In July, a group of riders from the Sacramento Road Cruisers joined me on a ride to French Meadows Reservoir, via back roads from Roseville to Auburn, Foresthill and the famous, at least in motorcycle circles, Mosquito Ridge Road.
If you have not ridden Mosquito Ridge Road, then it’s a must for motorcycle enthusiasts. It is unique, approximately 36 miles of road between Foresthill and French Meadows Reservoir, there are hundreds (reputed to be in the neighborhood of 600 – I did not count) of twisty turns along the ridge of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The road is well paved, albeit, you still need to watch for some gravel in spots (droppings from the mountain walls). The scenery….., well let me say it is fantastic at minimum. With overlooks of the canyon, drop offs on one side, mountainous wall on the other, the visage is something to experience.
The destination, French Meadows Reservoir, is located 19 miles east of Foresthill and approximately 14 miles west of Tahoe City as the crow flies. It is a manmade lake that is approximately 5,200 feet in elevation. While this is a great destination for a picnic lunch break, it’s the ride there that counts. It is fantastic, to say the least. And, on this day we did not encounter one cage (vehicle) going in our direction. We did, however, encounter two very humongous cows on the road side. Do be aware of them as I have seen them each time I have ridden this road in addition to deer.
The ride, as mentioned, consists of hundreds of turns, left and right switchbacks, sweeping corners, sweeping U corners, and even a few straights to get the adrenaline pumping. Mostly its 2nd and 3rd gears with a few 4th gears thrown in. This ride is definitely a must do.
This day, we stopped at Worten’s in Foresthill and pick up a picnic lunch to be eaten at the lake. We ate at the first boat ramp on the south side of the lake where there was ample parking for 20 bikes and picnic tables. By the way, make sure to get gas in Foresthill in you plan on looping the ride to either Georgetown or Ice House Road as gas stations on either route are at least 90 to 100 miles away.
This ride we decided to loop back to Georgetown. The plan was to proceed onto French Meadows Road with the intent to take Hell Hole Road, 11 Pines Road and ultimately, Wentworth Springs Road. This would lead us to Stumpy Meadows Lake and ultimately Georgetown.
However, this day, I missed the turn to Hell Hole Road and continued on what I thought was French Meadows Road. After a few miles with no familiar landmarks I knew we were going in the wrong direction. However, with the notion that “all roads lead somewhere” we decided to not back track and proceed on. In our ambitious endeavor, we encountered a serious loggers road, known as Ralston Ridge Rd. Good luck finding it on any map or GPS.
Determined as we were, we continued on to see where it would lead us. With tight switchbacks on a narrow unmarked, pot holed and unkempt road on a very steep descent (25% grade ?) we eventually made it to the bottom of the Rubicon River Reservoir. This road is not for the faint of heart and definitely not for newbie riders. The group I was leading was game though and we continued on. The road eventually looped us back to Mosquito Ridge Rd which we took back to Foresthill, unscathed and the better for it. Ahhhhh, something I always enjoy is to discover roads not frequently traveled.
When all was said and done, we continued on home via Old Foresthill Rd to Hwy 49 towards Placerville. A right on Salmon Falls Road. took us to Folsom/Natoma where we settled at the Purple Place for refreshments. All said everyone enjoyed the ride as I did.
A definitely do again. But, next time, I might try finding Hell Hole Road and 11 Pines Road, just for the heck of it.
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