Meadow Vista, Meadow Vista, CA

Meadow Vista is a hillside community in Placer County, up in the Sierra foothills north of Auburn, and it spreads more than it clusters. Homes sit under pines and oaks on wide lots, and the streets curve with the ridges rather than following a grid. Placer Hills Road runs through the community, and Combie Road leads off toward Lake Combie. Houses range from older ranch homes and cabins to newer custom builds, with paddocks, workshops and long driveways in between. Many lots keep the natural woods around them, which gives the area a quiet, set-apart feel. The Local Café is where mornings start, with coffee and food, and it hosts live events. The Tin Lantern Bar & Grill on Placer Hills Road is the sit-down dinner choice, serving New American dishes and a long whiskey list, and it opens in the afternoon. Holiday Market is the neighborhood grocery, and the stop for a quick dinner ingredient or a weekend cookout. Outdoors is the draw. The arena and dog park at 2590 Combie Road were built by volunteers and county staff and now sit under county parks, while the Meadow Vista Trails Association keeps up the Winchester Sugarpine and Bear River trails, miles of woodland paths for hikers and riders. Sugar Pine Mountain Trail runs inside the boundary, Sugar Pine Ridge Park lies a little way beyond it, and Lake Combie sits just past the edge of the community. Winchester Country Club, a golf course, is at the northern edge, for anyone who prefers fairways to trails. Most errands stay close to home, but a bigger shopping trip, a doctor visit or a commute takes a drive down to Auburn and Interstate 80. Life here runs on a car, and the main road is the connection between the pockets of the community. Distance is the limit. Evenings out are few, shops close early, and Auburn is the nearest larger town. In return, most days in Meadow Vista end with a quiet porch and the sound of the woods.