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2013 Northern Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada Mountains are the highlight of this tour for the 2013 ride season. Exploring the northerly reaches of this 400-mile long mountian range takes the tour group into endless curves, Gold Rush history, a smoldering volcano, and to one of California's most unknown waterfalls. |
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Our tour begins in Auburn, CA just outside of Sacramento the last weekend of July. Beginning at just 2000 ft in elevation, the riders will climb into the SIerra Nevada peaking at 8000 feet exploring mountain passes and back country roads for three days of motorcycling bliss.
We'll meet at the Coffee Shop in Auburn which is located at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Riders will arrive as early as 7:00 AM, but plan to arrive no later than 7:30 for the safety brief. We like to get an early start to avoid the traffic, and spend the majority of our time riding! Your tour guides will plan to arrive at around 7:00. Yuba Pass starts off our day as we ride into Gold Rush History headed up to Downieville. |
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The history of the region still simmers about gold. Consider this region we're riding through was the focal point of the largest mass migration of people in the history of the world. 160 years ago, they all came here.
The group will ride past the towns of Alleghany, Pike City and Forest City. It has been estimated that the county as a whole produced some two hundred million dollars worth of gold. Of that, ninety million came from the nearby Alleghany area. Downievile comes into view as we continue higher up Hwy 49. |
Downieville, CA |
The town is tiny now, but at one time was the 5th largest city in all of California.
It almost become the Capitol of California, losing only by one vote.
A few miles away is Sierra City at 4100 feet, just 325 people claiming this as home. A gold nugget weighing over 1,500 troy ounces was found in the Monumental Mine in 1960, and in 1869, a nugget at over 1,800 troy ounces was found here.
That's a gold nugget weighing 123 lbs.
Our route will climb into the Sierra Nevada following the twists and turns of the Yuba River. A left turn soon thereafter and we'll be headed up to the Gold Lakes area at the crest of the Sierra. Brand new road. Smooth arcs. Stunning views. |
| This high Sierra area is known as the "Lakes Basin," a collection of some fifty lakes cradled on the southwest by the towering Sierra Buttes. The largest of them, Gold Lake, was named in 1850 when a miner claimed he had found a lake whose shores were studded with gold nuggets. The usual rush ensued. Although no gold was found on its shores. |
 8,587-foot peak of Sierra Buttes |
| After a short jog into Graeagle, We're ready to to flog some mountain passes and the Sierra will oblige with a 120 mile mountain loop up and over the Sierra. A few years ago, this route over the Sierra was little more than a jeep trail. Road engineers showed up one day and graded a banked, wide curvaceous ribbon of road. |
A right turn after La Porte we'll be heading down the hill on Forbestown Rd over to Lake Oroville. Completed in 1968, Oroville Dam is the tallest earthen dam located in the United States, measuring over 770 feet high and 6,920 feet across. The dam was the largest earth-fill dam in the world until succeeded by Aswan High Dam in Egypt.
Lake Oroville is also the second largest lake in the state surpassed only by Lake Shasta in Northern California.
After hugging the banks of the lake & over a look-alike to the Golden Gate Bridge, it's back up the hill & over the Sierra. |
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| If you loved La Porte Rd, the 60 mile stretch of Oroville-Quincy Hwy is even better as the group now headed back up and over the Sierra Nevada range. Recently paved, smooth turns, wide banked curves make their way over to Bucks Lake at the 5100 ft mark. It's all downhill into Quincy from here and we'll make our way up to Childs Meadow Resort for our lodging. |
La Porte Rd
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Day 2: The first thing you notice about Childs Meadow is the view. In one direction is a boucolic meadow. If cowboys wandered across as the sun came up, you wouldn't even blink. They were meant to be there. Probably.
Turn and face the other direction and there is an 8000 ft tall mountain in the backyard. |
Mt Lassen is the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range. 'Active' as in it's still steaming, bubbling and quite smelly actually.
Lassen Peak has the distinction of being the only volcano in the Cascades other than Mount St. Helens to erupt during the 20th century. On May 22, 1915, a powerful explosive eruption at Lassen Peak devastated nearby areas, and it rained volcanic ash as far away as 200 miles to the east. This explosion was the most powerful one in a series of eruptions during 1914 through 1917. |
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| Even though it's the end of July, you'll likely still see snow on the ground as we climb in elevation to the crest. The summit gets up to 55 feet of snow each winter. Yes, that's enough snow to cover over a 5-story building. And what's the view like at the summit, one can see for miles and miles. |
Up and over the 8000 ft summit |
View from Mt Lassen |
Our destination for the afternoon is the 130 ft McArthur-Burney Falls, not the tallest or largest, but definitely one of the most pictureque waterfalls. Tucked away in this quiet corner of the state, while other famous waterfalls like Yosemite NP dry up in summer, this one flows year round. The water pours forth all year even though a half mile above the falls, Burney Creek is often absolutely dry.
