451 mi · 20,000 ft of climbing · high point 9,590 ft · start/finish downtown Napa (First St & Main St)
Ridden Sep 25, 2026 · Eastern Sierra & Nevada
The ride
The 2026 version leaves Napa on Highway 12 across the Delta through Rio Vista and Terminous to I-5 at Stockton, then Farmington Road and CA-4 east into Calaveras County. Poker Flat Road takes you past Lake Tulloch to Jamestown, where you pick up Highway 108.
From Jamestown, 108 climbs through Twain Harte, Mi-Wuk Village, Cold Springs, Bumblebee and Dardanelle along the Stanislaus River country, then over Sonora Pass. That's the highest road in our files, and the route tops out at 9,590 ft. The east side drops steeply into Mono County to US-395, and you run north past Walker and Topaz before cutting west on CA-89 over Monitor Pass.
Home is CA-4 back over Ebbetts Pass, through Bear Valley, Ganns, Arnold and Douglas Flat, then down to Farmington Road and I-5 at Lodi and CA-12 back across the Delta. Compared to the 2025 ride, this one goes out via Jamestown and Twain Harte instead of Chinese Camp and Sonora, and stays on CA-4 and Farmington Road coming home instead of San Andreas and Lockeford. It's a touch shorter, too. It's about 451 mi with ~20,000 ft of climbing, so treat it as a very long day or think about splitting it in two. Fuel up along 108 before Dardanelle: from Dardanelle over the pass to 395 it's a long empty stretch, and from Topaz over Monitor and Ebbetts to Bear Valley it's around 60 mi of mountain road with nothing. Sonora, Monitor and Ebbetts passes close for winter, usually from the first big snow until late spring, so check Caltrans before you go.
[Steve: add your full write-up here]
Key roads and highlights
CA-12 across the Delta (Rio Vista, Terminous)
I-5 to Stockton, Farmington Road
CA-4 into Calaveras County
Poker Flat Road by Lake Tulloch to Jamestown
CA-108 through Twain Harte, Mi-Wuk Village, Cold Springs, Dardanelle
Sonora Pass, high point ~9,590 ft
US-395 north past Walker and Topaz
CA-89 over Monitor Pass
CA-4 over Ebbetts Pass, Bear Valley, Arnold
Farmington Road, I-5 at Lodi, CA-12 home
Gallery
Ride photos coming soon
Not starting in Napa? No problem. Every Two Wheel Touring GPX is a loop that begins and ends at First & Main in downtown Napa, but you don't have to. Join the line wherever it's closest to you, ride any section you like, or flip the whole thing and run it the other way. For step-by-step help in Garmin, REVER, Calimoto, Scenic, Google My Maps, and a free GPX editor, see Riding a route from your own start.
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