Jose Basin Road, Italian Bar Road, and Million Dollar Road to Stevenson Falls

[Max Rockatansky]

This past weekend I headed out on a trip to Sierra National Forest to visit Stevenson Creek Falls on the San Joaquin River Canyon.  Given the 1925 Italian Bar Bridge is periodically closed due to a replacement project I opted for a route via Jose Basin Road on the former San Joaquin & Eastern Railroad Grade.  The SJ&E Railroad ran from 1912 through 1933 and was used to haul materials from the first two phases of the Big Creek Project.  Current Jose Basin Road was recycled from the grade of the SJ&E Railroad after Southern California Edison abandoned it.  Italian Bar Road connects from Jose Basin to the San Joaquin River and was built during the 1920s to improve access to Big Creek Powerhouse #3.  Million Dollar Road connects Big Creek Powerhouse #3 and #8 through the San Joaquin River Canyon.  Stevenson Creek Falls is the 12th highest in California and can be found 3.5 miles north from Italian Bar Road in the San Joaquin River Canyon.  Million Dollar Road is only accessible to Southern California Edison vehicles, hikers, and cyclists.  The "Million Dollar" name refers the apparent cost of Million Dollar Road per mile when it was constructed during 1922.

In the article below the trip to Stevenson Creek Falls is featured.  I also did segments on the history of the San Joaquin & Eastern Railroad, much of the early Big Creek Hydroelectric Project, Italian Bar Road, the 1925 Italian Bar Bridge (see it while you can), and Million Dollar Road.  If you're in Central California and down that the National Parks are closed then Stevenson Creek Falls is probably the quarantine breaker you're been looking for:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2020/05/the-road-to-stevenson-creek-falls-san.html