La Porte Rd, Northern Sierra Range, CA
- Tim Mayhew
- Jun 1
- 1 min read
La Porte Rd is the one everyone forgets.
While the adage says there are 22 Sierra Nevada passes, most of the attention naturally gravitates toward the heavy hitters: Monitor, Ebbetts, Sonora, and Tioga. However, just to the north lies a trio of passes that are frequently skipped: Yuba, Oroville-Quincy, and La Porte Rd.
Located in Sierra County—a rugged region with only 3,200 permanent residents spread across nearly 1,000 square miles—this route offers exactly what a motorcyclist craves: minimal traffic, sparsely populated mountainous terrain, and tiny, historic towns.
La Porte is a relatively "recent" addition to the list of paved Sierra passes; starting off as a wagon road carved out by Argonauts and later a rough dirt jeep trail, it wasn't fully paved until the early 2000s.
Starting from Highway 89/70 at Quincy, CA this ribbon of asphalt leads you up and over the Sierra Range, topping out at a modest 5,800 ft to reach the secluded mountain community of La Porte before dropping toward Oroville at the base of the range.
Best known for Lake Oroville—completed in 1968 as the second-largest reservoir in California—the descent provides a dramatic transition from the high-elevation forest to the valley floor.
If you are looking to expand your horizons beyond the southern passes, La Porte Rd offers a pristine, high-alpine experience that remains one of Northern California's most overlooked treasures.
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