2.7 miles from Auburn Courthouse. Moderate 4 miles round trip.
In the 1850’s if you wanted to visit the town of Foresthill, some 20 miles away, this is the way you would go. Today you can still follow the old way and without the worry of getting run over by a stagecoach, maybe a mountain bike or horse, but no vehicles allowed. The gated old route is a great introduction to the canyon. It’s mostly easy but gets moderately steep towards the river end. Very popular with locals, this hike can be done any time of year and is great on a full moon evening.
Directions: Take Lincoln way from highway 49 1 mile and turn R on Russell, Look for a small parking lot at the end of Russell. The wide trail starts just beyond the parking lot. You could also park down at the confluence near the North Fork kiosk if you prefer to walk uphill first and then downhill on your return.
The trail is a dirt road today that gets graded every spring to double as a firebreak for Auburn. There are many side trails from this route available for lengthening or varying your outing. Take the upper stagecoach over to the Foresthill bridge for instance, or the steep Tinker’s cutoff down to highway 49, or you can get on Manzanita trail for even more options. (map to be added soon)
Get Off Your Gass 