California 168 - Eastern Section (Nevada Border to Deep Springs)

A very lovely 6-mile section climb over Gilbert Pass on the way from Nevada to the Big Pine area. It's in the middle of nowhere and will add about 30 minutes to your drive from Fallon to Southern California (or vice versa), but it is well worth the detour.

The first 3 miles or so from the Nevada side are good; tight corners and climbing up from the valley floor. Enjoy them, but don't get too disappointed if the road doesn't live up to my hype, because the remaining miles from Gilbert Pass down to the Deep Springs valley are the better half–more technical and much, more fun. The road winds along a ridge and down, providing excellent views across the valley, and, more importantly, on the road ahead so you can see oncoming traffic easily. There are several tight 10mph turns that will keep you on your toes, and plenty of 3rd->2nd and 2nd->3rd shifts to keep the fun meter in the red.

The road surface is good overall with a few gravel patches. Traffic depends on the day, time and season. On one trip, I encountered a large group of motorcycles, however most of my runs have been wide open with very minimal traffic. The Western section of 168 has more tourist traffic with people coming from Big Pine up to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine forrest, but this section is usually pretty good.

This one is just out of the top 5 in California; I highly recommend doing it as an out-and-back to enjoy both directions. I usually go West to the valley, head back to the summit or the junction with 266, then go West again to continue my journey to Southern California.