East to West so this is the order I will describe what I did.
After visiting and hiking to Seven Teacup waterfall I started my drive west.
From the gorge of Kern River the road climbs sharply until you can see the Johnsondale RV and campground on your right.
After a very short drive west you will reach a road junction, M50 to the left and Forest rd 22S82. Here they close the roads during winter months.
I turned right into the forest road, which is still paved.
The sign says it is a "dead end” 21 miles away.
I start driving northwest, where the road passes through a large burned forest area. After 3.7 miles I saw to my left a forked dirt road, forest road 22S02.
I turned left and started to climb the mountain.
This is the only section of the drive that is not paved. The well maintained and easy to drive forest road can be driven by all vehicles.
The road climbs up and the view to the east of the Kern gorge and the hills is open up.
After a short drive halfway to the mountain ridge you will pass a nice Nobe Young Creek waterfall on your right.
Keep driving up and at the high point, where there is a V shape junction, make sure you follow the Forest Road heading to the right. After an additional short drive passing through a burned forest you will reach the M90 Road.
This will be 7.7 miles from Johnsondale.
Here you need to turn right.
Here M90 follows the high mountain ridgeline and provides stunning vistas looking down on the Kern River Canyon to your east.
Along the drive you can stop at Nobe Young Creek Falls Trailhead and hike to the waterfalls - I did not hike this trail so I can’t provide any information.
After driving on the road for 4.9 miles you will have a side road view point, Rock view.
From here will see a very large and dominant exposed granite dome.
Keep driving for an additional 1.1 miles and you will see the clear trail heading to the right, this will take you to the base of the Dome Rock mountains.
From the end of the road parking the short walk up the trail will bring you to the top of the exposed granite rock.
From the high viewpoint you can enjoy the vast panoramic views of eastern Sierra Mountains, Kern canon and Sherman Pass mountains on the east side of the gorge.
You can see how large the fire was that burned most of the National Forest in this area.
From here the road keeps following the ridgeline but from it west slopes and soon after you will reach the small mountain community of Ponderosa, CA.
From here the road starts to descend to the west and turns into Highway 190.
California's Highway 190 is often referred to as "The Mighty 190" winds through the Southern Sierra Nevada mountains, offering a gateway to the large Sequoia National Forests area. Once it starts descending from the high mountain area it follows Middle Fork Tule River Canyon, with mountainous hillsides and granite formations.
From Ponderosa, CA it is a 42 miles long drive, where the road winding and twisting down all the way to the canyon below.
From there it cross the low level hills of the central valley on the way to Porterville, California.
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