Water is supplemented from massive underground reservoirs, culminating here and seemingly flowing right out of the rock face flowing at 100 million gallons per day. President Theodore Roosevelt once proclaimed Burney Falls "the eighth wonder of the world." The park spans nearly 1000 acres donated to the state and left untouched. For today, we get relax in the mist, and enjoy the view. And the sound. Nothing can quite describe what it sounds like to stand next to a massive waterfall. |
Burney Falls |
| Day 3 dawns with the tour group making a beeline along Lake Almanor, one of California's largest man-made lakes created in the 1920's. Our destination is the nearby Taylorsville. This tiny town is a picture out of an old western. As if John Wayne might come out of the forest aboard his horse at any moment. At the town store, they are still using the same cash register from a 100 years ago. |
A community where residents pay for their grocerys 'on account'. No cash is exchanged, no credit cards or atm needed. Just sign your name in the book, pay when you can. Each local family has their own book. Just don't see that anymore. Population 154.
A turn onto Genesse Rd has the group headed deeper into the mountains beyond. Just when you think you are in the middle of nowhere, green meadows appear as we ride into the Genesee Valley. This 1600 acre working ranch is seven miles long and one mile wide at an elevation of 3,600 feet. 8,000 foot mountains surround this hidden valley.
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View from Childs Meadow Resort |
The Genesee Valley was first settled when emigrants heading West stopped to mine or farm the land. One of the first settlers to this remote region, Edwin Hosselkus, opened the Genesee Country Store in the valley to serve travelers and the local residents in 1858, and that original building still stands. In the late 1800's, the Genesee Country Store was a stop for the stagecoach that ran between Reno, Nevada and Portland, Oregon. Passengers would get a lunch break at the store and sit on the same front porch that exists today.
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Taylorsville, CA |
Mr. Hosselkus purchased the ranch in 1862, and settled in to make the property his home in 1865. He built the first brick house in the valley in 1881; that house still stands.
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Carved into the High Sierra in the quest to conserve California's precious water, PG&E created Antelope Lake which covers nearly 1000 acres and offers up 15 miles of shoreline. The road to get there climbs up into the High Sierra. No towns, few people, and not much of anything up here. Everyone has since gone home and left us some fantastic riding in the form of Forest Rd 177.
When is the last time you rode for 20, 30, 40 miles and didn't see a soul. Not one other person or vehicle. That pretty much sums up our ride. Regions so remote, the roads don't even have names, simply assigned designations by the forest service. |
 Antelope Lake |
| The best part is descending out of the High Sierra into meadows that stretch for miles and the road stretching as far as the eye can see. Yet, even better is the realization that right now in this moment you are far away from all the things you left behind. |
Forest Road 177 into Beckwourth |
| Work, responsibilities, dutes and obligations are forgotten as the bike hums steadily beneath you. Why you came all this way is remarkably easy to understand. |
This tour ends in Portola. From here riders will start parting ways and heading home. Some back to the San Francisco Bay Area, and others headed due south deeper into the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountain range to nearby Lake Tahoe or Yosemte National Park. Have a few extra days? Headed due west out to the Pacific Ocean.
It's been a great weekend of riding!! A compete dose of sensory overload of mountains, lean angles and especially- the company. Pashnit Riders from all walks of life on all types of motorcyles. All Pashnit.
You'll spend much of this tour in complete and utter awe.
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Single Rider / own bike |
$ 425 |
Passenger |
$ 109 |
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Motorcycle Rental |
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Meeting Place:
Starbucks Coffee House
2815 Bell Rd,
(corner of Hwy 49 & Bell)
Auburn, CA
Meet 7:00, Safety Brief 7:30
Depart 8:00 AM
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Next Tour: July 26th, 2013
Arriving early? If you are arriving early, Tour Participants often stay at the
Auburn Holiday Inn:
120 Grass Valley Hwy
Auburn, CA
Call (530) 887-8787
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Contact Info:
Tim Mayhew - : 530-391-1356
Detailed Info on Pashnit Motorcycle Tours Weekend Rides
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- Tour Guide escort - leader & sweeper
- Two nights hotel stay pre-booked at Childs Meadow Resort. This lodging is rustic & remote resembling motor lodges of the 1950s.
- Riders cover their own lodging, fuel, food costs
- Tour starts in Auburn, CA and circles back to Truckee & Lake Tahoe regions
- Motorcycles can be rented in San Francisco. Only Harleys are available in Sacramento.
- ~ 800 Miles covered over the 3-day weekend
- All you have to do is show up Friday morning ready to ride.
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A Personal Note from your Tour Guide: We've created another brand new tour! The ride has a little bit of everything and by far this is a great ride for the motorcyclist that thinks they've been everywhere and seen it all. We've thrown in twisty mountain passes, views that boggle the mind, and deserted roads to boot. Volcanic mountains, massive waterfalls, and backroads so long forgotten, you'll be wondering what the hell are we doing out here! Can't think of a better way to spend our summer! See you soon!! -Tim
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