Central Valley - Fresno to Needles

[Katatonic]

Hello,

I'm getting ready to head out for a weeklong jaunt from Fresno towards AZ. Going fast-ish and light on my roadbike (credit card touring at its finest). I've been looking at the best way to get up and over the Sierra Nevada before the snow flies on the southern section. Various resources recommend climbing up to Tehachapi via Comanche Point Rd (4-5k ft of gain) from Arvin/Bakersfield, but I'm REALLY tempted to have a go at climbing up to Lake Isabella from Porterville (7k ft of gain) to save a day of ag traffic and rural valley roads. Has anyone been up to Isabella via 155/Glennville? Or up to Tehachapi via Comanche? Thoughts on either route?   

Cheers!

[paolo]

The road from Porterville to Lake Isabella is closed at Ponderosa by Thanksgiving... and with good reason. Right now you'd probably need skis affixed under your wheels to make it down to Kernville, after you get to the top

[Katatonic]

Caltrans shows SR 155 coming up from Porterville to Glennville to Wofford as open with a short stretch of maintenance going on.  You are thinking of the Sierra Cascades Route, which is definitely not a path I want to get on during the winter.   Cheers though.

[paolo]

Ha ha, you got me worried there. Yes, I was thinking of the 190-107. Even in summer, it'd be a pretty gnarly climb (also because of the traffic on the narrow-windy stretches). Cheers