California State Route 49

State Route 49
Golden Chain Highway
SR 49 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Caltrans
Length	295.065 mi[1] (474.861 km) SR 49 has three route breaks, and the length given above does not include the SR 120, SR 20, and SR 89 overlap mileages.
Existed	1934–present
Tourist routes	Yuba-Donner Scenic Byway
Major junctions
South end	SR 41 at Oakhurst
Major intersections	SR 140 at Mariposa SR 120 from Moccasin to Chinese Camp SR 108 from near Jamestown to Sonora SR 4 in Angels Camp SR 88 from Jackson to Martell SR 104 in Sutter Creek US 50 in Placerville I-80 in Auburn SR 20 from Grass Valley to Nevada City SR 89 from near Sattley to Sierraville
North end	SR 70 at Vinton
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Counties	Madera, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Nevada, Yuba, Sierra, Plumas
Highway system
State highways in California Interstate US State Scenic History Pre‑1964 Unconstructed Deleted Freeways
← US 48 → US 50

State Route 49 (SR 49) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California that passes through many historic mining communities of the 1849 California gold rush and it is known as the Golden Chain Highway.^[2] The road was initially lobbied in 1919 by the Mother Lode Highway Association, a group of locals and historians. The highway begins at State Route 41 in Oakhurst, Madera County, in the Sierra Nevada. It continues in a generally northwest direction, weaving through the communities of Goldside and Ahwahnee, before crossing into Mariposa County. State Route 49 then continues northward through the counties of Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Nevada, Yuba, Sierra, and Plumas, where it reaches its northern terminus at State Route 70, in Vinton.