Stagecoach Trail
(#36 on the ASRA Topo Trail Map)
“StagecoachTrailtoRussellRoad”sign. The
Distance:
2miles;1½hrs. up, ¾hrsdown first¼mileisthesteepest, butitprovidesgood
viewsoftheNorthForkAmericanRiver, at severalspotsontheright.
(hiking)
Difficulty: Slope:
Moderateup, easydown 8%avg;23%max. (seebelow)
Atabout¼mile, thetrailturnssharplyleftatthe “StagecoachTrail”sign. Asyoupausetocatch yourbreath, youcanalmostheartheechoof harnessbellsonhorsesandtheclatterofstagecoachesthatoncetraveledthisroad.
Trailhead / Parking: (N38-55-010;W121-02-207)
Trailheadisatconfluencearea, 1¾milessouth ofASRAParkHeadquarters. TakeHwy49from uburnsouthtoOldForesthillRoadatthebottom ofthecanyon. Continuestraightfor¼mileand parkontheleft. Trailheadisjustbeyondparking areaatgreengatenearkioskandport-a-potty.
Ashortdistanceupthetrail, thegracefularches ofMt. QuarriesRRBridgecomeintoviewonthe left. Alittlefurtheralong, theappearanceof ponderosapine, bigleafmaple, interiorliveoak, blueoak, willow, andHimalayanblackberry bushessignalthefirstofseveralriparian
Description
corridorsonthetrail. Hereyoucanseewater runningyearround, unlikeotherspotsonthe trailwhereitisonlyvisibleinwinterandspring.
This historic trail offers great, bird’s eye views of the confluence area and American River canyon. Its gradual gradient offers a good aerobic workout on the way up, climbing 800 ft in 2 miles from the confluence to the top where it intersects Russell Road. The history of this trail dates back to the mid-1800s (see sidebar). The trail climbs through riparian corridors as well as some typical foothill chaparral areas. Wildflowers bloom in the spring in several areas. There is little shade, so take water and sunscreen on hot summer days.
Alittlefurtheron, anarrowunmarkedtrailknown asTinker’sCut-offintersectsontheleft. Anda littlefurtheron, asignmarksFloodTrailonthe right. Atthe1milepoint, abenchprovidesan opportunitytoenjoyagreatviewoftheconfluenceareaandMt. QuarriesRRBridge. Turkey vulturesareoftenseenhere, flyinglowoverhead, ridingthethermals.
Afewpacesbeyondthebenchisthenarrower, unsignedManzanitaTrail(forhikersandbikers), whichintersectsStagecoachTrailontheleftand meandersthroughmanzanitaandcoyotebrush downtotheASRAParkHeadquarters.
The trail begins at the confluence area bythe
informationkioskandheadstowardsthehigh
Elevation Change (ft)
ContinuingupStagecoachTrail, youpassopen areaswhereCaliforniapoppiescovertheslopes inearlyspring. Youalsopassmoreriparian corridors, oneofwhichhasasmallwaterfallin winterandspring. Justbeforearrivingatthe endofthetrail, youpassUpperStagecoach Trailasitintersectsontheright. Atthetopof thetrail, pausetocatchyourbreathandenjoy thephotosdisplayedinakioskbeforereturning totheconfluencebackdownStagecoachTrail orviaanalternateroute(seebelow).
1700
RussellRoad
1300
900
500 Confluence
- 0.5
- 1.0
- 1.5
- 2.0
Distance mi
Auburn State Recreation Area
Did You Know? –Stagecoach
Trail wasoriginallyatollroadbuilt in1852knownasYankeeJims TurnpikeandlaterasOldStagecoachRoad. Theoriginalroadled toatollbridgeovertheNorthFork AmericanRiverjustupriverfrom ClarksHole, andfromthere, tothe townsofYankeeJimsandIowa Hill. Inthelate1800s, Yankee Jimswasapopularminingarea, andForesthillwasyettobedeveloped. In1875, theoriginaltoll bridgewasreplacedwithawoodencoveredbridge(picturedinthe kiosklocatedatthetopofthetrail, offRussellRd). Inthe1870’s, tolls onthebridgerangedfrom6¢fora cowto50¢forahorsemanand$1 forawagonandtwohorses. There werenumerousstagecoachhold-
Alternate Return Routes (seeseparatetrailguides)
About¼miledownthetrail, takeUpperStagecoachTrailto theleft(hikersandbikersonly). Thisnarrowtrailisnotaswell upsalongthistrail, mostnotablyin gradedasStagecoachTrail, butitoffersnicecanyonviews fromtwowoodenchairsatthetopofthehill. Ashortdistance beyondabench, withaviewoftheForesthillBridge, isafork andsignnotingFloodTrailstraightaheadandStagecoach Trailtotheright. Turnrightanddescendthroughagroveof manzanita, or“littleapples”–tartbutediblefruitpopularwith theanimalsthatliveinthearea. Ontheleft, remnantsofa stonefoundation, alongwithnon-nativeplantssuchaslilac, a fieldofperiwinkleandappleandfigtreesprovideevidenceof aformerhomesite. ContinuestraightpastthesignforMossy RockTrailontheleftuntilyoucometoStagecoachTrail. Turnlefttoreturntotheconfluencearea.
1873andagainin1880.
Did You Know? – The 2,248-ft long Foresthill Bridge wasde-
signedtospanthereservoirthat wouldhaveresultedhadtheAuburnDambeencompleted. (Work onthedamwasdiscontinuedin 1976.) Waterwasexpectedto reachthetopofthecementpiers, buttodaythebridgetowers730 feetabovetheriver, makingitthe tallestbridgeinCalifornia. Itwas openedin1973withmuchfanfare andhasbeenfeaturedinnumerousmoviesandcommercials, and ithasbeenthesiteformanystunts –bothlegalandillegal.
Justaheadontheright, theunmarkedandnarrowerTinker’s Cut-offTrailoffersanalternatereturnrouteforhikers. While thetopandbottomareabitsteep, itisacoolerhikeonhot summerdaysasitswitchbacksthroughadense, tree-lined riparianareawithasmallpoolandyear-roundwaterfall.