Quarry Trail & the Confluence
Auburn State Recreation Area · near Auburn / Cool · Gold Country & Central Valley
Trail Running
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Distance
- 7 miles
- Elevation gain
- 600 ft
- Best season
- Fall–spring · very hot in summer
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit. Auburn State Recreation Area — $10 day-use at some access points (No Hands Bridge / Confluence). Free at others.
What is here
- Features
- Runs along the Middle Fork American River · No Hands Bridge — a Western States landmark · Gentle grade, wildflowers in spring · Gateway to the WS canyons
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Trail Running detail
- Surface
- fire-road
- Intl tip
- Park at the Confluence (Hwy 49 / Old Foresthill Rd) — $10 day-use. No Hands Bridge is about 1.5 miles up the Quarry Trail. Summer heat in these canyons is serious; run early. The town of Cool (up the hill) is a hub for the Western States and Canyons races.
The guide
The Quarry Trail is the friendly face of Auburn's canyon country — a gently graded old road that runs alongside the turquoise M…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Quarry Trail & the Confluence — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.913, -121.035