Events

Three events pay for the lessons.

A ski day, a five‑day ride down the Eastern Sierra, and a day off‑road in the desert. Every one of them exists so that a lesson costs a family less than it should.

Ski‑a‑thon · March 6See the full calendar

The year at a glance

What is coming, and when.

Dates move a little year to year. These are the ones USARC has published.

  1. Oct 7–11, 2026Peak to Peak Pedal — 32nd annual, Big Bear to MammothFinished for 2026
  2. Apr 10, 2027Desert Days — off‑road in Johnson ValleyRegistration not yet open

October 7–11, 2026

Peak to Peak Pedal.

Five days and 335 miles from the Bear Mountain parking lot to the slopes at Mammoth — east across the Big Bear Valley, down into the Mojave, then north up the Owens Valley under the Sierra crest.

Now in its 32nd year. Riders who need wheelchair access should tell USARC when they register.

Register to ride
A Peak to Peak Pedal rider climbs the highway on a road bike, with desert mountains behind.

Five days, five stages

  1. Day 1Big Bear → Barstow59 miOut through the valley at dawn, over Goat Mountain Pass, then a long descent into the high desert.
  2. Day 2Barstow → Ridgecrest84 miThe longest day. Open Mojave, Joshua trees, and the climb past Red Mountain.
  3. Day 3Ridgecrest → Diaz Lake80 miNorth onto Highway 395 and up into the Owens Valley, finishing below Mount Whitney.
  4. Day 4Diaz Lake → Bishop60 miThe flattest day, running alongside the Sierra crest past Manzanar and the hot springs.
  5. Day 5Bishop → Mammoth52 miUp the Sherwin Grade through aspen, past Crowley Lake, and one last climb to the finish.

335 miles across five days

Saturday, March 6, 2027

Ski‑a‑thon.

USARC's largest fundraiser of the year, and the one participants themselves turn out for. Raise pledges, then ski the day at Bear Mountain with everyone else who did.

Check‑in is outside the USARC schoolhouse from 8:00 am. Registration is entirely online, and the minimum to ride is $250 raised before the day.

Ski‑a‑thon details
A participant in a slider frame skis toward the camera, surrounded by three USARC adaptive instructors.

April 10, 2027 · Johnson Valley

Desert Days.

An ADA‑accessible off‑road day that teaches trail safety and etiquette while getting people with disabilities out into the desert. Check‑in from 9:00 am at 7226 Cole Road.

Formerly the Helping Hands Poker Run. The event has been renamed and the card‑collecting element retired. The off‑road day itself continues.

A line of Jeeps and trucks follows a sandy trail through the desert brush at Desert Days.

Bring your own

For anyone with an OHV, ATV, dirt bike, Jeep or anything else that will take the terrain. Run either course, or both.

A driver and a passenger ride in a side-by-side across rocky desert ground at Desert Days.

Ride along in ours

No vehicle needed. Take a seat in one of USARC's side‑by‑sides or Jeeps and let somebody else do the driving.

Desert Cruise

The gentler of the two routes, for a first time out or a relaxed day.

Rugged Ride

The harder course, for people who came to be tested by the terrain.

Why these exist

The events are what keep a lesson affordable.

A half‑day lesson costs a family $120 and includes a private instructor, a lift ticket and every piece of adaptive equipment. That gap is closed by the people who ride, ski and drive at these three events, and by the sponsors behind them.