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Olmstead Trail

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate Intermediate
 3.2 (33)
  1. Areas
  2. CA
  3. …Sacramento Valley
  4. …Greater Auburn
  5. Auburn State Recreation Area
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“Beautiful rolling hills, scattered oaks and ponds, with easy going, wide open trails ”

Paul Rogers
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9.1

Miles

14.6

KM

15%

Singletrack

1,622' 494 m

High

1,270' 387 m

Low

917' 279 m

Up

914' 279 m

Down

4%

Avg Grade (2°)

17%

Max Grade (10°)

Dogs Off-leash

E-Bikes Allowed

HORSES!! Be aware of equestrian staging and please respect the rules of the trail (yield to all other users)!

Overview

This trail is also known as the Cool Race Loop, which is an annual race held on this very trail. Fun race, cool organizers, and a family fun kind of atmosphere.

Need to Know

Beware of an exposed creek crossing. Additionally, there are other small areas that tend to hold water after precipitation events.

The main parking/staging area is just behind the fire station in the town of Cool. There is a parking fee, but down the road is a FREE parking area (see map).

Description

This trail is not technical AT ALL. The only difficult aspects of this trial are its distance, elevation gain and a few steep sections that tend to be rutted. The surface is mostly hard-packed doubletrack and fire road. Be forewarned however, some trails lead to nowhere, were made by cows, or lead to private property (gates and signs), so be aware.

The summer months can get hella-hot, so this trail is ideally ridden in the winter. Be prepared with a downloaded or printed map to stay on course, it's not incredibly intuitive to follow. Here's why: Any trail leading off and down to the American River drops very sharply in elevation and will require a serious repayment to get back up (1000+ feet in a bit over a mile). And, all the trails leading off on the north end that head toward the confluence, are off limits to bikes.

Contacts

Local Club: Folsom Auburn Trail Riders Action Coalition

Land Manager: BLM California - Mother Lode Field Office

Shared By:

Paul Rogers with improvements by Patrick Malloy
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  3.2 from 33 votes

#5

in Auburn State Recreation Area

#1754

Overall
  3.2 from 33 votes
5 Star
6%
4 Star
39%
3 Star
30%
2 Star
18%
1 Star
6%
Recommended Route Rankings

#5

in Auburn State Recreatio…

#220

in California

#1,754

Overall
52 Views Last Month
7,695 Since May 2, 2014
Intermediate Intermediate
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Photos

I have a size 13 foot. Paw print was huge and claw marks were clearly visible. Area was soft mud that had hardened preserving the track very well.
May 4, 2015 near Auburn, CA
The Olmstead Trail tackles a fierce crossing of Knickerbocker Creek.
Feb 28, 2017 near Auburn, CA
Easy to take in this epic scenery because the trail is mostly wide open
May 2, 2014 near Auburn, CA
Knickerbocker creek crossing. Peel off your shoes and socks, its time to go for a dip to get across and continue.(maybe not early fall)
May 2, 2014 near Auburn, CA
Olmstead Loop Trail.
Nov 15, 2018 near Auburn, CA

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Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Jul 3, 2022
Danny Kwon
Jan 23, 2022
Jason Butler
May 16, 2021
Brad Anderson
10mi
Mar 13, 2021
Reza Videographer
Feb 28, 2021
Mahfoud Licha
Took 3 hrs with kids (11-yr old, 6-yr old). Fun trail with plenty of rocks, roots, mud, creeks, etc. Kids were exhausted. 9.5mi — 2h 50m
May 5, 2020
Cliff Baker
May 2, 2020
Nick Giorgi
Apr 28, 2020
Jonathan Cata

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