ANTELOPE LAKE LOOP ROAD RIDE
This is one of Paco's favorite spring and fall rides! It's a ways of a drive from Truckee, but the benefit is a ride through beautiful rolling terrain where you'll see hardly any cars along the way. Of course, Paco likes to extend this 60 mile ride into a hundred miler by heading down to Genessee and back, but you have the option of simply circling Antelope Lake before heading back to Beckwourth. This ride has even been improved in the past couple of years by an improvement on the early pavement section, so you can start now right from the edge of the dirt. From Truckee, drive north on 89N past Sierraville and on to the little burg (if you can even call it that) of Sattley. Turn right on County Road A-23, and follow 15 miles to Hwy 70. Turn right for a mile to the town of Beckwourth. Turn left on the Beckwourth-Genessee Road, which is paved for few miles before turning to dirt, but don't be daunted, pavement awaits. In 9.6 miles from Beckwourth, there will be a paved road on your right, your starting place. Park here. Get on the bike, and ride north on this road, and after about 5 miles you will soon start climbing a moderately steep pitch to a saddle, a little over 3 miles of climbing. From here, there will be a 4 mile descent on a narrow, sometimes rough road, but enjoy the lack of auto traffic for the next 20 miles! We['l often see only 1 or 2 cars for this entire stretch. Once the road levels out, it's flat and rolling for another 13 miles, some of the most enjoyable road biking you'll ever do. You will reach a paved junction for Antelope Lake. Turn left here (going straight will take you all the way to Janesville on Hwy 395, an option for a different day). A steep descent will bring you to the Antelope Lake Loop, a 10 mile stretch that can be done clockwise or counterclockwise. Our route will make a left turn, and proceed a hilly 3 miles to the Antelope Lake Dam. A right turn will complete the loop around the lake. (A left turn will take you down to the town of Genessee, a 1,200 foot descent that makes this ride almost a century). A little over 4 miles from this intersection (some may recognize it as part of the Indian Valley Century Loop in May), there will be a paved road on your right to take you to a little campground store where you can get some water and buy some snacks. Definitely recommended! Continue back to the main road, turn right, and once back to the original intersection of the loop, turn left and gear down for a steep climb back up to the Janesville turnoff. From here, you'll turn right and retrace your route back to your car. (Hint: have a cooler with some cold libations awaiting you, as this ride is noticeable in its lack of places to refuel). - a 104403.3 m activity route in Beckwourth, California
Route Location
Start Lat/Lng: (39.93188, -120.42474)
City: Beckwourth
Country Name: the United States
Country Code: US
State Code: CA
State Name: California
Postal Code: 96122
Route Stats
Activity: Activity
Distance: 104403.3 m
Max Elevation: 1912.3399999999997 meters
Elevation Gain / Total Ascent: 1268.7 meters
Data Source: MapMyRIDE
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