Driving the Forestdale Divide Road
Aug. 19th, 2024 06:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerThis past Saturday we went hiking high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains above the Carson Pass. The hike is an adventure, of course, and I'll blog about it— soon. First I want to share the continuing adventure of just getting there.
Like any good adventure, the whole journey is part of the adventure! ...Okay, the first hundred-some-odd miles of driving weren't particularly adventurous. We got that part of the trip out of the way by driving Friday Night to Jackson, in the foothills. That left us with a more enjoyable drive Saturday morning up the western side of the Sierra Nevada, driving through the scenic Carson Pass and making a few stops along the way. Then, 191 miles after leaving home, the adventure notched up to the next level. We left paved roads behind.
We turned off Highway 88 at Red Lake, just over the far (eastern) side of the Carson Pass. I think we may have stopped to visit Red Lake once before, but if so it was years ago so we stopped for a visit again Saturday. Red Lake is at about elev. 7,870' (2,400 m). Beyond it Red Lake Peak reaches elev. 10,040' (3,060 m).
Our purpose in stopping here wasn't just to appreciate Red Lake and the peak beyond it but to begin driving the Forestdale Divide Road. It's a 4x4 trail that cuts through remote high country south of Carson Pass. It begins here at Red Lake and ends about 6 miles south at Upper Blue Lake. (Yes, whoever named lakes around here was big on colors. But at least the Blue Lakes are actually blue, unlike red green lake. 😅)
The Forestdale Divide Road is one I've seen marked on a detailed biking map I own of the area. No, I haven't owned or ridden a bike since my early 20s, but I've had this biking map for years. (It's also extremely useful for hiking and 4x4ing.) And for years I've seen this road marked there and marveled at the contour lines it passes through. I could tell it traverses some stunning remote country. And as you can see at around the 2/3 point in the video when we stopped at the top of the Forestdale Divide to get out and walk around, it is truly stunning.
Here's a still photo from the Forestdale Divide in case you're wondering if it's worth watching the video. (Hint: It totally is. Though maybe watch it on YouTube for better resolution.)
In beauty I walk.
Even when "I walk" actually means I drive. 🤣
Like any good adventure, the whole journey is part of the adventure! ...Okay, the first hundred-some-odd miles of driving weren't particularly adventurous. We got that part of the trip out of the way by driving Friday Night to Jackson, in the foothills. That left us with a more enjoyable drive Saturday morning up the western side of the Sierra Nevada, driving through the scenic Carson Pass and making a few stops along the way. Then, 191 miles after leaving home, the adventure notched up to the next level. We left paved roads behind.
We turned off Highway 88 at Red Lake, just over the far (eastern) side of the Carson Pass. I think we may have stopped to visit Red Lake once before, but if so it was years ago so we stopped for a visit again Saturday. Red Lake is at about elev. 7,870' (2,400 m). Beyond it Red Lake Peak reaches elev. 10,040' (3,060 m).
Our purpose in stopping here wasn't just to appreciate Red Lake and the peak beyond it but to begin driving the Forestdale Divide Road. It's a 4x4 trail that cuts through remote high country south of Carson Pass. It begins here at Red Lake and ends about 6 miles south at Upper Blue Lake. (Yes, whoever named lakes around here was big on colors. But at least the Blue Lakes are actually blue, unlike red green lake. 😅)
The Forestdale Divide Road is one I've seen marked on a detailed biking map I own of the area. No, I haven't owned or ridden a bike since my early 20s, but I've had this biking map for years. (It's also extremely useful for hiking and 4x4ing.) And for years I've seen this road marked there and marveled at the contour lines it passes through. I could tell it traverses some stunning remote country. And as you can see at around the 2/3 point in the video when we stopped at the top of the Forestdale Divide to get out and walk around, it is truly stunning.
Here's a still photo from the Forestdale Divide in case you're wondering if it's worth watching the video. (Hint: It totally is. Though maybe watch it on YouTube for better resolution.)
In beauty I walk.
Even when "I walk" actually means I drive. 🤣
