Ice House Rd - Ride the Crystal Range

Ice House Rd has been reborn.

Seventeen miles of this Sierra Nevada classic were repaved in late 2024 and early 2025—and it’s nothing like you remember. For years, Ice House was infamous for mid-corner root heaves- tree bumps that launched you out of the seat, and patchwork bumpy asphalt that kept every rider on edge. That’s all gone.

What remains is smooth, flowing Sierra Nevada pavement carving through the heart of the El Dorado National Forest. The rhythm is back. The sweepers have settled in, and the technical sections now feel precise instead of punishing. This is the Ice House we always wished it could be.

Serving as the gateway climb from Highway 50 near Fresh Pond, (& 9 miles east of Pollock Pines) the Ice House Rd road tops out near Loon Lake at 6,400 feet with expansive granite views of the Crystal Range. While the road is plowed year-round for utility trucks, "plowed" is a relative term—it’s a working mountain road.

By April, the snow (and ice) on the road is melting in warm spring days ahead, the riding season is arriving quickly for bikers, and the Jeepers are already eyeing the start of the famous Rubicon Trail at the end of the pavement.

Make a day of it: Stop at Ice House Resort for lunch (& expensive gas), and don’t miss the nearby Big Hill Fire Lookout at 6,132 feet—it’s one of the few fire lookouts in the Sierra Range with a paved road to the summit- and open to the public (climb right up into the lookout) offering a 360-degree Sierra panorama.

From there, keep climbing through cool forest air and miles of pristine black asphalt. For the ultimate loop, roll back into Georgetown via Wentworth Springs Road, past Uncle Tom's Cabin (and Eleven Pines Rd mentioned in a previous post). Ice House Rd isn't just a zoom-zoom mountain road, take in Peavine Ridge, Jaybird Canyon, and the spurs to Wrights Lake and Union Valley Reservoir. Roll past Wentworth Springs Rd and ride all the way up to Loon Lake Reservoir. You’ll pass five different mountain lakes on this ride plus over 150 campsites along these mountain lakes.

Ice House isn’t just improved—it’s transformed. If you haven’t twisted the throttle here since the repave, it’s time to head back up the hill once the snow melts. By April after a few sunny spring days, the road is often clear of snow & ice all the way to Loon Lake.

https://www.pashnit.com/ca-ice-house-rd