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Alta California Map

Explore Alta, California, with this interactive street and satellite map.

This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.

Interactive Map of Alta, California

How to Use This Alta, California Map

This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Alta, California. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of California or beyond.

Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).

TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Alta.

Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.

Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.

City	Alta
State	California (CA)
County	Placer County
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles)

Latitude	39.215685
Longitude	-120.798509
Population	615
Density	99.6 /km²
Incorporated	N/A
ZIP Code	95701
Area Code	530
County Seat	Auburn
School District	Alta-Dutch Flat Union Elementary School District

🌦 Goto Alta Weather Page: Alta, California — Weather Warnings, Forecast, Radar, Satellite & Current Conditions

About Alta, California

Alta is a locality in Placer County, California, United States. It is a small community with a population of 615. The population density is 99.6 people per km². Alta is located at 39.2157°N, 120.7985°W. It observes the Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles) timezone. ZIP code: 95701.

Alta occupies a rugged expanse of high-altitude terrain where the persistent flow of Canyon Creek defines the character of the land. It lies 13.4 miles east of Grass Valley, CA (from Grass Valley, CA: bearing 94°T), and is situated 17.5 miles northeast of Lake of the Pines. The landscape surrounding Alta rises into sharp, uneven contours, dropping into the depths of Stump Canyon just a short distance away. Lake Alta mirrors the pale, expansive sky, providing a quiet basin that anchors the immediate geography. Beyond the immediate vicinity, the distant silhouette of the Sierra Nevada marks the horizon, while the terrain itself remains defined by dry, resilient earth and the dense, encroaching shadow of the Tahoe National Forest. As the sun dips toward the western plains, the light turns a sharp, brittle gold, casting long shadows that emphasize the steepness of the ravines and the stillness of the surrounding timber.

History in Alta remains inextricably linked to the movement of people across these inland ridges, a legacy of transit and extraction that once fueled the local economy. Today, the rhythm of daily life follows a slower pace, shaped by the proximity of the Tahoe National Forest, which offers a vast, untamed buffer for those living near the Green Valley Trail. Residents of Alta maintain a quiet, self-reliant existence, far removed from the bustle of the distant valleys. The economy here is modest, rooted in the maintenance of the land and the quiet service of those passing through the interior. One might find that the air in Alta carries a distinct, sharp scent of pine and dry soil, a reminder that the environment dictates the tempo of industry and leisure alike in this elevated corridor.

Nearby Outdoor Places

Tahoe National Forest (National Forest) — 1.0 mi, 347° N · 895k acres
Gerjuoy North Fork Preserve (Conservation Area) — 1.8 mi, 183° S
North Fork American, California Wild and Scenic River (Wild & Scenic River) — 2.2 mi, 167° S · 12k acres
Bailey North Fork Preserve (Conservation Area) — 2.6 mi, 175° S
Dutch Flat/indian Hill Research Natural Area Area of Critical Environmental Concern (Area of Critical Environmental Concern) — 2.7 mi, 239° SW
North Fork American Wild and Scenic River (Wild & Scenic River) — 2.8 mi, 185° S · 4,161 acres
Blue Star Memorial Highway (Monument) — 3.8 mi, 229° SW
Chinese Railroad Workers (Monument) — 3.8 mi, 229° SW
California State Lands Commission (State Resource Management Area) — 5.3 mi, 208° SW
Red Point Townsite (Historic Ruins) — 7.0 mi, 132° SE
Alpha and Omega Overlook (Viewpoint) — 7.3 mi, 018° N
Stevens Trail (Monument) — 8.2 mi, 204° SW
Iowa Hill Fire (Historic Ruins) — 8.3 mi, 204° SW
South Yuba River State Park (State Park) — 8.9 mi, 334° NW
Foresthill Divide Pine Seed Orchard Botanical Area (National Scenic Byway) — 9.0 mi, 157° SE
Missouri Bar (Attraction) — 10.1 mi, 333° NW
Auburn State Recreation Area (State Recreation Area) — 10.1 mi, 221° SW
Heritage Museum (Museum) — 11.5 mi, 226° SW
Illinois Bar (Attraction) — 12.0 mi, 312° NW
Firehouse Number 1 Museum (Museum) — 12.2 mi, 286° W
Mystic Theater (Theatre) — 12.2 mi, 286° W
Edwards Crossing (Attraction) — 12.7 mi, 309° NW
Eldorado National Forest (National Forest) — 14.4 mi, 169° S · 703k acres
North Star Museum (Museum) — 14.5 mi, 268° W
Emerald Pool (Attraction) — 14.7 mi, 303° NW
Granite Chief Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 22.3 mi, 092° E · 28k acres
Donner Summit Historical Society (Museum) — 23.6 mi, 072° E
Yuba Theatre (Theatre) — 23.9 mi, 356° N
Downieville Museum (Museum) — 23.9 mi, 356° N
"snowshoe" Thompson (Public Artwork) — 25.4 mi, 071° E

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