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