What a weird, weird winter.

Driving up Kaiser Pass Road above Huntington Lake this week for Wednesday's bear cub story, past the locked gate where it becomes a bumpy one-lane track, the barren mountain slopes were astonishing.

I immediately thought about last June, when the road opened for summer, driving past 12-foot tall snowbanks lining both sides of the 9,175-foot pass. Now you'd be hard-pressed to scrape up 12 inches, and only then in shaded areas.

Usually in January you'd need a snowmobile to make it this far. All that's required nowadays is four-wheel drive for a few icy sections.

But how long will this moistureless winter last?

Long-range forecasts aren't that reliable, but the National Weather Service predicts the high-pressure ridge that has lingered off the California coast for more than a month will shift south late next week. Meaning next Thursday and Friday, the Sierra Nevada might finally get its long overdue blanket of snow.

While this comes as outstanding news, especially for those of us who like to carve turns in the backcountry, it also signals the end of one of the most unusual early winters in recent memory.

So if you haven't taken advantage of the dry-as-a-bone conditions, this could be your last weekend.

Here are a few suggestions:

Visit Shaver Puddle ... err, Lake.

Many of you are doing so already, because every time I drive past Shaver Lake dam on Highway 168 the turnout is packed with cars and folks peering out into the nearly dry lakebed.

But if the snow arrives next week as expected, much of the old dam and mill ruins, exposed for the first time since 1927, might no longer be visible.

For an even better look, find the public stairway that leads from Shaver Lake Point or follow the dirt access road from where the highway crosses Stevenson Creek just below the dam.

• Go mountain biking.

With the trails free of mud and no pesky bugs to contend with, this winter might boast the finest fat tire conditions I've ever experienced.

The road to Nelder Grove above Oakhurst is still open, providing access to some of the region's finest singletrack. Trails around Bass Lake, including Goat Mountain and 007, are open as well. Along Highway 168, four-wheel drive roads off Tamarack Ridge are open and clear, including the one to Bald Mountain.

Or maybe you don't need a trail. Last week I went for spin through the deserted campgrounds and picnic areas along Huntington Lake and had a fabulous time.

• Head to a national park.

Yes, Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon are open year-round. But you seldom see them like this.

I've already documented the unusual access this winter on Tioga Road, which has never been open this late (or early) in the year. Folks are flocking to ice skate on frozen Tenaya Lake or hike around Tuolumne Meadows.

But those aren't your only options. It's also still possible to drive to Glacier Point, one of California's grandest vistas, and the Mariposa Grove near the park's southern entrance. Yosemite Valley is also a delight to visit in winter. You'll never see the place so uncrowded.

At Kings Canyon, trails around Grant Grove are mostly snow-free, and the same goes for those in Giant Forest in Sequoia. Another option is Big Meadows, located between the parks in the Giant Sequoia National Monument. (The Generals Highway is closed from Montecito- Sequoia to Wuksachi Lodge.)

As always in winter, never head up to the mountains without tire chains and an emergency car kit, even if the forecast calls for clear skies.

Hopefully by next week, the snow will fall and we can all return to our regularly scheduled winter recreation. I'm crossing my ski poles for luck.