Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway carries State Route 4 across one of the least-traveled passes in the Sierra Nevada, connecting Arnold in Calaveras County to Markleeville in Alpine County over 61 miles of narrow, winding highway.
The pass takes its name from John A. Ebbetts, a fur trader who guided Gold Rush prospectors over the Sierra in 1851 and thought the route might work for a transcontinental railroad. It didn’t, but miners used it anyway, and a stage road reached the summit by 1864 to serve the Silver City mining district on the eastern slope.
California made the route a State Scenic Highway in 1971, and the Federal Highway Administration added National Scenic Byway status in September 2005, one of only seven such designations in the entire state, alongside the Big Sur Coast Highway and Death Valley.
Unlike the more heavily trafficked passes over Tioga or Donner, Ebbetts stays narrow and undeveloped for most of its length, down to a single lane with no centerline near the summit. It’s a drive that rewards a confident driver more than a casual one, with giant sequoias at one end and a hot spring at the other.
Route Details: Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway
Arnold (0 miles)
Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway begins in Arnold, a small Calaveras County town that serves as the gateway to the pass and the location of the route’s best EV charging, an 8-stall Tesla Supercharger. It’s the last real town with full services before the climb into the mountains.
Calaveras Big Trees State Park (5 miles)
Just east of Arnold, Calaveras Big Trees State Park protects groves of giant sequoias first brought to wider attention by prospector Leonard Withington Noyes, who documented the trees in 1853 while traveling the general route that became Highway 4. It’s an easy, worthwhile stop before the road starts to climb in earnest.
Dorrington and the climb begins (10 miles)
Past Dorrington, the highway starts gaining elevation steadily, winding through forest with increasingly tight curves. This stretch previews the driving character of the rest of the byway without yet reaching the most demanding sections near the summit.
Bear Valley (25 miles)
Bear Valley is a small mountain community and ski area, one of the last developed stops before the byway’s most remote stretch. A Caltrans-overseen restoration project has worked on sections of highway through this area in recent years, so check current road conditions before a trip.
Lake Alpine and Pacific Valley (32 miles)
Lake Alpine sits just off the byway, a reservoir popular for fishing and camping surrounded by granite peaks. The byway continues through Pacific Valley, an open meadow stretch that’s one of the more scenic, gentler sections before the final climb to the summit.
Ebbetts Pass summit (40 miles)
At 8,730 feet, Ebbetts Pass is the byway’s high point and its most demanding stretch, narrowing to one lane with no centerline and limited guardrails through a series of tight switchbacks. The Pacific Crest Trail crosses the highway here, and the subalpine meadow at the summit is one of the most photographed spots on the drive.
Hermit Valley and the descent (48 miles)
East of the summit, the byway descends through Hermit Valley, once the site of a historic tollgate on the old stage road. The terrain opens up noticeably on this side of the pass, with drier, more exposed Great Basin-facing slopes replacing the dense forest of the western approach.
Markleeville (61 miles)
The byway ends in Markleeville, the Alpine County seat and one of the smallest county seats in California. Grover Hot Springs State Park sits just outside town, with natural hot spring pools that make a good way to close out a long mountain drive, and the town’s fast charger makes it a reasonable overnight stop before continuing toward Lake Tahoe.
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