Navigating Italian Bar Road, a California's historic gravel track
Italian Bar Road is a mostly unpaved road located in Tuolumne County, in the US state of California. Pay attention to turkeys, deer, bears or bobcats.
Where is the Italian Bar Road?
The road is located within the Stanislaus National Forest, a United States national forest in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California.
Why is it called the Italian Bar Road?
The road gets its name from a group of Italian explorers who traveled along it. They passed by the Ranch and Brewery, continuing until they reached a gravel bar along the South Fork of the Stanislaus River, near Five Mile Creek. Here, they discovered placer gold, which forms over time as eroded gold washes down from higher veins.
How long is Italian Bar Road?
The track is 27.19km (16.9 miles) long. The road is rugged and the speed limit is 15 miles per hour. Sometimes you can get up to 20 or 21mph, but you can’t go faster than that without tearing your vehicle up. It’s a 4x4 road. This area has seen very heavy dredging over the years.
Where does Italian Bar Road start and end?
The road, known as Forest Route 4N26, runs west-northeast from the town of Columbia via Jupiter towards the intersection of Forest Route 4N18 and Forest Route 2N63.
Is Italian Bar Road paved?
The first 2-3 miles or so are paved. Then, the track becomes unpaved. Long portions of road can be washed away during storms.
Pic: Jaime Cormier