Pony Express - 70 miles

Our 70-mile ride exits Auburn heading East on historic Route 40. After several miles, you'll turn left on Placer Hills Road and ride into Meadow Vista. You'll find our first rest stop located at the Meadow Vista Community Park.

Your route continues on Placer Hills Road, up through quiet rolling hills. At Plumtree, the routes turns left on to Plumtree for a nearly two mile fast descent down to the Bear River. In the early 1850's, the Bear and North Fork American Rivers proved to be very rich with gold and attracted many of the emigrants arriving by the Truckee route. Today the Bear River sports a small public campground and now attracts families and fishermen who are looking for a close recreation spot.

The climb up Milk Ranch Road leads back to Tokayana Way. A left turn takes you to the charming and historic Colfax. Our second rest stop is found in the heart of downtown--the halfway point of your ride. Colfax was originally named Illinoistown in 1849 after a grand dinner of the mostly Illinoisan residents and miners (a bottle of whiskey was also involved). The town was later renamed after President Grant's running mate Schuyler Colfax in September 1865.

You'll depart Colfax heading East on Main Street. A left turn on Colfax Highway brings you to Rollins Lake Road where you'll turn right. You'll pick up Norton Grade Road for a short descent through a pine-filled forest and a beautiful three mile climb back to Rollins Lake and Magra Road. Turning right leads you to the old mining stops of Magra, Gold Run and eventually Dutch Flat.

Dutch Flat was originally settled by German emigrants Joseph and Charles Dombach in 1851. The local miner's referred to these two early settlers as "dutchmen" and the reference later became its name. In the second half of the nineteenth century, Dutch Flat was one of Placer County's most influential towns, attracting over 6,000 miners and 3,500 Chinese workers. Today, you'll be able to imagine what life was like back then while you rest your legs, quench your thirst and satisfy your hunger at our Dutch Flat rest stop.

Upon leaving Dutch Flat, you'll then retrace your way back through Gold Run and Magra. Staying on Rollins Lake Road, you'll enjoy a fast three mile descent (please exercise caution) before passing Rollins Lake. After making a short climb, you'll be minutes from the Colfax rest stop.

You'll continue by leaving Colfax and reconnecting with Historic Route 40. Enjoy a moderate descent and a few rolling hills before entering Weimar (made up of a single General Store and a few abandoned buildings). Here you'll cross over I-80 and begin an exhilarating, mile and a half descent. At the bottom, turn left on Placer Hills Road and retrace your way back to Auburn.

We encourage you to start your ride between 7:00 and 8:30 am to ensure that you have sufficient time to reach all our rest stops before they close.