Horseshoe Meadows Road
Lone Pine / Owens Valley · near Lone Pine · Eastern Sierra
Road Cycling
At a glance
- Distance
- long
- Best season
- Late spring–fall; snow-affected up high in winter
What is here
- Scenery
- mountain
- Amenities
- ~10,000-ft trailhead finish · Sweeping Sierra & valley views · Quiet, dramatic switchbacks · One of CA's longest climbs
- Best for
- A colossal, high-altitude marathon climb
- Features
- One of California's longest climbs · ~6,000 ft of gain to ~10,000 ft · Dramatic sweeping switchbacks · Immense Owens Valley views
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Enormous length & altitude — extreme effort · Desert heat below, cold thin air up top · Remote — no services; carry everything · Long fast descent — strong braking essential
- Beginner friendly
- No
Road Cycling detail
- Ride types
- climb
- Road
- quiet
- Climbing
- 5
- Ride notes
- A colossal high-altitude climb above Lone Pine — around 20 miles and 6,000 feet of gain up sweeping switchbacks to a trailhead near 10,000 ft, one of the longest and highest paved climbs in California with jaw-dropping views
- Stats note
- ~20 mi, ~6,500 ft gain to ~10,000 ft; among the biggest switchback sets on any US highway
- Seasonal
- Yes
- Intl tip
- One of the longest and highest paved climbs in California — ~20 miles and ~6,500 ft of gain from near Lone Pine up one of the largest highway-switchback sets in the US to a ~10,000-ft trailhead, with the Alabama Hills, Owens Valley, and White Mountains falling away and Whitney above. A marathon effort on a quiet, near-trafficless road. High-desert heat below, thin cold air up top, no services: carry everything, pace the altitude, ride the late-spring-to-fall window. Long fast descent needs strong brakes and focus.
The guide
Horseshoe Meadows Road, climbing from the Owens Valley floor near Lone Pine to a trailhead close to 10,000 feet, is one of the …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Horseshoe Meadows Road — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.45, -118.17