A truly outstanding 4x4 adventure to Funnel Lake

Funnel Lake is a high mountain lake at an elevation of 3.176m (10,419ft) above the sea level, located in Inyo County, in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California. It’s one of the highest roads of California.

Funnel Lake

Located high atop the Eastern Sierras just south west of Bishop, the road to the summit is totally unpaved. It is called Coyote Flat 4×4 trail. Accessibility is largely limited to the summer season. It is not generally snow-free until late June or even July in some years. The trail doesn't cater to larger vehicles. The drive offers stunning views, frozen snow drifts, alpine vistas and rolling meadows. There are several ruined mines along the drive. The trail offers a different visual experience during each season of the year.

The road to the lake, located within the Inyo National Forest, is pretty steep. Starting at Bishop, the road to the lake is 27.84km (17.3 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 1.846 meters. The average gradient is 6.63%. Only try the road with a vehicle that has a proper height and ground clearance, four-wheel drive, slightly deflated tires, and a spare wheel and tire. There are two river-crossings in the road to the lake.
Pic&video: mksracing

 

Drive Us to Your Road!

With over 13,000 roads cataloged, we're always on the lookout for unique routes. Know of a road that deserves to be featured? Click here to share your suggestion, and we may add it to dangerousroads.org.