California HWY 49

I've driven 49 from Placerville to Yosemite several times. It's got some tight turns in places, but you should be good. Very scenic that time of year. Plymouth has an RV park worth staying at. If you are planning to go to Reno from Plymouth, I recommend staying on 49 to Placerville, then take US50 to South Lake Tahoe and over to Carson City, then on to Reno.

Highway 49 will be no problem. lots of big RVs and logging trucks use it all the time.

bikendan wrote:
Highway 49 will be no problem. lots of big RVs and logging trucks use it all the time.

agreed. I'm 65ft overall and we had no problem on 49 southbound to yosemite. Actually the worst section was going through one small town (don't recall which one) where near the end of town there is a right angle turn on a two lane road with cars parked on the street. But even that wasn't bad.

and it is very scenic. There are plenty of long turnouts to let traffic get around you.

Most of 49 is fine but you do not want to use it where it goes through Placerville. As you approach Placerville turn left on Missouri Flat Road and that will take you to Hwy 50.

wgriswold wrote:
Most of 49 is fine but you do not want to use it where it goes through Placerville. As you approach Placerville turn left on Missouri Flat Road and that will take you to Hwy 50.

yes, that's the place where going through town wasn't real fun. What I recall was lots of traffic, pretty narrow lanes, and at least one sharp turn at the end of town. And very slow.

wgriswold wrote:
Most of 49 is fine but you do not want to use it where it goes through Placerville. As you approach Placerville turn left on Missouri Flat Road and that will take you to Hwy 50.

Big Ditto

JimR

To further explain going through P'ville;
49 North to the town of El Dorado. (stop at Poor Red's for a Golden Cadillac!) Turn right and at the 3rd light, turn left on Missouri Flat Rd. Takes you straight to Hwy 50. East bound to Tahoe.

A walking tour of downtown Placerville, Old Hangtown, park in the Post Office parking lot. (Weekends it's usually empty) Don't miss the Placerville Hardware Store, oldest West of the Mississippi.

skipro3 wrote:
To further explain going through P'ville;
49 North to the town of El Dorado. (stop at Poor Red's for a Golden Cadillac!) Turn right and at the 3rd light, turn left on Missouri Flat Rd. Takes you straight to Hwy 50. East bound to Tahoe.

A walking tour of downtown Placerville, Old Hangtown, park in the Post Office parking lot. (Weekends it's usually empty) Don't miss the Placerville Hardware Store, oldest West of the Mississippi.

P'ville is for Porterville CA and Placerville is Hangtown.

My brother in law worked at Poor Reds a long time ago.

JimR

JimR 1 wrote:

skipro3 wrote:
To further explain going through P'ville;
49 North to the town of El Dorado. (stop at Poor Red's for a Golden Cadillac!) Turn right and at the 3rd light, turn left on Missouri Flat Rd. Takes you straight to Hwy 50. East bound to Tahoe.

A walking tour of downtown Placerville, Old Hangtown, park in the Post Office parking lot. (Weekends it's usually empty) Don't miss the Placerville Hardware Store, oldest West of the Mississippi.

P'ville is for Porterville CA and Placerville is Hangtown.

My brother in law worked at Poor Reds a long time ago.

JimR

Not according to TripAdvisor;
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g32898-d103127-r181017628-Bell_Tower-Placerville_California.html

or even the local newspaper;
https://www.mtdemocrat.com/news/pville-teens-busted-in-tahoe/

Poor Red's; back in the day, they made their own charcoal from oak, down 49 about 2 miles South. The smell of oak smoke would fill the air for miles around. I loved it. Then CARB stepped in and ruined it. Some day they are supposed to put a round-about at that intersection. They just completed one in Pokerville. (Plymouth)

Another view to consider. You would probably enjoy the trip better if you do not bother with 49 south of Auburn to Plymouth or so. Following 49 through Placerville was real tight and took up more than one lane for a couple of turns in the city. 49 is a great scenic “Racer Road” for sporty cars and fast bikes but at 54’ with a toad the 60 mile drive north from Jackson to I-80 took 2 ½ hours and was more work than it was worth last Sept. The road meets the legal width requirements for a 2 lane state hwy but where there are 15mph curves and no shoulder beyond the white line or a rock wall at the white line to the right, Hwy 49 drives very narrow. Also, turn offs are not very large or long and it is hard to clear the lane to let traffic past. Do you have the right to travel the road? Yes, but it may not be right considering the speeds you would be driving to feel safe. I prefer to be a good neighbor RV’er on the road and not some “Blankity blank” moving road block. It’s a very pretty area with lots of little shops and friendly people. Be safe.