A collection of travel and adventure stories

North Fork-Lake Clementine Trail Hiking

Description and Directions >>

Description:
Lake Clementine Trail is a 4-mile roundtrip trail along the North Fork American River located in the foothills of the Northern California Sierra mountains. Several side trails lead down to the river. The trail ends at Lower Lake Clementine access road, which you can follow for 0.25 mile to a view of the North Fork Dam and its cascading water. The trail also passes below the Foresthill Bridge, which at 730 feet above the river, is the tallest bridge in California.

Activities:
hiking, swimming, sightseeing

Directions:
The trailhead is on Old Foresthill Road, 2 miles south of Auburn. Take Highway 49 South to Old Foresthill Road at the bottom of the canyon. Continue straight for 1/4 mile, cross the curved Old Foresthill Bridge and park on right side. The trailhead is on the left side of road across from the parking area.

Story Date 12/19/1999
Publish Date 4/15/2004

Story Perspectives >>

According to Mikala: The Lake Clementine Trail is a nice easy hike close to the Sacramento area. It offers great panoramic views of the North Fork of the American River. We have taken this trail a few times. It can get a little busy with hikers and mountain bikers, but it is a fun walk.

Along most of the trail, you can view the river down below. There are a few side trails that allow you to hike down to the refreshing pools of water, but we have not yet done this.

A little further up the trail, we hiked under the Foresthill Bridge. This is an awesome sight. The bridge is very high. In fact, the bridge has been used in many movies, including 'XXX' with Vin Diesel.

The trail is fairly level, with many shaded areas. It is beautiful in the springtime. As you near the end, you can hike a short distance along the Lower Lake Clementine access road to the North Fork Dam. Here you can get up close to the tremendous view of the water flowing over the dam. We've gotten close enough to feel the water on our faces, which is very refreshing on a hot summer day.