Near Picketts Junction in Alpine County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Luther Pass Trail - Leaving the Carson Trail
Photographed by Alvis Hendley, October 21, 2022
1. Luther Pass Trail - Leaving the Carson Trail
Erected 2013 by Trails West, Inc. (Marker Number LP-1.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the California Trail, and the Trails West Inc. series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is September 25, 1856.
Location. 38° 46.535′ N, 119° 55.153′ W. Marker is near Picketts Junction, California, in Alpine County. It is on Burnside Road, on the right when traveling south. Parking is available near the marker on Burnside Road about 200 feet south of the intersection of CA-88 and CA-89. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Markleeville CA 96120, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s Sierra Nevada. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically,
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Carson Trail - Hope Valley (here, next to this marker); Emigrant Trail - Carson River Route (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Luther Pass Trail - Leaving the Carson Trail (here, next to this marker); Luther Pass Trail - Luther Pass (approx. 1.7 miles away); Carson Trail - Crooked Trail (approx. 1.8 miles away); Over the Sierra Nevada (approx. 2.2 miles away); Luther Pass Trail - Came to Grass Lake (approx. 3 miles away); Carson Trail - First Crossing in Mad Canyon (approx. 4.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Picketts Junction.
Regarding Luther Pass Trail - Leaving the Carson Trail. In 1854, Ira M. Luther traversed a Sierra Nevada pass for a distance of about ten miles in a covered wagon thereby opening a new trail to link the Carson Trail and the Johnson Cutoff Trail. Today the Luther Pass Trail is a stretch of State Route 89 called Luther Pass Road. Trails West, Inc. has erected five markers
Photographed by Alvis Hendley, October 21, 2022
2. Markers for Luther Pass Trail and Carson Trail
The top steel railroad rail contains the plate for Luther Pass (Leaving the Carson Trail). The bottom rail contains two plates for the Carson Trail, one on each side of the rail.
The initial route for the Pony Express across the Sierra Nevada in 1860 connected Placerville across Luther Pass to Woodfords and thence to Nevada, but the route was quickly changed to use the Kingsbury Grade instead.
Photographed by Alvis Hendley, October 21, 2022
3. Luther Pass Trail and Carson Trail
The markers are between the truck and the tall tree.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2022, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. This page has been viewed 341 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 5, 2022, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
