Ebbetts Pass (East side)
Ebbetts Pass carries State Route 4 over the Sierra Nevada in Alpine County, California, USA. It is one of the least-travelled Sierra crossings and is closed in winter. Its east side is part of the Death Ride, the Tour of the California Alps, which began when five riders decided to cycle these passes in one day. Today riders from Markleeville cover 103 miles over both sides of Monitor Pass, Ebbetts Pass and the Pacific Grade, on roads closed to traffic.
This ride starts on SR 4 south of the Monitor Pass junction and climbs up Silver Creek past the site of Silver Mountain City. Norwegian miners founded it in 1858, and within a year about 3,000 people lived there; it became Alpine County’s first county seat. The silver found east of the Sierra is why merchants in Murphys had this road built, and it became a toll road in 1862. Above Kinney Reservoir the steep eastern slope ends at the pass, where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the road.
Region: California
City: Alpine County
Distance: 17.34 km
Elevation Gain: 856 m
Elevation Loss: 5 m
Difficulty: 613 (Moderate)
FIETS Index: 4.18 FIETS
Avg Grade: 4.91 %
Max cat climb: HC
Min elevation: 1809 m
Max elevation: 2661 m
Ride Category: Climb