Northern Sierra (Lake Tahoe and Sonora Pass) Trailheads
Western Sierra Trailheads
San Francisco Bay Area Trailheads
Southern Sierra (Walker and Sherman Pass area) Trailheads
| This file helps you find roads to all trailheads accessed via the Central Valley. | ||||||||
| Driving Directions | > | Central Valley | > | Western Sierra | > |
Pacheco Pass
Chiquito Pass via Table Mountain and Oakhurst Chiquito Pass and Clover Meadow via Oakhurst Madera to Prather Fresno to Prather Fresno to The Wye Visalia to Three Rivers Bakersfield from the west Bakersfield from the east | ||
| Selected locations are shown on the map below. | ||||||||
When driving to the Western Sierra Nevada, you'll probably go through some part of the Central Valley. This overview will guide you to detailed descriptions of commonly used highways and how to get through confusing towns, ignoring the obvious north-south routes of Hwy 99 and Interstate 5.
Review this file, with your own map, BEFORE you leave town! Some cities (like Fresno and Madera) have made it unclear how to get through town apparently in an effort to increase commerce, and others (like Bakersfield) have grown so large that there are multiple routes to choose from. The town of Prather is included because all routes to the major west side reservoirs converge there. (The rest of the drives to these reservoirs, through Shaver Lake, are contained in separate trailhead files.)
NOTE: These are approach roads only! See the Climber.Org Driving Directions page for directions from these approaches to the actual west-side trailheads, and for mountain passes which connect to the Eastern Sierra and Hwy 395.
Scroll down for links and descriptions that relate to this map:
See above for an area map. Click here for more detailed files in popup windows:
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There are several roads that connect Hwy 99 with Interstate 5, with
San Francisco people usually preferring to stay on Hwy 152 through
Los Banos after crossing Pacheco Pass. If you drive fast, staying on
I-5 as long as possible can save time and you might want to take
Hwy 198 from Harris Ranch through Lemoore to Visalia. Others, who
left the Bay Area on I-508/I-205, may prefer to take Hwy 120 from
I-5 to Hwy 99... but I've seen stop-and-go traffic on Hwy 99 during
rush hour, so I tend to stay on I-5 as much as possible. If you are
going as far south as Bakersfield, I-5 to Hwy 46 (through Wasco)
seems to be the fastest crossover (since Hwy 58 has more stoplights).
The west side reservoirs (Edison, Florence, Courtright, Wishon) are all approached through Prather and Shaver Lake (Hwy 168). There are several ways to get to Prather (via Madera or Fresno), depending on whether you're approaching from the south or north. From Shaver Lake, you continue to the reservoirs via Dinkey Creek or Kaiser Pass. Sequoia / Kings Canyon National Park can be approached through Fresno and The Wye (Hwy 180) or Visalia and Three Rivers (Hwy 198), but keep in mind that 198 is very winding and may be closed in winter. |
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