Driving up McGee Mountain

Dick Dorkin California, Sierra Nevadas , , , 2 Comments

Carol was flying from Mammoth to LA for the day, so Steve and I decided to take advantage of her missing the discomfort of high elevations and big drop-offs, by driving to the top of McGee Mountain. We made it to just shy of the summit at 10,866′. The road was narrow, steep, and full of switchbacks. And fun.

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Near the top of McGee (not pictured), the road almost flattened out.
Near the top of McGee (not pictured), the road almost flattened out.
Crowley Lake from the top of McGee. Highway 395 runs along the bottom of the photo.
Crowley Lake from the top of McGee. Highway 395 runs along the bottom of the photo.
The GPSs pink breadcrumbs shows off the road's numerous switchbacks.
The GPSs pink breadcrumbs shows off the road’s numerous switchbacks.
The McGee summit is on the left - we got to within 300 vertical feet (10,549').
The McGee summit is on the left – we got to within 300 vertical feet (10,549′).

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The good news: Should you leave the road, there's no trees to stop you from rolling down the slope until you break up like a Space Shuttle over Texas.
The good news: Should you leave the road, there’s no trees to stop you from rolling down the slope until you break up like a Space Shuttle over Texas.
A good view of the many switchbacks on the McGee Mountain road - not good for big/wide trucks.
A good view of the many switchbacks on the McGee Mountain road – not good for big/wide trucks.
Convict Lake and Laurel Mountain (left of center).
Convict Lake and Laurel Mountain (left of center).

2 thoughts on “Driving up McGee Mountain”

  • DickDorkinPost author
    May 18, 2013 at 4:40 pm
    Permalink

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convict_Lake

    The lake was named after an incident on September 23, 1871, where a group of convicts escaped from prison in Carson City. A posse, from Benton, led by Deputy Sheriff George Hightower, encountered the convicts near the head of what is now Convict Creek. Posse member Robert Morrison, a Benton merchant and Wells Fargo Agent, was killed in the encounter, and Mount Morrison was named after him.

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