Western Divide Highway (Tulare County Mountain Road 107)

Western Divide Highway is a rural roadway located in the Sierra Nevada and is maintained as Tulare County Mountain Road 107. Western Divide Highway begins at the terminus of California State Route 190 near Quaking Aspen and terminates approximately 15.5 miles to the south at Parker Pass Road (Tulare County Mountain Road 50). The corridor of Western Divide Highway is most famous for providing access to the Trail of 100 Giants in the Long Meadow Grove of Redwood Sequoias.

The portion of Western Divide Highway north of Parker Pass Road to Long Meadow Grove was developed in 1935 as an access highway for the logging operations out of Johnsondale. The highway corridor was later extended north to California State Route 190 during the 1950s which permitted the development of the Ponderosa community in 1963. Western Divide Highway became associated with the Trail of 100 Giants which is where President Bill Clinton declared Giant Sequoia National Monument during April 2000.

Part 1; the history of Western Divide Highway

What is now Western Divide Highway passes through the Long Meadow Grove of Redwood Sequoias. Western Divide Highway from Parker Pass Road north to the Long Meadow Grove was originally built as a spur highway between California Hot Springs and Johnsondale.

Parker Pass Road was constructed to facilitate the highway travel between California Hot Springs and Johnsondale. The Johnsondale town site was constructed by the Mount Whitney Lumber Company in 1935 east of Parker Pass. Parker Pass is named after nearby Parker Creek. In 1937 a bridge was constructed over the Kern River east of Johnsondale which permitted road access via Kern River Highway (now Tulare County Mountain Road 99) to Kernville. The Johnsondale Post Office would open in 1939, and the first sawmill would burn in 1943.

What is now Western Divide Highway can be seen branching north from Parker Pass Road (blue pin) north to the Long Meadow Grove on the 1936 United States Geological Survey map of Tobias Peak. The road is shown to terminate at Long Meadow near a couple logging cabins.

During the 1950s Western Divide Highway was extended north from Long Meadow Grove to California State Route 190 at Quaking Aspen. The extended highway appears for the first time on the 1956 United States Geological Survey map of Camp Nelson (north terminus indicated by the blue pin).

In 1963 the sheep pasture property of Alex Kramer located off Western Divide Highway would be subdivided to form the small mountain community of Ponderosa. Logging operations in Johnsondale would end in 1979. The property was subsequently sold off to R-Ranch and was subdivided. Modern Johnsondale mostly is comprised of summer cabins which flank the former Mount Whitney Lumber Company logging pond. The community is a popular access point for numerous recreational activities within Sequoia National Forest.

The logging operations in Johnsondale mostly avoided felling the older growth Redwood Sequoias in the Long Meadow Grove. Despite the decline of large commercial operations Redwood Sequoia Groves in Sequoia National Forest contracts were advertised for logging unless they carried a Type 1 Grove prohibition. The Long Meadow Grove was found to have been substantially logged during the summer of 1986.

Attempts to stop logging of Redwood Groves in Sequoia National Forest would persist through the late 1980s and 1990s. These attempts would culminate in the declaration of Giant Sequoia National Monument by President Bill Cliton on April 15, 2000. The announcement of the then new National Monument was made at the Long Meadow Grove underneath what is now known as the Proclamation Tree.

Giant Sequoia National Monument encompasses 328,315 acres of land which include 38 of the 39 Redwood Sequoia Groves in Sequoia National Forest. The modern Trail of 100 Giants was built in the Long Meadow Grove as part of the National Monument development plan. The trail had been improved via the removal of logging debris and dead trees. This work took place beginning in the summer of 2004 which saw the trail closed. The trail would reopen for public use on July 1, 2005.

The Trail of 100 Giants was modernized via installation of a boardwalk which was dedicated on September 27, 2016. The Trail of 100 Giants since has become by far the most visited recreational area along Western Divide Highway. During 2021 the Long Meadow Grove was partially burned by way of the Windy Fire. Most of the larger trees in the grove were ultimately saved due to firefighting efforts.

Part 2; a drive on Great Western Divide Highway

Great Western Divide Highway southbound begins at the eastern terminus of California State Route 190. Signage indicates Johnsondale to be 22 miles away.

Western Divide Highway is named as the "Pete Brewer Memorial Highway."

Western Divide Highway passes through Ponderosa and intersects the community access road at Aspen Drive (Tulare County Mountain Road 168).

As Western Divide Highway departs Ponderosa traffic is advised of 13 miles of curves ahead.

Western Divide Highway continues south amid views of the Kern Canyon Fault. The highway passes Forest Road 22S02 which permits access to Last Chance Meadow and the Lloyd Meadow Trailheads.

Western Divide Highway continues south and enters the Long Meadow Grove where the Trail of 100 Giants can be found. This trail is one of the most developed found outside of Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.