Mosquito Ridge Rd - Foresthill, CA

Mosquito Ridge Rd is widely considered one of the most legendary motorcycle roads in the Sierra Nevada Range, often described on Pashnit.com as having an "unparalleled uniqueness." Stretching across 36 miles of deserted curves from Foresthill to French Meadows Reservoir, it serves as a sinuous staircase into the remote Tahoe National Forest— all found just 30 miles from the northeastern edge of Sacramento.

Mosquito Ridge sings a siren song of relentless rhythm, featuring an estimated 600 curves in 36 miles. The views, as seen in the long-form article on Pashnit.com, are an exercise in comprehending vast space as you gaze across the rugged American River Canyon.

Unlike your typical "Goat Trail," Mosquito Ridge was primarily built to facilitate the construction of the French Meadows Reservoir and the Middle Fork Project, a massive hydroelectric undertaking. Because the project required transporting heavy turbines and tons of concrete, the road was engineered much wider than a typical forest service track. This utility-focused design left behind wide lanes and sustained banking originally intended for industrial logging trucks.

Leaving Foresthill (top off fuel - Foresthill to Georgetown is 88 miles), the road begins a repetitious S-curve descent & wide open sight lines. Nine miles in, you reach the bottom of Skunk Canyon and cross Circle Bridge, aptly named for its half-moon shape curling over the American River. After clinging to the canyon walls for the first 16 miles, the road flows along the spine of the ridge all the way to French Meadows Reservoir.

While some riders may regard this as a ‘road to nowhere’ due to the total lack of services, it’s only a dead-end if you want it to be. Extend your ride by continuing south across the earthen dam for French Meadows Reservoir onto Eleven Pines Rd (NF-22). Eleven Pines is a true ‘goat trail’ and not for everyone. It winds for 35 miles (past Hell Hole Reservoir) and into the burn scar of the 2014 King Fire, eventually plunging into the Rubicon River Canyon & right back up the other side of the canyon. The climb out of the Rubicon Canyon offers stunning wide-open vistas across the river valley.

This ride is long, remote, and deserted. Our Pashnit Motorcycle Tours groups have ridden this full length many times, and it consistently tops the charts by the riders as the ‘absolute middle of nowhere.’ At Wentworth Springs, head up the hill to enjoy the all-new pavement on Ice House Rd, or flow back down the hill into Georgetown.

Oh, and before you ride this, go look up the meaning of the phrase, 'Siren Song'. Buyer Beware, it's a long way down.

https://www.pashnit.com/mosquito-ridge-rd