Dog-Friendly Trails for All Seasons in California's Foothills and the Sierra Nevada

Trail #3 – Confluence Trails Auburn State Recreation Area Difficulty: 3 Distance: 5.0-mile loop Elevation: 520’ gain, with one 0.5-mile section gaining 350’ Directions: Coming from Auburn and Interstate 80 (I-80), take Highway 49 East and travel 3.3 miles to the bottom of the canyon. Turn right here and cross the Highway 49 Bridge (continuing straight, you would be on Old Foresthill Road). Immediately, find parking off Highway 49 near Gate 150 on the south side of the road. Coming from Cool and heading West on Highway 49, the roadside parking area will be on your left, just before you would cross the Highway 49 Bridge. Description: This walk takes you along the river, to views of the confluence of the Middle and North Forks American River, and sites of bridges, old, new, and in ruins. This is both an historical journey as well as one rich in nature’s beauty. You will definitely want to have the Auburn State Recreation Area (ASRA) map (available at REI and the ASRA Park Headquarters) before doing this hike. Starting from the parking area, walk behind Gate 150 onto a dirt road paralleling the river to the Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge, also known as No Hands Bridge (from equestrians riding with reins dropped prior to the installation of guardrails on the bridge). Walk across the 170-foot long bridge to find an informational sign telling about the bridge’s history. Completed in 1912, Mountain Quarries Company used the bridge, making four 7-mile runs daily to haul limestone to Auburn for thirty years before dismantling its tracks for scrap metal for WWII. The arched construction of this reinforced concrete bridge (the world’s largest of its kind when completed) has proven sturdy enough to survive severe flooding throughout the years. From the bridge, locate an uphill spur trail that will take you up towards Highway 49. Follow this trail up 50 feet to where it begins to parallel the road, taking you back towards and then under the Highway 49 Bridge. Along this stretch of trail, if you look down into the water, you can see the concrete remains of the old Highway 49 Bridge originally constructed in 1948 (remaining until the flood of 1964). Many bridges have spanned the river here over the years (see the notes below for learning more about the history of the bridges). After walking under the existing Highway 49 Bridge, walk up to the road (Old Foresthill Road), and carefully cross over to the other side. Slightly to your left, just behind the road sign, you can see the continuation of the spur trail, known as Tinker’s Cutoff Trail. This trail will climb steeply 360 feet over the next 0.5 miles, but there are enough switchbacks and cool streams and waterfalls to make it bearable. Tinker’s Cutoff Trail ends at the wider Stagecoach Trail – a biker’s super highway. Turn left onto historic Stagecoach Trail, established in 1850 and at one time actually used by stagecoaches to transport people between mining towns near what is now Foresthill and Auburn. There were a couple of robberies of stagecoaches on this trail. In about 0.3 miles, you will reach a lookout point with a bench. From this point, you can see both No Hands Bridge and the Foresthill Bridge, and below you is a great view down to the river (a better photo shot of the actual confluence is about 200 feet before reaching this bench). According to the ASRA, had the government completed the Auburn Dam Project then the high water mark of the resulting lake would have been at this bench, and it would have reached the cement piers of Foresthill Bridge as well. Confluence of North and Middle Forks American River In about 100 feet from the bench, the Manzanita Trail veers off to the left. You want to take this trail all of the way to the Park Headquarters. If you miss this trail junction, in another 0.2 miles there is a cutoff trail to your left that will also take you down to the Manzanita Trail. If you miss this cutoff trail, and remain on Stagecoach Trail, you will start to see homes in the distant Auburn Hills, meaning you have gone too far. Turn around and find the cutoff down to the Manzanita Trail. You will be on the Manzanita Trail, with numerous seasonal stream crossings, about 1.5 miles before reaching the Park Headquarters. From the park’s main entrance road, you can look across the highway to see Gate 136. Carefully cross the road and descend on the Park Access Trail beyond this gate. You will drop about 360 feet in the next 0.5 miles, where the trail ends at the River View Trail (signed Western States Trail or WST). Heading left here, this last mile will take you along the river and back to the Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge. There are access spots down to the river along this stretch. Also on this portion of the trail, you will cross a small stream with a nice waterfall this time of the year, and see numerous concrete remains of railroad footings. Cross back over the bridge to return to your car, completing this enjoyable, historical 5-mile loop. Share with: bikers on the Stagecoach and Manzanita Trail portions only (bikes not allowed on Tinker’s Cutoff or the Park Access Trail); horses on some portions, but no available trailer parking at the described trailhead. Notes: A detailed history of the bridges of the Confluence Area is available from the Park Headquarters. Pick up your free copy of the “Confluence Self Guided Trail” along with information about other trails in the Auburn State Recreation Area (530-885-4527).