Auburn State Recreation Area
Auburn / Colfax · near Auburn · Gold Country & Central Valley
Mountain Biking
At a glance
- Skill level
- advanced
- Trail miles
- 100+ miles within the SRA
- Elevation
- 1,500ft of climbing on standard loops · Canyon trails have significant up and down
- Best season
- Spring and fall best · Summer heat in the canyon is extreme (95°F+) · Winter trails can be muddy
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
Mountain Biking detail
- Nickname
- Auburn SRA
- Ride types
- xc · enduro · all-mountain
- Signature trails
- No Hands Bridge Loop · Confluence Trail · Western States Trail
- Ebike
- Yes
- Ebike note
- E-bikes permitted on designated multi-use trails in Auburn SRA. The canyon climbs are significant — e-bikes make the return trips from the river substantially more manageable.
- Intl tip
- Auburn is 30 minutes east of Sacramento on I-80, making it the most accessible Gold Country riding from the Central Valley. The Old Town Auburn historic district, perched above the canyon with Victorian storefronts and several good restaurants, is worth an hour before or after riding.
The guide
Auburn SRA is the Gold Country's mountain biking answer to everything the foothills have to offer — dramatic river canyon terra…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Auburn State Recreation Area — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.9232, -121.0742