This is an advanced trail requiring a long travel (5-7″) full suspension bike and some rock stepping and dropping skills. Near the top of the mountain there are many rocky outcroppings and formations making the area look a lot like Utah. Bring lots of water, food, sun protection, protective gear and extra clothing if thunderstorms are predicted. Start early in the day as this is an all day ride. If you start your ride from Bass Lake, the climb will be 25 miles and depending on the route you take down, 20-25 miles of descending. The easiest way to get here is to follow State Rt. 41 north from Oakhurst about 1 mile until you see Road 222 on the right. Turn right on Rd 222 and continue until you come down to the Bass Lake area. From here you will want to stay on the main road that you came in on which turns to Rd. 274 . You will not notice any change in the road but you will see that Rd 222 turns right when you get to the lake and follows the west shore of Bass Lake. So you will just continue driving past this turnoff and on to the south end of the Lake. ( about 5 miles ) When you see that you are coming to the end of the lake, keep an eye on the left for Central Camp Rd.
If you are going to ride up from the lake, park at the dirt lot you will see on your right just past Central Camp Rd. The road is open in the spring and closes in the winter. You can drive up this road if you have a sturdy vehicle as the road is very rough. When you first turn on to this road, you will see the 007 trail as it pops out there on the left just before the green gate. You will also see the 007 trail again as it crosses this road twice. The 4 x 4 trail that take you from Central Camp Rd up to Shuteye Peak is on the right about 18 miles up Central Camp Rd. I recommend that you stop by our bike shop and get a map of the area because without it you will get lost. This last section of road is very rough and requires a 4 wheel drive vehicle. If you want to shuttle this trail yourself, I recommend just driving up Central Camp Rd. and park at the area just west of the bridge just before Whiskers campground. This is just west of where you will come out to Central Camp Rd. from the dird road that takes you from the bottom of the single track trail off the face of Shuteye Peak.
Yosemite Bicycle & Sport provides shuttle rides up Central Camp Rd. for fast access to the 007 and Shuteye Peak Downhill runs. Anyway once you turn off onto the last 6 miles of the 4×4 trail, it starts out very easy and ends up climbing about a mile up this trail. You will come to another green gate and the trail starts getting very rocky. After the second switchback, you will be at Little Shuteye. This is a very nice view spot looking out east for many miles towards Mammoth Mountain. You will recognize this spot from our home page photos because it is so unique. The trail continues for another three miles till you get to the lookout tower at the top of the mountain. At this point, you should rest and have lunch and get all your elbow and knee / shin guards on. You can sign the log book at the tower if you want and look out over the 360* view that looks at Yosemite National Park, Mammoth Mtn. , Sequoia National Park, Ansel Adams Wilderness, and Bass Lake. On a clear day you can almost see the Pacific ocean 250 miles away.
When you descend from the top, you have two route options. The first and easiest is to return the way you came down the 4×4 trail. If you are the daring type, you can take the single track trail ( it looks like a goat trail for the first quarter mile ) If you want to take the single track, take a close look on your left as you take the first right hand bend in the trail about a quarter mile down from the tower. There are two cairns of rocks on either side of the trail. The first section of trail is very loose and steep. I recommend walking down this section until you come to a spot where you feel comfortable getting back on your bike. Don’t worry, even I walk most of this first 1/4 mile. When you get down to the granite bear left and follow the line in a westerly direction. You will get down off the granite after about a mile into the trees and that is when you want to look to your right for the single track trail that goes right. this will take you to a fire road. Turn right on this road and after three miles, turn left on a 320* left turn onto another fire road. After one mile, turn right on another fire road which takes you back top Central Camp Rd. turn left and proceed to the bridge where you parked or all the way down to the 007 trail if you road up from the lake. For Directions to the 007 trail, see our description of that trail.
Trail info and photos from: http://www.yosemitebicycle.com/
