Auburn Confluence & Clark's Hole
Auburn State Recreation Area · near Auburn · Gold Country & Central Valley
Swimming & Hot Springs
At a glance
- Temperature
- 60–72°F
- Cost
- $10/day ASRA parking (pay the kiosk — enforcement is real)
- Season
- June–September for calm flows · Spring current is strong
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Safety
- Parking is chaotic and fills by mid-morning on summer weekends; obey the signs or expect a ticket. Little natural shade — bring an umbrella. Supervise kids; currents persist even in summer.
Swimming & Hot Springs detail
- Nickname
- Sacramento's Backyard River
- Type
- swimming-hole
- Temp
- cool
- Clothing optional
- No
- Directions
- Hwy 49 to the Confluence area below Auburn, where the North and Middle Forks of the American River meet under the Foresthill Bridge. Clark's Hole is under a mile up the Lake Clementine Trail from the Confluence bridge — a long, calm pool ideal for swimming.
- Pools
- The broad confluence beaches and pools beneath the 730-ft Foresthill Bridge (California's tallest), plus Clark's Hole — a half-mile-long calm pool up the Clementine Trail. Lake Clementine and Upper Clementine add flatwater options upstream.
- Intl tip
- Auburn calls itself the Endurance Capital of the World (Western States 100 country) — the canyon trails here are superb. Old Town Auburn's restaurants are 10 minutes up the hill. Pairs with the North Fork's whitewater (rivers guide).
The guide
The Confluence — where the North and Middle Forks of the American River meet beneath the soaring Foresthill Bridge — is greater…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Auburn Confluence & Clark's Hole — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.916, -121.04