How long is Highway 49, Gold Country?

About 359.8 miles as mapped in OpenStreetMap, for the stretch we cover.

Gold Country & Northern CA

Highway 49, Gold Country

Historic route through the Sierra foothill gold-rush towns, from Mariposa north to Sierra City.

mapped: 359.8 mi; mapped
motorcycle crashes, 2021–2025: 282; motorcycle crashes, 2021–2025
serious or fatal: 106; serious or fatal
fatal: 13; fatal

Open it on the map Directions Caltrans closures

Is Highway 49, Gold Country open today?

Lane closure (1, 2, LShoulder, RShoulder of 4 lanes)
Solinski Street (Left) → Washington Street · Drainage Work · North / South
Nov 6 – Dec 7 · Caltrans
One-way traffic control
Route 26, Mokelumne Hill → Main Street ( Mokelumne Hill ) · Roadway Excavation · North / South
Sat 6:01 AM – Sat 5:59 PM · Caltrans
One-way traffic control
Cleveland Ave → Sleighville Cir · Utility Work · North / South
Sat 7:01 AM – Sat 8:30 PM · Caltrans
1 more listing
- One-way traffic control
  Sleighville Cir → Forest Service Rd 34 · Utility Work · North / South
  Sat 7:01 AM – Sat 8:30 PM · Caltrans

12 more closures listed later this week

One-way traffic control
Dr To "Shangri-La" → Union Flat Camp Ground · Emergency Work · North / South
Mon 6:01 AM – Mon 4:59 PM; Tue 6:01 AM – Tue 4:59 PM · Caltrans
One-way traffic control
Auburn · Guardrail Work · South
Mon 7:01 AM – Mon 5:01 PM; Tue 7:01 AM – Tue 5:01 PM; Wed 7:01 AM – Wed 5:01 PM; Thu 7:01 AM – Thu 5:01 PM · Caltrans
One-way traffic control
Unnamed Rd · Tree Work · North / South
Mon 7:01 AM – Mon 5:01 PM · Caltrans
9 more listings
- One-way traffic control
  Ramshorn Tract Rd · Tree Work · South
  Mon 7:01 AM – Mon 5:01 PM · Caltrans
- One-way traffic control
  Cemetery Rd · Tree Work · North / South
  Mon 7:01 AM – Mon 5:01 PM · Caltrans
- Lane closure (RShoulder of 2 lanes)
  Lime Kiln Rd · Tree Work · South
  Mon 7:01 AM – Mon 5:01 PM · Caltrans
- One-way traffic control
  Ladies Canyon · Tree Work · North / South
  Mon 7:01 AM – Mon 5:01 PM · Caltrans
- One-way traffic control
  Mother Lode Rd / Oak Dr · Tree Work · North / South
  Mon 7:01 AM – Mon 5:01 PM · Caltrans
- Lane closure (2, RShoulder of 2 lanes)
  McKnight Way → La Barr Meadows Rd / Allison Ranch Rd · Paving Operation · North / South
  Tue 8:01 AM – Tue 2:59 PM · Caltrans
- Lane closure (1, Rt Turn Ln, RShoulder of 3 lanes)
  Mountain Ranch Road → Treat Avenue (Right) · Utility Potholing · North / South
  Tue 8:01 PM – Wed 6:59 AM; Wed 8:01 PM – Thu 6:59 AM · Caltrans
- One-way traffic control
  Frogtown Road (Right) → Mayo Road (Left) · Tree Work · North / South
  Thu 8:01 AM – Thu 5:01 PM · Caltrans
- Lane closure (1, Rt Turn Ln, RShoulder of 3 lanes)
  Court Street (Right)/Adam Street (Left) → Gold Oak Road (Right) · Utility Potholing · North / South
  Thu 8:01 PM – Fri 6:59 AM · Caltrans

Checked Sat, Nov 14, 1:23 PM Pacific. These lists don't include every closure: Forest Service gates and fire closures can be missing. All riding roads this week.

Is Highway 49, Gold Country safe to ride on a motorcycle?

We don't rate roads as safe or unsafe: crash counts can't say how risky a road is, and popular riding roads have more crashes partly because more people ride them. What the records show: 282 motorcycle crashes were reported along its 359.8 mapped miles from 2021–2025, 106 of them serious or fatal (13 fatal). 60% involved no other vehicle. What to watch for: Slow traffic through towns, tourists, and tight river-canyon sections.

This week's weather

Weather

Loading forecast…

Motorcycle crashes and deaths on Highway 49, Gold Country

282 motorcycle crashes were reported within 60 m of the road from 2021–2025: 106 killed or seriously injured someone, and 13 were fatal. 60% involved no other vehicle. Busier roads have more crashes partly because more people ride them, so these counts don't say how risky the road is.

Bends, straights and junctions

Outside city limits, 260 motorcycle crashes were reported on Highway 49, Gold Country from 2021–2026, 82 of them within 40 m of a junction. Of the other 178, 120 (67%) were in bends tighter than a 100 m radius, which make up 21% of the road. So crashes gather in the bends, more than their share of the road. 96 of the 161 crashes with no other vehicle were in bends. Of the 82 crashes on a grade of 3% or more where the rider's direction is known, 52 were going downhill, though both directions carry about the same traffic.

A crash alone in a bend usually means running wide or losing grip: set your speed before the bend, look through it, and expect gravel, sand or diesel mid-corner.

Going down, speed builds before the bend: brake earlier on the descent than you would on the way up.

At junctions and driveways the usual crash is a driver turning across or pulling out: cover your brakes and assume you haven’t been seen.

The bends with the most crashes

7 crashes in one bend: 7 with no other vehicle; tightest radius about 45 m.
7 crashes in one bend: 7 with no other vehicle; tightest radius about 75 m.
4 crashes in one bend: 4 with no other vehicle, 4 of 4 on the grade going downhill; tightest radius about 46 m.

How we tell bends from straights, and every riding road compared

Places along the way

DownievilleTown or lake Nevada CityTown or lake

Camping near Highway 49, Gold Country

Campgrounds and RV parks within about 5 miles of the road (straight line), nearest first. Seasons, fire restrictions and closures change, so check with whoever runs it before you go.

SierraForest Service · 16 sites · 5,706 ft · on the roadOn the map Reserve
Willow Creek Campground2,799 ft · on the roadOn the map
Mother Lode River Center692 ft · on the roadOn the map
Fiddle Creek CampgroundForest Service · 15 sites · 2,277 ft · on the roadOn the map Reserve
Carlton CampgroundForest Service · 17 sites · 2,261 ft · on the roadOn the map Reserve
Union Flats CampgroundForest Service · 11 sites · 3,376 ft · on the roadOn the map Reserve

Campgrounds from Recreation.gov (federal campgrounds, 2026-10-18) and OpenStreetMap (2026-09-28); water, toilets and showers only where they're listed. Elevation from USGS.

Common questions about Highway 49, Gold Country

What is Highway 49, Gold Country like to ride?: Historic route through the Sierra foothill gold-rush towns, from Mariposa north to Sierra City.
How long is Highway 49, Gold Country?: About 359.8 miles as mapped in OpenStreetMap, for the stretch we cover.
Is Highway 49, Gold Country open today?: As of Sat, Nov 14, 1:23 PM Pacific, Caltrans lists 4 closures on it today. These lists don't include every closure (Forest Service gates and fire closures can be missing), so check Caltrans QuickMap before you go.

Other riding roads nearby

Highway 4, Ebbetts Pass28 mi Highway 108, Sonora Pass43 mi Highway 128, Sage Canyon & Lake Berryessa90 mi Mines Road93 mi Mount Hamilton Road106 mi Highway 168 to Huntington Lake122 mi

All riding roads

Crashes: motorcycle crashes reported within 60 m of the road, 2021–2025, from the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS). Road: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Weather: National Weather Service. Distances to other roads are between their middles, in a straight line. How the data works.