Address: 7587 Mears Pl, Auburn, CA 95603 (I encourage you to save your map offline as you may lose reception)
Parking: Parking reservations are now required on ALL weekends, some holidays and high usage dates. See link below for reservation details. Partial day ($4)/ Full day ($8)
Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
Type: Hike (moderate)
Regulations: Dogs allowed on-leash
Best time to visit: After a good rain storm, when the falls are in full force
Description: This is a very scenic park with 30 miles of trails, multiple waterfalls, well maintained trails, beautifully constructed bridges, decks and a lookout tower. The first time we visited (years ago), reservations weren't required and it was pretty packed by mid-day. This time we visited early on a weekend, but hiked until noon, and we did not encounter crowds at all. I'd recommend you start by hiking down to Hidden Falls first, as this is the spot that gets crowded. A short walk from there will take you to the lookout of Canyon View Falls. If you head back from here, it's only about a 3.5 mile round trip hike, but I'd encourage you to check out some other trails. Most people stick to the waterfall area, so once you head out from there, you probably won't encounter many people. I found the hike to Seven Pools Vista just as scenic and enjoyable as the beginning of the hike, and it made me wonder why no one else was hiking it. We encountered a few people on horses when we were headed back, but the remainder of the hike we had to ourselves. Please see below for more info on this recommended route.
On a different visit, I hiked the other side of the park, past the Canyon View Lookout, but I much preferred the Seven Pools Vista side. During that visit, I wanted to loop back via Ringtail Trail, but this was a one-way only trail, which it did not note on the map. We ended up on the ridge, where there was not much to see and we didn't pass anyone for miles. There were a lot of Mountain Lion warning signs, and we passed some deer bones, which made me uneasy. We hiked all the way to Gold Finch and South Legacy Way. Salmon Run Bridge was a welcome scene after not seeing much for several miles. Overall, this route was about a 10 mile hike. It was a great workout, but not very scenic. As mentioned previously, I'd definitely recommend sticking to the Seven Pools Vista side of the park.
There are toilets, water and trash cans at the trailhead.
Parking: Parking reservations are now required on ALL weekends, some holidays and high usage dates. See link below for reservation details. Partial day ($4)/ Full day ($8)
Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
Type: Hike (moderate)
Regulations: Dogs allowed on-leash
Best time to visit: After a good rain storm, when the falls are in full force
Description: This is a very scenic park with 30 miles of trails, multiple waterfalls, well maintained trails, beautifully constructed bridges, decks and a lookout tower. The first time we visited (years ago), reservations weren't required and it was pretty packed by mid-day. This time we visited early on a weekend, but hiked until noon, and we did not encounter crowds at all. I'd recommend you start by hiking down to Hidden Falls first, as this is the spot that gets crowded. A short walk from there will take you to the lookout of Canyon View Falls. If you head back from here, it's only about a 3.5 mile round trip hike, but I'd encourage you to check out some other trails. Most people stick to the waterfall area, so once you head out from there, you probably won't encounter many people. I found the hike to Seven Pools Vista just as scenic and enjoyable as the beginning of the hike, and it made me wonder why no one else was hiking it. We encountered a few people on horses when we were headed back, but the remainder of the hike we had to ourselves. Please see below for more info on this recommended route.
On a different visit, I hiked the other side of the park, past the Canyon View Lookout, but I much preferred the Seven Pools Vista side. During that visit, I wanted to loop back via Ringtail Trail, but this was a one-way only trail, which it did not note on the map. We ended up on the ridge, where there was not much to see and we didn't pass anyone for miles. There were a lot of Mountain Lion warning signs, and we passed some deer bones, which made me uneasy. We hiked all the way to Gold Finch and South Legacy Way. Salmon Run Bridge was a welcome scene after not seeing much for several miles. Overall, this route was about a 10 mile hike. It was a great workout, but not very scenic. As mentioned previously, I'd definitely recommend sticking to the Seven Pools Vista side of the park.
There are toilets, water and trash cans at the trailhead.
Recommended Loop
Poppy Trail>Hidden Falls Access Trail>Canyon View Bridge>Canyon View Trail>Seen Pools Loop>Seven Pools Vista>Blue Oak>South Legacy Way
Trail stats: 5.1 miles, 767ft elevation gain
We took Poppy Trail down to Hidden Falls Access Trail, which is the most scenic. You can also take South Legacy Way, which is slightly shorter but not as scenic. After viewing the waterfall from the deck lookout, we headed down to the water (there are rock stairs a bit before the lookout). There's one large boulder near the bottom that will be difficult for dogs, but if you have two people, you should easily be able to help your down down. It's a beautiful spot to sit by the running creek and take a break. From there, we crossed Canyon View Bridge and went to the Canyon View lookout, where you can see Canyon Falls in the distance. We took Canyon View trail to Seven Pools Loop to Seven Pools Vista. There's a beautiful lookout spot there overlooking the canyon and several pools down below. This was a great spot to stop for lunch. From there we headed back by taking Blue Oak to North Legacy to South Legacy Way.
Poppy Trail>Hidden Falls Access Trail>Canyon View Bridge>Canyon View Trail>Seen Pools Loop>Seven Pools Vista>Blue Oak>South Legacy Way
Trail stats: 5.1 miles, 767ft elevation gain
We took Poppy Trail down to Hidden Falls Access Trail, which is the most scenic. You can also take South Legacy Way, which is slightly shorter but not as scenic. After viewing the waterfall from the deck lookout, we headed down to the water (there are rock stairs a bit before the lookout). There's one large boulder near the bottom that will be difficult for dogs, but if you have two people, you should easily be able to help your down down. It's a beautiful spot to sit by the running creek and take a break. From there, we crossed Canyon View Bridge and went to the Canyon View lookout, where you can see Canyon Falls in the distance. We took Canyon View trail to Seven Pools Loop to Seven Pools Vista. There's a beautiful lookout spot there overlooking the canyon and several pools down below. This was a great spot to stop for lunch. From there we headed back by taking Blue Oak to North Legacy to South Legacy Way.
