Sheep Ranch Rd, Murphys, CA

Sheep Ranch Rd has to be the most "goaty" road in the state. I tell my Pashnit Tour groups it's so rough- you can see the patches from space. Seriously, give it a try. Hop on Google Earth or zoom in on the Google Satellite view of Sheep Ranch Rd.

Holy crap, he’s right, you can literally see the mosaic of asphalt repairs zoomed in from orbit!

So why ride a road that'll rattle your teeth fillings loose?

First of all, the northern half running south from Railroad Flat Rd / Mountain Ranch Rd into the tiny community of Sheep Ranch is twisty fun in a region that’s chock full of twisty fun. The town itself is one of the smallest & most unusual Gold Rush settlements in the Sierra Foothills. Located east of San Andreas and the Hwy 49 corridor, the area originally served as a sheep-grazing camp in the 1850s. That all changed in 1860 when miners discovered rich gold deposits beneath the sheep corrals.

By the late 1800s, this remote outpost boasted five active mines, a ten-stamp mill, two churches, hotels, a schoolhouse, and as many as 15 saloons. William Randolph Hearst's pappy, George Hearst, made a massive fortune here with the Sheep Ranch Mine, which he bought into back in the late 1870s.

Today, fewer than 100 people reside here (the sign says 38) and sheep are still said to roam freely through the community. Only a handful of historic structures remain, including the old Pioneer Hotel & the former red schoolhouse. It's easily one of the most atmospheric, quiet, and surviving backroad gems in the Mother Lode region.

So, why do we subject ourselves to those five miles of bumpy, single-lane goat trail just south of town?

Sheep Ranch Rd is leg in a north-south shortcut connecting Hwy 88-Carson Pass to Hwy 4-Ebbetts Pass that stays up at a higher elevation, allowing us to bypass the heavy traffic and blistering summer heat of the lower elevation Hwy 49. Plus, I'm known for throwing in at least one wild, goaty backroad into our ride day to keep things interesting. The goat pavement lasts for about 5 miles before smoothing out into improved tarmac as you near Murphys.

Second reason? To stop by JoMa’s Artisan Ice Cream in Murphys.