Route 50 - El Dorado County 50
Route 50 - El Dorado County is a State Scenic Byway in California. Within California it covers roughly 60 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Route 50 - El Dorado County with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
State Scenic Highway 50 climbs from Placerville into the Sierra Nevada toward South Lake Tahoe. It was officially designated scenic in two segments during the 1980s: Placerville to Echo Summit in 1985, then on to South Lake Tahoe in 1986. Echo Summit, at 7,377 feet, is the highest point on U.S. 50 in California, and the drive from Placerville up to it runs along the northern edge of Eldorado National Forest, with camping, fishing, hiking, and OHV access branching off the highway. The corridor has deep history: part of the route became California's first state highway in 1895, gold-seeking 49ers and the Pony Express once used this same pass, and it later served as one of two Sierra crossings for the original Lincoln Highway.
- Placerville to South Lake Tahoe
- officially designated 1985 & 1986
- Echo Summit, 7,377 ft elevation
- Eldorado National Forest access
- Gold Rush & Pony Express corridor
- part of the historic Lincoln Highway
Plan a drive on Route 50 - El Dorado County →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.