California Touge.Best driving roads in California

Highway 193 · Cool–Georgetown–Placerville

The eastern section of Highway 193: from Highway 49 in Cool through Georgetown, then down the winding canyon road to Highway 49 north of Placerville. This is the foothill drive near Auburn, separate from the Lincoln-to-Newcastle section of 193.

TechnicalDifficulty 3/3 · DemandingAuburn / Sierra Foothills

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Check Caltrans before leaving; conditions on the canyon section can change after storms. Follow posted signs through the towns. Check current access ↗ · Reviewed 2026-09-13

Road shape

Length
26.7 mi
Bends
80
Switchbacks
7
Bends per mile
3
Turning per mile
322°
Curviest rank
84of 135

Measured from the OpenStreetMap centreline at a 20 m sampling step — road shape only, not a safety or speed judgement. How bends are counted.

Elevation

Low 958 ft26.7 miHigh 2,682 ft
Total climb
5,492ft
Climb per mile
206ft
Highest point
2,727ft
Steepest grade
9%

Sampled every 100 m from USGS 10 m elevation data, a public-domain federal dataset. Total climb counts vertical change in both directions, so it does not depend on which way you drive. How elevation is measured.

Speed limits

Varies

Unverified

Check posted signs along the road.

Limits vary by section. Follow posted signs.

Posted signs always govern. How speed evidence is handled.

Sources

Difficulty 3/3 (Demanding) is our editorial rating of width, bends and sightlines; “Technical” describes character, not a target speed. Full method. Identified from:

Reviewed 2026-09-13. The trace shows selected road sections, not a navigation route.

Roads nearby

Distances are approximate straight lines between road centers, not driving distances or direct connections.

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