Distance: 45 miles out and back
Elevation gain: 4290 ft

This ride, like all the riding in the Grass Valley/Nevada City area, has very little “wow” factor—no grand vistas, no towering monoliths.  But it is an exceedingly pleasant bucolic stroll, gradually ascending through foothill woods, meadows, and horse farms, with lots of variety to the contour.   The landscape is quite handsome, and particularly so in the spring when things are green.  The level of traffic is more than I would wish, even on weekdays, but it’s hardly a deal-breaker.  And you turn around in Grass Valley, a community I’m very fond of.

It’s 22 miles of almost uninterrupted up, but it’s all mellow—less than 100 ft per mile—and I don’t think of this ride as a lot of work.  The descent coming back down Rattlesnake Road has wonderful, whoop-inducing moments and is almost good enough to make the Best of the Best list.

There are six Bestrides rides in the Grass Valley/Nevada City area—Dog Bar, Red Dog/Pasquale, Willow Valley, McCourtney Rd. Etc.,Bittney Springs, and Lower Colfax.  They are all pleasant up-and-down strolls through nice woods.  Dog Bar has the best descent (on Rattlesnake), but it’s also the most built up.  Dog Bar goes to Grass Valley, which is a plus.  Both Willow Valley and Red Dog/Pasquale begin and end in Nevada City, which is a plus, and both  go through the prettiest woods.  Of the four, Willow Valley is the best and I’d ride it first, then any of the others.

(5/17 update: I rerode Dog Bar on a Sunday, and was disappointed by the level of traffic.)

From Clipper Gap, CA, take Placer Hills Rd. north.  This leg of the ride is more domesticated than Dog Bar—wider, busier, smoother (recently repaved)—but lovely, and, depending on your tastes, possibly your favorite part of the ride.  Take Dog Bar Rd. when it takes off to the L.   Almost immediately you will plummet for a mile down to a small bridge across the Bear River, the nearest thing to high drama on the ride.  At the far end of the bridge is a small dirt turn-out, and from there a footpath goes upriver to a spectacular stretch of river strewn with big boulders, perfect for swimming in the summer—all of which is a strong argument for starting the ride here, so you can switch to hiking boots and hit the river after the ride.

Nothing fancy—just a really nice road

From the bridge Dog Bar climbs pretty steadily to the end, but not one foot of it is steep, and there are plenty of rollers to give the legs some respite.  In fact, this may be the only ride in Bestrides.org where I feel like Mapmyride’s elevation gain total overestimates the work load (RWGPS says 3920 ft).

There are four options for the last miles into Grass Valley.  If you’re keen to get to Grass Valley as soon as possible, stay on Dog Bar, which runs into La Barr Meadows Rd., which runs straight into downtown.  But there is a better alternative.  Two-thirds of the way up Dog Bar, Rattlesnake Rd. takes off to the R (clearly signed).  Rattlesnake is much the better ride: smaller, windier, steeper, a bit less built up, and less trafficked. When Rattlesnake dead-ends at Hwy 174, take 174 to the L and into Grass Valley.  That’s how I’ve mapped it.  The third and fourth: take either Auburn Rd. or Allison Ranch Rd., both described and mapped in our McCourtney Rd. Etc. ride.

For lunch in Grass Valley, you have lots of good choices, thanks to the town’s recent modest gentrification.  If you want old school, have a pasty (pronounced PASS tee), the traditional lunch of the Cornish miners who dug the gold out of the nearby hills.

Turn around and ride home.  Of our route choices, Rattlesnake is by far the best, a really fine slaloming descent, so go back this way however you went out.  The ride back is almost entirely downhill and a piece of cake except for the mile of climbing on the far side of the Bear River.  After the ride, drive back to that bridge on Dog Bar and go swimming.

Shortening the route: If you want tranquil, ride Dog Bar Rd. to Rattlesnake and return.  If you want exciting, ride Rattlesnake out and back.

Dog Bar Road

Adding miles:  There are 5 other Bestrides rides within easy reach of this ride—see the Adding Miles section of our McCourtney Rd. Etc. ride for details.

Our route takes you within a stone’s throw of the Iowa Hill Road ride.   From Clipper Gap it’s a pleasant ride on side roads paralleling Hwy 80 heading south to the Lincoln Hills ride.

A mile or so past the Bear River bridge on our outbound route, Magnolia Rd. takes off to the L (clearly marked).  It’s a manicured, picture-perfect road well worth riding until you near Lake of the Pines, when all sense of tranquility and isolation ends and you should turn around.