Sonora Pass, Sonora

One popular sport at Pinecrest Lake is cycling. In summer there is a little shopping area, available for bicycle rentals. If you are in the level of an experienced cyclist, you should consider the road up to Dodge Ridge, which has little traffic in summer. The road is 3.5 mi/5.6 km long, climbs 1000 ft/304.8 m and makes a strenuous ascent.

Photo source

During the ride you should be careful of several sharp curves. If you are a serious cyclist, you should consider the road over Sonora Pass. The grade reaches about 27% in many places. The most common start is in the Dardanelles area, from where you can depart early in the morning and push off for the pass with plenty of water and nourishment supplies.

You can warm your body at the first 5, level miles. In the next mile the road climbs at 1000 ft/304.8 m elevation. The top of Sonora Pass from Dardanelles is 14.5 miles/23.3 km and has an exhausting 4000 ft/1219 m total gain in elevation. There are many blind turns in this narrow road, making safety an important consideration.

Photo source

You can continue over Sonora Pass, that has a drop of 3000 ft/914.4 m in 11 mi/17.7 km to Pickel Meadow and then turn around and go back the way you came. Another option is to carry on going all the way out to Highway 395 at Sonora Junction, making it approximately over 30 mi/48.2 km from Dardanelle.