The Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway Association (EPSBA) will be hosting it's 5th Annual Scenic Celebration on Saturday, September 10th this year. We invite music fans and all who appreciate the wild and scenic Sierras to "Come Play on the Pass" with us again this year. The centerpiece of our celebration will be our day long, free live music event in Hermit Valley which we affectionately refer to as "Hermitfest" but you should definitely make a weekend of it and spend some time checking out the entire Scenic Byway from Arnold to Markleevile. There are hiking, kayaking, fishing and scenic vistas along the entire 61 mile route as well a dining and shopping opportunities at the communities along the way.
Our Hermit Valley performers will include the Tour Guides, Bill Welles, Grover Anderson and Jens Jarvie. The music begins around noon, powered by a solar generator provided by Sol Sierra, and will officially end at 5 pm but if you've ever attended before you know that you can count on some additional low key acoustic music around the evening campfire provided by our performers and local musicians who've come to join in. There will be food and beverages, a few select vendors and Ebbetts Pass souvenir items available for sale throughout the day. The Forest Service will also be joining us again this year with activities for the kids.
Raffle tickets will be for sale only at Hermit Valley this year and must be dropped off at Hermit Valley on the day of the event. The drawing for the grand prizes (lodging, Bear Valley lift tickets and other great items) will be held at an EPSBA meeting after the event and you need not be present to win. We will have additional drawings and spins of the wheel throughout the afternoon for baskets of local goodies and those will require the ticket holder to be present to win.. A free raffle coupon is included in this issue of the Mountain Chronicle so make sure to enter at Hermit Valley on the day of the event; only one free raffle ticket per person please. We'll have our usual assortment of great prizes provided by local businesses including Bear Valley Ski Resort, Bear Valley Lodge, Calaveras Big Trees State Park, the Murphys Business Association and others.
Just a reminder, Hermitfest is located on Forest Service land and, while we welcome your dogs, please only bring well socialized dogs and respect the Forest Service's rules by keeping them on a six foot leash.
In addition to the celebration in Hermit Valley, Markleeville will be celebrating the day with their traditional live fish plant at the Carson River Resort just outside of town at around 2pm. The Resort will also be hosting a barbeque and talking fish but the real party will be at the Markleeville Art Gallery at 14841 Highway 89 in downtown Markleeville where they have a variety of activities planned. Don't forget to ask about the specials at the nearby Wolf Creek Restaurant. On the Arnold side you may want to stop and have breakfast, visit the Logging Museum, hike a portion of the Rim Trail (you are on your own this year...no guided hikes will be available) or stop in at Big Trees State Park to admire the giant redwoods on your way to Hermit Valley. Unfortunately, Grover Hot Springs State Park, outside Markleeville, will be closed for maintenance.
Hermit Valley is located on Highway 4 in the Stanislaus National Forest about 38 miles east of Arnold and 23 miles west of Markleeville on the North Fork of the Mokelumne River at about the 7000 foot elevation. National Forest campsites are available in lower Hermit Valley as well as at the upper (NE) end of Hermit Valley, at Grouse Flat but you may need to get there early to secure a site in the event area.
For those of you who haven't driven the pass before, remember that we are a scenic byway for good reason. Highway 4 is one of the most intimate and untamed trans-Sierra routes. With Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park as its neighbors, the byway is a 61-mile stretch of Highways 4 and 89. Compared to high-speed trans-Sierra routes such as Highways 50 and 80, driving Ebbetts Pass is a truly unique and unparalleled experience. At both ends of the byway (between Arnold and Lake Alpine to the west and between Markleeville and Silver Creek to the east), the road is a modern, full-width, two-lane State Highway that is maintained for year-round travel, with a double yellow center line, shoulders and passing lanes. You'll travel through miles of pristine scenery, interrupted only occasionally by welcoming mountain communities. However, at the middle portion between Lake Alpine and Silver Creek, the road and the travel experience changes dramatically, becoming a narrow two-lane road with no center line and no shoulders as it slowly winds its way up and over the Sierra crest. This part of the byway contains some steep, narrow and curvy portions with a few precipitous drop-offs. The route is recommended for cars and motorcycles, but is not accessible to tractor-trailers, buses or large recreational vehicles (RV's). The route is a popular bicycle ride so do watch out for cyclists.
Ebbetts Pass was designated as a California State Scenic Highway in 1971 and was honored with National Scenic Byway status September 22, 2005 by the U.S Department of Transportation in Washington D.C. It is one of only seven nationally-designated byways in California and 151 in the nation. The Ebbetts Pass Byway Association is the non-profit organization tasked with preserving, enhancing and promoting the unique resources of the byway. The EPSBA had developed a guidebook for the area which is available on our website for those who want to know more about the past history, geology, natural history and recreational opportunities in the area.
This event is made possible by the generous support of the Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway Association, the Mountain Chronicle, our other media partners, our raffle prize providers and our event sponsors so make sure to visit our partners and sponsors and tell them you appreciate their support of this event. Our 2011 partners and sponsors include the Alpine County Chamber of Commerce, Bear Valley Business Association, Bear Valley Lodge, Bear Valley Ski Resort, Calaveras Big Trees Association, Century 21 Realty, Cedar Creek Realty, Sol Sierra and the US Forest Service. For more information about the Ebbetts Pass area, this event and what's happening along the byway all year long,
browse through our site or
http://www.facebook.com/Scenic4 or e-mail us at
info@scenic4.org .
The EPSBA also want to thank Ron Schaner of the Tour Guides for his time and efforts in helping put this event together again this year.
