Northstar California Washoe 1.jpg
Leijurv · CC BY-SA 4.0

Coaster–Northstar Service Road 900, 3 sights is a 15.9-mile out-and-back near Ponderosa Palisades, CA. It climbs 2,725 ft, with sections as steep as 17% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 75/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.

Elevation

0 mi6,716 – 7,533 ft · steepest grade: 17%16.3 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 39.24336, -120.18268
Nearest town Ponderosa Palisades, CA

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Coaster–Northstar Service Road 900, 3 sights

15.9 mi · ▲ 2,725 ft · 6 hr 40 min

Elevation 6,718–7,535 ft

Out & Back

Trailhead: 39.24336, -120.18268

Weather Aug 4: sunrise 6:04 AM · sunset 8:11 PM

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading SW.
  2. 0.3 miBear left onto Big Chief Trail (Middle), heading S.
  3. 2.6 miTurn left onto Sawtooth Spur, heading N.
  4. 250 ftContinue straight onto Northstar Service Road 700, heading N.
  5. 2.2 miBear right onto Northstar Service Road 900, heading N.
  6. 2.1 miSharp right onto Tell No Tales, heading SE.
  7. 0.2 miSharp left, heading SW.
  8. 150 ftTurn right onto Boondocks, heading S.
  9. 0.3 miContinue straight onto Coaster, heading SE.
  10. 100 ftContinue straight onto Boondocks, heading SE.
  11. 0.2 miBear left onto Coaster, heading NE.
  12. 250 ftReach Northstar Service Road 900, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  13. 250 ftBear right onto Boondocks, heading SE.
  14. 0.2 miContinue straight onto Coaster, heading W.
  15. 100 ftContinue straight onto Boondocks, heading W.
  16. 0.3 miTurn left, heading NW.
  17. 150 ftSharp right onto Tell No Tales, heading NW.
  18. 0.2 miSharp left onto Northstar Service Road 900, heading NW.
  19. 2.1 miBear left onto Northstar Service Road 700, heading S.
  20. 2.2 miContinue straight onto Sawtooth Spur, heading SW.
  21. 250 ftTurn right onto Big Chief Trail (Upper), heading SW.
  22. 2.6 miBear right, heading N.
  23. 0.2 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

100% dirt

Weather

Sunrise 6:04 AMSunset 8:11 PM

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 6.5 mi in (~184 min). Leave by 4:47 PM for the 8:11 PM sunset. Back at your car by 11:34 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

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