Glacier Lodge

There is no lodge at the end of Glacier Lodge Road; sadly, it burned some time ago. There isn't much glacier left, either—or at least, not much that's visible.

Some riders chose to skip this climb; not one of their favorites, they said. Scary descent, they said. In his Complete Guide to Climbing (By Bike) books, John Summerson ranked this as the 15th most difficult climb in California, and 38th in the United States. He notes that it is “almost identical in length and average grade to the mighty Tour de France climb of the Tourmalet,” and cautions that “it is an extremely fast descent in places so watch the drop off into the creek.”

What was I getting myself into?

Glacier Lodge was a long, exposed, and challenging climb. Some clouds had rolled in, and I was grateful for the looming shadows they cast. The breeze picked up, but morphed into crosswinds on the descent.

My ride partner and I met a few others at the top, where we enjoyed an impromptu picnic next to a small pond stocked with trout for fishing.

Mindful of the wind and the warnings, I descended with abundant caution. One gust was strong enough to move me and force me to adjust my balance.

On a descent like this—especially on a descent like this—don't hug the rightmost edge of the pavement. Whenever there were no vehicles in sight (which was most of the time), I took the lane. That is, I rode smack in the middle of the right lane—often edging close to the center line. A lane wide enough for a truck is plenty wide enough for a skinny little bicycle.

It was a short-ride day (22 miles, with a stout 3,655 feet of climbing) and a not-so-scary descent after all.