Driving Tour Fact Sheet
GCT-2 “Introduction to the Gold Country”
Two day/one night driving tour throughout California’s lower Gold Country, specially prepared for members of the Santa Cruz British Motorcar Club by Sports Car Adventures.
GCT-2 Chat Room (private chat for participants only). This is a convenient way to share info and photos. (GCT: Gold Country Tour #2)
Day 1 Overview
Capitola - Watsonville - Casa de Fruta - Pacheco Pass - Hwy 140 - Catheys Valley - Hornitos - Hwy 49 (Little Dragon) - Coulterville - Lake Don Pedro - Jamestown - Columbia - Parrots Ferry - New Melones Lake - Murphys - Sheep Ranch Rd - Railroad Flat Rd - West Point - Pioneer - Pine Grove - Clinton - Jackson
Distance
Seat time
Lunch stop
Total time
Min Elevation
Max elevation
Total Ascent
Total Decent
Weather
Road surface
276 miles
6 hrs 30 min
open (we will plan on skipping the Wool Growers)
approx 8 hrs including lunch
13 ft
3,104 ft
12,674 ft
11,529 ft
perfect (mid 70s, clear)
Mostly excellent, Sheep Ranch Rd is particularly rough for a few miles. We’ll take it easy on that section. No unpaved sections. Some ‘vintage’ roads.
Start location
End location
National Hotel
2 Water St
Jackson, CA 95642
About
Phone: (209) 217-8217
Confirmation code: 41497 (Sports Car Adventures or Dave Dell’Aquila)
Dinner
Luka’s
35 Main St
Jackson, CA 95642
About
Map
Reservation at 7 PM (Restaurant closes at 8)
Phone: (209) 217-8175
Day 2
We need to get from Jackson to Santa Cruz. Depending on how the group feels after day 1 (we can discuss during Tuesday’s dinner) I’d be delighted to take the group on some bonus roads around Amador County before heading back to the Bay Area.
It takes about 3 hours to get from Jackson back to Santa Cruz via the most direct route. Keeping in mind it’s a weekday, I’d recommend using the 10 AM -2 PM window to head back to avoid congestion.
Participants
Gray BMW
831-234-3296
831-234-0092
Black Lotus
-
Red Miata
707-775-7275
Gray Miata NC
408-406-6444
route notes
Download a printable pdf of the route notes here
GPX Route Files
Download a GPX version of the route here
drive at your own pace
you can’t get lost
stop and smell the roses
The linked file above contains the full route including waypoints. We recommend using navigation & routing software on your phone to follow along as we drive. We use InRoute if you’re on a phone running iOS. We’re evaluating software for Android devices, stay tuned. Install and test it BEFORE you arrive at the event. Limited tech support will be available at the start.
Route Map
route profile
Photos
