Auburn - American River Canyon

After riding uphill until we're higher than the Foresthill bridge (or being dropped off most of the way up there), we get to ride all the way back down on singletrack like this. Can you see my unicycle back there?


Much of the Quarry Road novice trail is flat, as seen on the left. At right is part of the downhill section of the Clementine Loop, called the Confluence Trail. From this area, the novices and experts should be able to see each other, if they squint real good!

Looking down on the Mammoth Bar OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) area. The river flows behind it, and the novice trail is on the far side of the river. The experts will ride nearby where the picture was taken, but that means they will have had to ride all the way up there!

After lunch, we will all head down the Stagecoach Trail. Experts will start on a narrow and difficult side trail called Manzanita, that goes through this low hanging tunnel of vegetation. That's Brett in there enjoying some shade.

Just before the two groups meet at the park bench on the Stagecoach Trail, the experts get to deal with this narrow and scary part. It's a very long way down, and Star Thistle plants all around! [A recent fire in the area knocked out this particular patch of Star Thistle, Yaay!] The novices will be able to watch from above, and make bets on who will or won't make it. The two trails come together just beyond this point. That's me flailing my arms there. You'll flail too (or walk this part).

After riding down the Stagecoach Trail, we will go up on the Foresthill Bridge to see a view like this. Stagecoach is the trail that comes down in the center of the picture, makes a sharp switchback turn and heads down toward that "little" bridge, which is our morning starting point. On the bottom left part of the picture is the beginning of the first Expert Trail, and way in the back is the parking area for the Novice Trail.

Did you see the movie "Breakdown" on HBO? Part of it was filmed right along the Novice Trail. This was the crew's rolling restroom. That's Gary Bundesen in there, saying "Kurt Russell sat here!" Name dropper. Don't guess what he's really doing in there. . .