Carson Pass Kit Carson Pass | |
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![]() The Carson Pass (foreground) overlooks Red Lake to the east. | |
Elevation | 8,574 ft (2,613 m) |
Traversed by | ![]() |
Location | Sierra Crest, Eldorado National Forest, Alpine County, California, United States |
Range | Sierra Nevada |
Coordinates | 38°41′38″N 119°59′15″W / 38.69389°N 119.98750°W |
Location in California | |
Official name | Kit Carson Marker |
Reference no. | 315 |
Carson Pass is a mountain pass on the crest of the central Sierra Nevada, in the Eldorado National Forest and Alpine County, eastern California.
The pass is traversed by California State Route 88. It lies on the Great Basin Divide, with the West Fork Carson River on the east and the South Fork American River on the west.
The historic pass was a point on the Carson Trail during the California Gold Rush and was used for American Civil War shipping to California until the completion of the First transcontinental railroad. The Pacific Crest Trail traverses the Carson Pass summit, which has California Historical Landmark #315 at CA 88 postmile 6.09 where Kit Carson carved his name into a tree.[1]
The original inscription was cut from the tree in 1888 and is now in Sutter's Fort