Olmstead Loop
Cool (Auburn SRA, El Dorado County) · near Cool · Gold Country & Central Valley
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 8.6 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,000 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Spring (wildflowers + flowing creeks) · Winter/fall good; hot in summer
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- Yes
- How the permit works
- Part of Auburn SRA; $10 iron-ranger day-use at the Cool trailhead. Shared by hikers, runners, riders, and bikers.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Rolling oak savanna · Spring wildflowers · Knickerbocker & Salt Creek canyons · Seasonal waterfall & pools · Connects to Western States Trail
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Go clockwise and dip into Knickerbocker Canyon for the creek and pools; it's exposed, so a spring morning beats a summer afternoon.
The guide
A rolling loop through classic Sierra-foothill oak grassland that erupts with wildflowers in spring and offers surprise creek c…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Olmstead Loop — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.8889, -121.0173