Dusy-Ershim Off-Highway Vehicle Route — Kings Canyon to Owens Valley Divide

The Dusy-Ershim is California’s answer to the question: what’s the hardest legal trail in the Sierra? Running roughly 19 miles from Wishon Reservoir in Fresno County to the Owens Valley floor near Big Pine, this route crosses the Sierra Nevada crest via a series of brutally exposed granite ledges, loose talus chutes, and off-camber shelf roads with no guardrails and no margin for error. The Ershim side climbs through the John Muir Wilderness boundary, topping out near 10,000 feet before the descent toward Dusy Basin — a route that will articulate your suspension, scrape your skids, and test every recovery skill you have. Named waypoints like the Keyhole and the Main Waterfall Drop are not trail highlights — they’re mandatory obstacles you either clear or you don’t.

This is Expert-level terrain, full stop. Stock rigs don’t belong here. You need a purpose-built short-wheelbase 4WD with lockers front and rear, high-clearance skid plates, and a spotter for most of the technical sections. Maximum vehicle length is roughly 100 inches wheelbase — longer rigs get hung up on the switchbacks. Permits are required through the Inyo and Sierra National Forests; reservation windows fill fast. Best window is July to early September before early snow closes the high passes. Carry all your water — sources along the route aren’t reliable. This is a one- to two-day run you’ll talk about for years.