Skip to main content

Road 222/Powerhouse Road

Last Memorial Day I took a trip up to Glacier Point in Yosemite.  Given the large crowds heading to/from Yosemite National Park I decided to do something a little unconventional and take Road 222/Powerhouse Road over the San Joaquin River to reach Fresno.






Road 222/Powerhouse Road is an approximately 14 mile route between North Fork in Madera County and Auberry in Fresno County.  Road 222 begins at North Fork Road/Road 222 immediately south of North Fork.





Road 222 southbound to the San Joaquin River at Kerckhoff Lake has a heavy grade that is as high as 9% in places.  The road is generally pretty good but drops from about 3,300 feet above sea level to about 1,300 feet above sea level at the San Joaquin River.











Road 222 approaches Kerckhoff Lake and the Wishon Powerhouse.  Kerckhoff Lake is impounded from the waters of the San Joaquin River and is part of Pacific Gas & Electricity's Big Creek project. Apparently Kerckhoff Dam was completed in 1920.







I'm not sure where this stairwell goes but it was across Road 222 from the Wishon Powerhouse, I thought it looked cool.





Road 222 becomes Powerhouse Road on this bridge as it enters Fresno County.







The climb south on Powerhouse Road to Auberry Road and Auberry isn't as steep as Road 222 but far more curvy.  Powerhouse Road ends at Auberry Road in the community of Auberry.









Given that Kerckhoff Lake was part of the Big Creek Project both Road 222 and Powerhouse Road are quiet old.  Both roads are observable as being county maintained on the 1935 California Division of Highways maps of Madera and Fresno Counties.

1935 Madera County Highway Map

1935 Fresno County Highway Map

The Temperance Flat Dam Project has been floated around for about a decade from what I can recall.  If the Temperance Flat Dam Project was ever approved it encompass Kerckhoff Lake within it's catchment area.  The Temperance Flat Dam is heavily supported by Fresno County farmers due to the Big Creek Project being primarily used for Hydroelectric Power rather than water storage.  The Temperance Flat Dam project really seems to not have gained much traction other than being San Joaquin ranch community argument point against the High Speed Rail project.  I found a FAQ on the Temperance Flat Dam Project from the Department of Water Resources but it is over a decade old.

Water.ca.gov on Temperance Flat Dam Project



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dillon Road

Dillon Road is a 34.2-mile highway located in northern Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California.  Dillon Road begins at Avenue 48 on the outskirts of Indio and ends to the west at California State Route 62 near San Gorgonio Pass.  Dillon Road was developed the 1930s as a construction road for the Colorado River Aqueduct.  Dillon Road serves as a northern bypass to much of the development of Coachella Valley.  Dillon Road is known for it's frequent dips and spectacular views of San Gorgonio Pass.   Part 1; the history of Dillon Road Dillon Road was constructed as a haul road for the Colorado River Aqueduct through Coachella Valley.  The Colorado River Aqueduct spans 242 miles from Parker Dam on the Colorado River west to Lake Mathews near Corona.  Construction of the Colorado River Aqueduct began during January 1933 near Thousand Palms and was made functional on January 7, 1939.  West of Berdoo Canyon Road the alignment of Dillon Road is largely concurrent with the Colorado

Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road

Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road is an approximately 21-mile highway located in southeast Kern County.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road begins at Tehachapi Boulevard (former US Route 466) in Tehachapi and crosses the Tehachapi Mountains via the 4,820-foot-high Oak Creek Pass.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road enters Antelope Valley of the wider Mojave Desert and passes by the historic stage station of Willow Springs to a southern terminus at Rosamond Boulevard.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road has historic ties to the Havilah-Los Angeles Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road due to the once reliable presence of water at Willow Springs. Part 1; the history of Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road Oak Creek Pass and Willow Springs were known to the local tribes of the Tehachapi Mountains for generations.  The first documented European crossing of Oak Creek Pass was during 1776 as part of an expedition by Francisco Garces.  Oak Creek Pass is as used again by John C. Fremont during an 1844-1845 expedition to e

The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge

The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge is a derelict structure located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Placer County, California.  The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge can be found between the communities of Colfax and Iowa Hill.  The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge is a wire suspension structure which spans the North Fork American River.  The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge was replaced by a modern span and converted to pedestrian use following floods during 1963.   Part 1; the history of the 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge During 1853 gold was discovered at what to become Iowa Hill.  The gold mining claims soon led to a small community known as Iowa City being established.   By 1854, Post Office Service began at the mines of Iowa City.  By 1856 gold production at Iowa City was estimated to be around $100,000.  Iowa City was burned in fires during 1857 and 1862 but the community was rebuilt with more modernized structures.   The location of Iowa City can be seen as "Iowa Hill" on the 1873 Bancroft