ARNOLD RIM TRAIL - VALLEY VIEW ROAD

The access off this road provides the shortest route to destinations like Cougar Rock and Top of the World. The dirt portion of Valley View Road can be slick with mud after rains or snows. Beyond the first half-mile of dirt on the northern stretch, this county road also has a tendency to become deeply rutted and nearly impassable to low clearance vehciles.

• Directions: From eastbound Highway 4 in Arnold, turn left on Lakemont Drive. Veer left at the first junction onto Valley View Drive. Follow Valley View Drive for one mile through the residential area (please respect the 25 mph speed limit). Once the road turns to dirt, follow for another 0.5 mile. The parking area will be on your right and is currently noted with a non-descript parking symbol on a bulletin board. The "P9" access trail that joins to the Arnold Rim Trail is in the southwest portion of this large turnout.
  

The Arnold Rim Trail (ART) is a unique trail system at mid-elevation in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains. A non-motorized trail system designed for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians, it connects the many wonders of public lands along the Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway stretch of Hwy 4 to its communities, creating a high level of access for its residents and visitors. Youll discover breathtaking vistas with panoramic views stretching from Mt. Diablo in the East Bay Area to snowy Mt. Lyell on the high eastern slopes of the Sierras near Yosemite, then dive down into canyons with streams coursing through the shade of older growth forests of cedar, pine, fir and oak. High rocky promontories, native acorn grinding rocks, a magnificent waterfall, many birds and wildlife of all kinds, and a lake lie along its current completed section in the part of the Stanislaus National Forest known as the Interface.