Before modern highways dictated traffic patterns, furrowed wagon trails, rugged river crossings and trampled footpaths brought Placer and Nevada county neighbors together.
Dog Bar Road still does.
With one foot in Weimar and another in Grass Valley, Dog Bar Road romps across the Bear River and Wolf Creek before generally paralleling Highway 49. Rolling through unincorporated territories in both Placer and Nevada counties, this back road is slim, serpentine and scenic.
The path begins at Placer Hills Road in Placer’s Eden Valley district. After passing clusters of country homes, Dog Bar dips down to reach the cool waters of the Bear River.
In 1851, legislation dictated that the tracks of the Bear River would delineate the northwest boundary of Placer County. From its highest arms near Donner Summit to its muddy feet at Camp Far West, the Bear marks the point where the two municipalities meet.
The river may have gotten its name from the population of grizzlies and black bears that once roamed the wilderness here. The road probably took its name from the dog-leg bend in the river here where the water runs shallow across sandy bars.
Like most coursing waterways in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, the Bear River probably was mined for gold. Today, its wealth is in recreation.
Although there are a couple of narrow places to park for river access, there are no developed facilities at this spot on the Bear. More user-friendly sites can be found farther up Placer Hills Road near Colfax.
After leaving the Bear in the ravine, Dog Bar Road climbs out of the canyon as it enters Nevada County’s Magnolia district. A twisting ribbon of pavement heads west, eventually leading to the Lake of the Pines gated community, and Highway 49 beyond.
Dog Bar continues heading north, crossing Wolf Creek as it cuts through a series of vales and ridges.
After sweeping around a few hairpin turns, Dog Bar opens out to a meadow with an historic past. Although time and nature’s elements camouflage the trace, the route of the Emigrant Trail passes through this lea and disappears into the oak thickets.
In the mid-1800s, this path was the last section of a cross-country journey that brought more than 30,000 pioneer settlers from the plains to the western frontier in search of free land and wild adventure.
Ahead, Dog Bar Road intersects road leading into the Alta Sierra and Alta Sierra Estates subdivisions: The former is comprised of homes edging the Alta Sierra Country Club’s golf course and resort complex; the latter holds country spreads on small parcels of acreage.
Just off the road to the west, land donated to the Nevada County Land Trust now serves as the Mathis Pond Park. Home to resident and migrating waterfowl, this is a passive haven that is almost hidden by native flora.
Farther north is the Smith Vineyard (www.smithvineyard.com), one of a handful of home-based wineries in the area. It is open Saturdays, from 1 to 5 p.m., and by appointment.
Up the road, Dog Bar ends as it melds with South Auburn Street. A few more miles and Highway 49 appears as it crosses McKnight Way at a nexus of auto dealers and retail hubs.
Bumpy, curvy, steep trails that punctured the backwoods used to be the only way to get from Placer to Nevada County. Today, Dog Bar Road still provides a rocking, rolling ride through the countryside, without the bite.