Alpine County is in California's Sierra Nevada mountains.

Understand

Alpine County is located in the sparsely populated east-central part of California. The population of the entire county is around 1,200 persons leading the county's tourism board to advertise "Two people per square mile and you".

There are no incorporated towns in the county. The largest population center is the county seat of Markleeville with just under 200 persons residing there. Don't expect to find any of the conveniences associated with larger towns and cities anywhere in the county such as ATMs, banks, fast food chains, large grocery stores, or 24-hour convenience stores. However, there is an ATM in the Bear Valley Lodge.

Get in

There are no major airports in the county, with the nearest being in Reno, Nevada.

By car

• State Road 88, coming from Minden, Nevada in the north, and from Stockton in the west.
• State Road 89, coming from US 395 in the east, and Lake Tahoe to the north.

Communities

• Alpine Village
• Bear Valley
• Kirkwood
• Markleeville
• Mesa Vista
• Woodfords

Other destinations

• Grover Hot Springs State Park, At the end Hot Springs Road (four miles west of Markleeville), ☏ +1 209 694-2248. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.. The parks main features are the hot springs which feed into two concrete swimming pools filled with 102°F (39°C) mineral waters. the park also has hiking and camping. 

See

• Lake Alpine, east of Bear Valley in the Sierra Nevadas, is picturesque and a good place for hiking, boating and picnicking in the summer. State Route 4 passes by the shores of Lake Alpine. If you drive northeast on State Route 4 toward Lake Alpine, be on the lookout for a large boulder shaped and painted like a whale on the north side of the road.

Do

• Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway, SR-89 and SR-4, ☏ +1 209 795-4789, info@scenic4.org. Closed seasonally due to snow. This scenic byway begins at Markleeville and heads south on SR-89 to the junction with SR-4 then continues westward into Calaveras County. The section over Ebbetts Pass is closed during the winter and spring (usually November to May) due to deep snow. Check the Caltrans webpage for SR 4 [1] before attempting the trip. Free. 

Go next

• Nevada - Alpine borders on the state of Nevada. Those interested in gambling are just minutes from the ubiquitous slot machines of the Silver State.
• Lake Tahoe - Just to the north of Alpine County are the beautiful bright blue waters of Lake Tahoe.