What's a day off with good weather that shouldn't include a mountain drive? I've never tried Yokohl Valley Drive before so I figured it would be worth a go since it was only 23 miles from CA 198 to County Route J37. Starting out in Yokohl there is a clear Mountain Route reference of 296 on the street blade at CA 198:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3874/32553181903_a8713aedd2_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RAByQX)IMG_4854 (https://flic.kr/p/RAByQX) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
Yokohl Valley Drive isn't anything too crazy starting out at approximately 500 feet and is pretty deceptively normal up to where it splits east from Myer Drive:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/577/33367568425_99ca8f9aa3_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SQzvzT)IMG_4859 (https://flic.kr/p/SQzvzT) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/572/33239857451_7d203e1811_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SDhXyx)IMG_4860 (https://flic.kr/p/SDhXyx) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
The road narrows down quite a bit heading through the valley leading east but it isn't anything too concerning just yet:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/772/33239857071_62250b02be_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SDhXrZ)IMG_4861 (https://flic.kr/p/SDhXrZ) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3667/33326960556_5c1bb4f31e_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SLZohd)IMG_4863 (https://flic.kr/p/SLZohd) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
Twelve miles in is the first warning sign about the road becoming windy:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/782/33326959926_f8d8f7f6c5_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SLZo6m)IMG_4867 (https://flic.kr/p/SLZo6m) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
Which offers some pretty awesome views of the Sierras:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3716/33326956276_90d230d256_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SLZn1q)IMG_4870 (https://flic.kr/p/SLZn1q) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
Some nice older culvert work:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/613/33367561535_90c943d53e_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SQztx6)IMG_4872 (https://flic.kr/p/SQztx6) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
Things start to get pretty bad with the pavement as the elevation starts to climb:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/708/33239880261_b12d946cf2_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SDi5kP)IMG_4873 (https://flic.kr/p/SDi5kP) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3882/33326954456_bf278a25cf_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SLZmt3)IMG_4874 (https://flic.kr/p/SLZmt3) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
This warning sign about the road becoming too narrow for trucks or trailers is where Yokohl Valley Drive starts a large uphill ascent:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3781/33326932106_fecfa4ed7c_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SLZePG)IMG_4875 (https://flic.kr/p/SLZePG) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
The road gets extremely narrow at this point, I'm actually surprised there is a maintained center stripe:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3780/33367560515_e59af6c13c_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SQztev)IMG_4876 (https://flic.kr/p/SQztev) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
There is a couple hairpins but this one was by far the tightest at about 2,000 feet above sea level:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3950/32553179293_867ae5c414_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RABy4X)IMG_4879 (https://flic.kr/p/RABy4X) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3917/33326949366_d800df0f9c_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SLZjXh)IMG_4881 (https://flic.kr/p/SLZjXh) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
With a view of the roadway you just took and the valley below looking west:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/564/32524423004_ace63aa800_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Ry5aPS)IMG_4882 (https://flic.kr/p/Ry5aPS) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
Looking back towards the hairpin, I forgot to mention there is no guardrails...seems to be a theme for roads I take:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2817/32553174033_676335ca7d_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RABwvg)IMG_4884 (https://flic.kr/p/RABwvg) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
Yokohl Valley Drive tops out at an unnamed summit at about 2,700 feet above sea level:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/613/32524419934_4911e566b0_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Ry59UW)IMG_4886 (https://flic.kr/p/Ry59UW) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
The road offers some great views but is basically glorified gravel in the curves:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2941/33326931636_15e047c02a_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SLZeFA)IMG_4889 (https://flic.kr/p/SLZeFA) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
The terrain levels out near J37 and the pavement becomes much smoother. And speaking of J37....holy $%@! a REAL actual County Route that is signed in Tulare County. Literally this is the one and ONLY county route I've actually seen signed in Tulare County:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/585/33326930006_cef3ff9799_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SLZecu)IMG_4894 (https://flic.kr/p/SLZecu) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
Oddly the Mountain 296 designation continues east on J37 towards Balch Park and Mountain Home State Forest. I want to say the rest of J37 to Springdale was Mountain 236?
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2811/32553165713_517e8d1af6_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RABu2P)IMG_4898 (https://flic.kr/p/RABu2P) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
The roadway was closed 13 miles up head for the season. I would speculate that it might be another month before it is completely opened:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/640/32553165063_fa5250d957_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RABtQB)IMG_4899 (https://flic.kr/p/RABtQB) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/776/33239863581_4b678819b2_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SDhZoe)IMG_4906 (https://flic.kr/p/SDhZoe) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
Really I just wanted to see this bridge and get the build time stamp off of it which was 1927. I don't know how old Balch Camp Road is, it could much older given that it is a road to a grove of Sequoias. This particular bridge crosses the North Fork Tule River:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/746/33367576965_02feb57115_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SQzy88)IMG_4902 (https://flic.kr/p/SQzy88) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/591/33239867791_7ea6881efe_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SDi1CP)IMG_4903 (https://flic.kr/p/SDi1CP) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3861/33367573295_a4fb108f67_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SQzx2R)IMG_4905 (https://flic.kr/p/SQzx2R) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
Heading south to Springdale there is actually another J37 sign but sadly none at CA 190:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2911/33239859661_3b07771661_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SDhYdD)IMG_4907 (https://flic.kr/p/SDhYdD) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3953/33367569185_4529a8976b_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SQzvNZ)IMG_4908 (https://flic.kr/p/SQzvNZ) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
So basically what I do know about Yokohl Valley Drive and Balch Park Road is that they were county maintained in 1935:
http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~247377~5515399:Tulare-County-?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:california%2Bdivision%2Bof%2Bhighways;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=75&trs=160
J37 was assigned in 1975 which was very late in the game for signed county routes and probably explains why there is still shields. The entire route is a tick over 25 miles in length:
http://www.cahighways.org/countyj.html#J37
My full album can be found here, lots of good monochromes to be had from both routes. I would highly recommend Yokohl Valley Drive, really it isn't too far out in the boonies and offers some really nice driving and views of the mountains:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/33367569185/in/album-72157677871436503/