For the Strawberry pass connection:
If you are heading east on highway 50, go about 38 miles past Placerville, and turn right on 42 Mile Stone Tract. If you hit the town of Strawberry you went a half mile too far. When you cross the river the pavement winds around to the right. Go about a half mile and turn left onto dirt road 11N19. Go about another 2.5 miles and the trailhead will be on the left. A helpful sign hidden in the manzanita bushes reads 10N13. The trail climbs rapidly, and the hardest parts are before the crest. At the peak there is a good place to camp, and take pictures of the far away distant town of Kirkwood below. Following the trail to the end brings you to Sneider Cow Camp Road and a old barn. Its a popular hunting spot. The trail dumps you out at a forestry storage yard, not far off of Highway 88 and within sight of Caples Lake. Kirkwood lake is not far off either. ***Turn right on 88 and head West, passing Silver lake and eventually coming to a right turn onto Mormon Emigrant Trail (its paved don't worry lol) (closed in the winter). Take this, winding, scenic road for about an hour, maybe hour and a half until you reach it's dead end into Sly Park Road (you will pass over the damn @ Jenkinson Lake right before the dead end). You turn right onto Sly Park Road, and soon that dumps you right onto Highway 50 @ Pollock pines.
***Alternatively you can head left onto 88 which connects up to 89 Luther Pass Road, and Lake Tahoe/Highway 50. If you want to go to Tahoe.
For the Latrobe/S. Shingle Rd connector dirt road (isn't really in a town, its out in the middle of NOWHERE, about 10 miles from most anything). Head up to Sacramento on Highway 50, get off on ***Sunrsie Blvd, and head South until you get to White rock road, make a left, go a few miles, turn right on Scott Road. Then Scott road dead ends into Latrobe road, make a left, go about 600 ft, and Latrobe takes a hard 90 degree right turn (and turns into Stonehouse Road in the process), instead of following the pavement, head STRAIGHT onto the dirt road. ***
Alternatively you can get off on the Prarie City exit, turn left on White Rock, and then very soon after right on Scott Road.
You are now on the trail, which is mild but is fun at highspeed, and has a few side spurs that can be hairy in the winter. Also sometimes has some very deep water crossings. Go about 5-7 miles if I remember correctly, and then it turns to asphalt again and dead ends into Latrobe Rd again in El Dorado hills. Turn left, and head north to highway 50 (about 25 min).
Both these trails are out far from civilization, so study google maps till you eyes bleed before going, its easy to get turned around and head in the wrong direction, and you'll wonder where the heck you are in CA where there is NOTHING. Take a map, and enjoy the surreal weirdness about being miles from anything. Its nice
Here are the major trails in this region:
http://www.norcalttora.com/trails/strawberry.php
Here is me on the Strawberry Pass trail:
And the Latrobe connector:
And my very favorite, Moonrocks, outside of Reno Nevada.
