The 4,700 Foot Road

Location: Western Sierra Nevada Mountain range east of Sonora Ca.

Season open: Open all year, weather permitting.

Nearby Facilities & Camping: Dispersed camping at the beginning and end of the trail.

(Please click on smaller images to enlarge them)

Donnell Reservoir is located on the middle fork of the Stanislaus River just off Ca Highway 108 (Sonora Pass) on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada’s. The dam sits in a very narrow portion of the river canyon and has a single access road (5N09X) sometimes called the 4,700’ road.

This seven mile forest service road is suitable for most SUV’s or 2WD vehicles that have reasonable ground clearance. The route is well maintained but is very rough and rocky in spots. Because of the sharp rocky road base, a good set of tires are recommended when traveling this trail. The road is narrow and in spots as it winds its way along the canyons 4,700 foot contour line which give it its name. Although much of the route is a shelf road, the bottom of the canyon and river can only be glimpsed from a couple of spots along the way, but the road passes through areas that are quite scenic, especially in the late spring when the streams are flowing from the snow melt. The flower bloom can be striking on a good year.

The road also provides operations and maintenance  personnel access to the Dam and reservoir behind it so it’s possible to see heavy equipment on the drive. Both the river below the dam and the lake offer good fishing, but the narrow canyon walls limits foot access along the shoreline of the lake. It’s common to see anglers pack in boats to fish the reservoir.

There are a couple of camps located at the end of the road to boon dock at but the space is limited and if occupied you’ll have to return to the first few miles of the drive where the landside is more open to camping.

In July of 2011, I  wanted to do a weekend trip up Sonora Pass (Ca 108) and asked a buddy at work if he wanted to join in.  Steve grabbed his gear and a bottle of Crown Royal and was ready to go. I was already armed with my standard imported Rum and expected a good night around a fire. We camped at a secluded spot up on the pass that I visit on a regular basis. The night was good and in the morning it did appear that we did indeed have a hell of a time at the fire.

Ah, the morning and espresso. With hair of the dog in hand, we looked over the map showing the 4,700’ trail. It had been years since I had been into that area and I was looking forward to revisiting the area.

The entrance into this region is the road that leads to Beardsley Reservoir.

  

This part of the road is paved all the way to the Beardsley today, but the spur (5N95) that leads to Donnell is a well maintained forest service road.

Rather than give detailed instructions on how to reach the 4,700’ road, it’s best to be armed with a good forest service road map and trace out the path from the reservoir itself as there are a couple trails throughout the area you’ll need to take to get there and some aren’t marked. A Turn on 5N09X continues through similar surroundings.

As mentioned, several streams cross this trail and early springtime is a good time to see the water in action.

After driving through the forest area, 5N09X finally reaches the 4,700’ contour line which the road follows to the reservoir. Here you will cross the pinstock that feeds the  Donnell powerhouse located just above Beardsley Reservoir.

 

Although some of the spots were a little dry such as the picture above, because we had an unusually wet year, other areas were quite green and looked more like a rain forest.

The road continues along the shelf but views of the river down in the canyon are rare. Here is one spot along the route that offers a glimpse of the Stanislaus River.

  

We continued on, stopping to check out any waterfalls that were flowing across or in culverts under the road.

 

 

Cascade and Mill Creeks are a couple of the larger streams that flow down into the canyon.

 

The other side of the canyon also had its streams as seen in the picture below.

 

Most every small stream had some water in it.

Mill Creek doesn’t have a bridge but the falls are still impressive when the flows are heavy.

 

Probably one of the most interesting spots along the way is a semi vertical set of granite walls.

It’s another spot where you can see the river. Steve was taking a look over the edge.

From this point on the road turns rough and although I didn’t need four wheel drive, I was glad my tires were in good shape.

It would be an interesting drive during a heavy down pour…the water looks like it runs right down the road in spots.

The last part of the shelf road if level and also has its scenic moments.

The final section of the road has a somewhat steep switchback that didn’t pose a problem for my van. Finally we reached the dam.

The access road to the top of the dam is gated off so you must park outside and walk in.

The walk to the dam is a fairly level upward grade that’s about 1/4 to 1/2 mile long. Unfortunately we were pushed for time and didn’t make the trek but we did have time to look over the camps located at the end of the road.

Of the four or so spots to camp here, only two looked worthy of a stay. Both the camp shown here above and below are fairly nice spots.

The campsites are free but there are no facilities. I wouldn’t count on them being open either if you’re coming in on a Friday or Saturday. At least the drive is a short one, so if they’re taken you can probably find something towards the start of the trail.

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Overall I really enjoyed this run. For a novice off roader, this is a good safe road to explore provided the weather is sound. It’s definitely best to run it in spring when the plants are green and the weather is cool. The gem of the road has to be the fishing which is said to be excellent. There are plenty of other off road trails to explore in the area and several places to boon dock at. For those who prefer typical forest service campgrounds with minor facilities, Sonora Pass has several, and in all but the most busiest times of the year, finding a site shouldn’t be a problem. More information on Sonora Pass can be found in previous posts on this site.

For forest service information contact the Summit Ranger District (209) 965-3434

Maybe I’ll see ya on the trail.

Thanks for following AutoRamblings Sportsmobile 4×4 Adventures