Driving the Burma Road, in the Stanislaus National Forest...

What comes to your mind when the Burma Road is mentioned? The curvy, steep mountain road linking Burma and China, that played such an important role during the Second World War? I have good news for you, in that you don't have to travel to Asia to enjoy the scenic Burma Road, as the road is located in Mariposa County, in central California.

Photo: We're looking down at CA Highway 140 and the Merced River, from one of few turnouts near the top of the grade. The single-land bridge, to the right of the photo crosses the Merced River, and the highway bridge crosses Bear Creek, where it joins the river. Note the truck and the 5th wheeler heading east toward Yosemite; they are as small as toys.

The "official" name of the Burma Road is Bull Creek Road, and it also goes by the somewhat unromantic Forest Service nomenclature of 2S05. The road has been called "Burma Road" by the locals for longer than I can remember, and the name is perfect for the road, as it's steep, narrow, and climbs up the canyon wall utilizing countless switchbacks.

The Burma Road starts at the community of Briceburg, which lies at the bottom of the Bear Creek grade, along California Highway 140, known as the "Road to Yosemite National Park." The road crosses the Merced River on a narrow, single land suspension bridge, and almost immediately begins to climb up the north side of the Merced River Canyon. If you don't have the stomach to drive the Burma Road, you can turn to the left, and head west on the road which utilizes the grade of the long-defunct Yosemite Valley Railroad, that leads to the B.L.M. Merced River Campground, which is a great place to camp, especially if you're an angler. Or, you can head to your right, and eventually you'll find yourself at Incline, which used to be a very important station on the railroad, as loaded log cars were brought from the forests above, down a logging railroad incline. To access the Burma Road, drive past the ranch house and look for a sharp curve that goes up the canyon; that's the road.

Photo: Here's a typical section of the Burma Road, clearly showing a switchback or two. This is chaparral country, and it burns every few years, hence the blackened sticks.

After making the sharp curve, the road immediately starts climbing up the North side of the Merced River Canyon, and after only a couple hundred yards, the first, of many, switchbacks is reached. The purpose of the Burma Road is twofold: a) To allow access to the fine stands of Sugar Pine trees that grow on the north side of the canyon, and b) Allow access for fire fighting, in case of wildfires. With this in mind, the road is quite wide; about a lane and a half wide, in many places, with numerous turnouts should you meet another vehicle. Of course the road is dirt, but its frequently graded, and actually quite smooth. Although the road is very steep, and has numerous switchbacks, it was built for trucks, so four wheel drive is not needed. Your 2-wheel drive pickup will work just fine, unless you encounter a rare snowfall, but leave your Camry or your dad's Aztek at home, as the Burma Road is no place for low-slung vehicles. The road is within the Stanislaus National Forest, but the extreme western portion of the road, for some obscure reason, is administered by the Sierra National Forest.

Photo: Looking west (downstream) at the Merced River, from about half way up the Burma Road. The old railroad grade can be seen, as it parallels the river, and heads to the Merced River campground.

At the top of the canyon, a spectacular four wheel drive trail leads to the west along a narrow ridge, and offers a Class 4 trail that isn't recommended for full-sized vehicles. The first real road you encounter is given the romantic name of 3S05 by the Forest Service, and it will bring you near the canyon rim, and will lead you to Jenkins Hill and beyond.

From the Merced River to the top of the canyon, the road gains a couple of thousand feet in elevation, and affords spectacular views of the Merced River Canyon. If you continue driving the Burma Road, in 20 miles or so you'll encounter the Kinsley Forest Service work station, at that time you can choose between going to Greeley Hill, or Coulterville, or taking the fork in the road north to Trumbull Peak, and a locked gate that leads to Yosemite National Park. If you do drive to Trumbull Peak, you'll be driving on the right of way of the former Yosemite Lumber Company Railroad, which fell victim to changing times, a bad economy, and government intervention during the 1940's.

Photo: The scenery changes dramatically at the top of the grade, as the chaparral gives way to an oak and Ponderosa pine forest. This is a road near the top of the grade that leads to nearby Black Mountain.

The Burma Road is very lightly used, as the government and the tree huggers, have nearly curtailed any logging operations. During the spring, the main attraction is wildflowers, and in the fall, the road is used by deer hunters. If you keep your eyes open, you'll see a wide variety of wildlife who habitat the chaparral and pine forest. During our last trip up the road, on Sunday, May 24, 2009, we only encountered one party during the entire day we spent driving the road.

Photo: On the way down the grade, Paul takes the opportunity to admire the scenery, as I've parked the truck at a typical turnout. This is no place to pull a large trailer, even though the road was built to handle logging trucks!

Sunday, May 24, 2009, I drove the Burma Road, in my Ford F-250 truck, with my brothers Michael and Paul riding shotgun. The road was in decent shape, the weather was beautiful, and we had an outstanding time. Outside of the short, steep, climb up Jenkins Hill, the only time I used four wheel drive was when we were driving down the road into the Merced River Canyon, and the only reason I used four wheel drive was to avoid using my brakes.

Outside of Central California locals, the Burma Road is a little-known, and little-used road. If you enjoy spectacular mountain scenery, and you just want to "get away from it all," a trip up the Burma Road should be your thing.

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