By Hank Bischoff
Auburn-Foresthill
Volume 2

So last month we rode the Ice House Loop and passed the town of Cool, and as mentioned, Cool is a great place to begin another scenic Ride through the Sierra. So if you’re in Cool, head north on Hwy 49 past the quarry on your right and into the canyon leading down to Auburn Ravine. There are a couple of turn-outs on the way down with some great views of the Auburn Foresthill Bridge, the tallest bridge in California. The bridge stands 730 feet above the North Fork of the American River and was built in 1971 by Kawasaki Heavy Industries And opened to the public in 1973. It carries both automotive and pedestrian traffic and was used in the movie xXx with Vin Diesel. Diesel’s character drove a red Corvette off the bridge, parachuting Out midway to the ravine below.

The Auburn-Foresthill Bridge

At the bottom of the canyon take a right on Old Foresthill Road and follow the road to Foresthill Road and take another right.

Auburn Ravine…Old Foresthill Road in distance provides access to the sandy beaches along the American River This area was popular for gold panning and was the site of a tent city during the 1850’s, now it’s a great place to cool off during the summer Follow the gently curving highway up to Foresthill. As you pass through the town there is a grocery store on the right with picnic tables and incredible views of the snow capped peaks in the distance.

view from the grocery store parking lot with picnic tables behind fence

Take a left out of the parking lot heading back through town and across the Auburn-Foresthill Bridge. Follow Foresthill Road into Auburn and get on Interstate 80 West just a couple miles to the Hwy 49 exit. Go left and follow the HWY 49/193 signs South through town to Lincoln Way. Next Stop: Pistol Pete’s Brew and Cue Take Lincoln Way to the right and follow to Harrison. Go left on Harrison and Pistol Pete’s is in the strip mall on the right.  As implied in the name, Pistol Pete’s has several pool tables, serves up ice cold refreshments and Has smokin’ bands on the week-ends. Just behind the bar on Lincoln Way in the train station complex there is a large statue dedicated to the 10,000 Chinese laborers who worked on the first trans-continental Railroad, the Central Pacific.

In 1865, 10,000 Chinese laborers worked on the Central Pacific Rail-Road, the first leg of the trans-continental rail-road began in Sacramento and ran east through Auburn.

There are many other structures of historical significance through-out town, including the Placer County Courthouse, built between 1894 and 1898. In fact, Auburn has one of the best preserved down towns in the state. Several movies have been filmed in the area in addition to xXx. Protocol, Breakdown, The Phantom, Phenomenon, and Wisdom were all at least partially filmed here. Auburn is also the undisputed endurance capital of the world, hosting more endurance competitions than anywhere at Auburn State Recreation Area.

Placer County Courthouse

From Lincoln Way take a right on High Street, Hwy 49 South and Proceed through the light curving to the right and down the canyon road back to Auburn Ravine. Take a right at the stop sign at the bottom of the ravine and follow Hwy 49 back to Cool.