Copyright © 2000 by Jeff Robinson . You are free to use and reproduce this description for personal, not-for-profit, and not-for-business use. Any reproduction other than for personal use, including businesses, organizations, and any other profit making activities require written permission from the author ( jeffs_trails@bigfoot.com , http://www.bigfoot.com/~jeffs_trails ).
Standard Disclaimer: Use this trail description at your own risk . Please see the above web page for safety and other tips.
This is a ride on county dirt roads through the rolling hills near Latrobe, ending at a bridge over the Consumnes River. It is a nice spring ride when all the hills are green (and when it isn't too hot, since the ride is mostly in the open). This is not a technical ride, although how rough the road is depends a lot on how long it's been since it was last graded. The ride starts at about 800' elevation, travels through the rolling hills, and is down to 200' at the river. There are no killer hills, but on the return trip you will definitely find some long, sustained, low-gear uphill.
I find this is a good ride to take people on who have never had their mountain bike on dirt before. It's not too hard, but has enough hills to give them some idea of what mountain biking really is. Also, because this is on dirt roads, it is possible to drive a "rescue vehicle" in if someone finds the return hills are too much for their condition.
These notes were taken a while back (I believe in 1998). This ride is described in "Ride 34: Latrobe Road," p. 118 of The Mountain Biker's Guide to Northern California and Nevada by Aimée Serrurier 1 .
This ride is on county dirt roads. How smooth or rough the roads are depends on how long it's been since they were graded. Generally any vehicle with reasonable ground clearance should be able to drive the roads just fine.
This is an in-and-out ride that is about 6.35 miles each way, making the round trip 12.7 miles. The last time we rode it I had 1.5 hours of trip computer riding time, and about 2.5 hours of total elapsed time.
This ride will give you some exercise. Although it has no exceptionally steep hills, most of the uphill is on the return trip, and there are a couple of long hills that will give you several hundred feet of climbing in the last two miles. The uphill riding is sustainable, but is definitely work.
In terms of technical difficulty, the ride is fairly easy. It is a dirt road, with the usual collection of some rocks and gravel. If it's been a while since it was graded, it can be a bit rough in places as well. This road is meant to be driven on by "normal" vehicles (off-road vehicles are not needed, although if my car had low ground clearance I'd drive it very carefully in places), so the roads are in reasonably good shape.
This is a very easy route to follow, as the directions will indicate.
Typically I've seen 1-3 cars on this ride. There is very little traffic. The cows in the fields seem to find bikes quite fascinating, so don't be surprised if you have 50 or so cows with their heads following you as you ride by.
From Sacramento, take US 50 east to the El Dorado Hills Blvd./Latrobe Rd. exit. Turn south on Latrobe, and go about 8.5 miles to the town of Latrobe. Soon after you cross the rail-road tracks, turn right onto South Shingle Rd. (the only road in Latrobe). Drive half a mile or so to the top of the hill, and park at Miller's Hill School on your right. The dirt road begins soon after the school.