Some 20 miles east of Placerville, US-50 changes suddenly from a four-lane freeway into a twisting, narrow, two-lane road over the crest of the Sierra Nevada. The usually busy highway, which every year is battered and frequently closed by winter storms, runs right alongside the steep banks of the American River. The lushness of the western Sierra Nevada is immediately apparent as the road passes luxuriant groves of pine, fir, and cedar, with numerous old resorts and vacation cabins lining the highway.
About six miles west of the summit, the towering granite cliff of Lover’s Leap stands out to the south of the highway, its 1,300-foot face attracting rock climbers, while to the north the delicate cascade of Horsetail Falls offers a more serene pit stop. Climbing east up US-50’s steepest set of hairpin turns, you’ll reach 7,365-foot Echo Summit, which gives great views of the Lake Tahoe basin—the shining blue waters beckoning you along another steep stretch of US-50, downhill to the lakeshore itself.
