Alta (Spanish for "Upper") is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Placer County, California, United States, about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Auburn.

One of the few buildings other than private residences is the Alta-Dutch Flat Grammar School serving kindergarten through eighth grade students.

A historical California place once named Alta was located in San Diego County[3] near the present-day La Mesa–El Cajon boundary.

[citation needed] The community was named after the Spanish word meaning "upper" or "high".

[4] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2), 99.72% of it land, and 0.28% of it water.

Summers are generally warm with cool nights, while winters are moderately cold and extremely snowy, despite no month having an average low temperature below freezing.