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A great loop with a big climb to start, followed by fast flowing singletrack and ending with singletrack along the river


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Map Key

7.4

Miles

11.9

KM

50%

Singletrack

1,633' 498 m

High

585' 178 m

Low

1,095' 334 m

Up

1,095' 334 m

Down

6%

Avg Grade (3°)

16%

Max Grade (9°)

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Allowed

Features Drops/Jumps · Views

Overview

This is a great loop to give you a good taste of what ASRA has to offer. You'll get a good leg workout at the start with the climb up Clementine. Followed by fast flowing burned cornered singletrack. Ending with some fast (more rocky) singletrack along the river/cliffs back to start of Clementine Climb trailhead. A lot of people will do the loop multiple times to extend their mileage and extend their fun!

Need to Know

Parking is $10 on Old Foresthill Road, and can be paid in person to the ranger at the hut next to the Stagecoach Trail. Rangers do enforce parking fee's so best to pay it in advance.

Description

The Clementine Climb trailhead is just across the bridge from the ranger hut on Old Foresthill Rd or the left hand side. There are pit toilets, a ranger station, and posted maps. The rangers are super helpful if its your first time out or just want some inside trail scoop. It does cost $10 to park anywhere along the road in this area, which they enforce. The ranger takes cash, but can make change for you. This is a popular area, so parking fills up pretty fast on weekends.

The Clementine Climb (i.e. fire road) starts off flat for few 100 yards, then starts climbing. It's a good steady, but manageable, climb up the dirt fire road for about 2 miles total. It'll definitely get you warmed up and breathing hard though. You'll hit a the paved "Lake Clementine Rd" at roughly mile 2 (keep following the road going up the hill at the fork), where you'll continue your climb on this paved road for about 1.4 miles. The paved road is a bit steeper than the dirt fire road, but still manageable.

At ~1.4 miles you'll see the trailhead on the right hand side for Fuel Break Trail. There's parking and porta pottys at the trailhead. Take the Fuel Break Trail for about ~0.5 miles then veer to the left to catch the Culvert Trail.

Culvert Trail is a fast, flowing downhill singletrack trail, with most of the corners bermed. This trail is a lot of fun! Not a lot of rocks or roots, just flowing fun. Culvert Trail is ~1.2 miles in length, and about halfway you cross through the actual "culvert" (i.e. big pipe going under Foresthill Rd). You'll lose your vision a bit due the darkness at first, but just stay straight and calm and you'll be fine. The pipe is relatively smooth without any obstacles.

Culvert Trail ends at Old Auburn Foresthill Road. Cross the street and head down Mammoth Bar OHV Access Road to catch the start of the Confluence Trail, which is a few 100yds down the road on the right hand side. This is a fast singletrack that will take you back to the start of the Clementine Climb. This singletrack is a bit more technical than the Culvert Trail, but nothing crazy. There are some spots where there's a decent drop off on the left down to the river, but again nothing too crazy. You'll end at a parking lot across the street from the Clementine Climb trailhead. If you parked by the ranger station just turn left on the road and cross the bridge back to your car.

Lots of people do this trail multiple times in a row to get more miles and more fun on the trail. If doing it again, cross the road and jump back on the Clementine Climb trail at the trailhead you first started at.

Contacts

Shared By:

Ben C

Trail Ratings

  4.6 from 19 votes

#751

Overall
  4.6 from 19 votes
5 Star
68%
4 Star
21%
3 Star
11%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#114

in California

#751

Overall
64 Views Last Month
5,085 Since Oct 13, 2019
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult

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Photos

Culvert Trail-Auburn, CA
Aug 11, 2017 near North A…, CA
Lake Clementine downstream
Apr 27, 2015 near Auburn, CA
At the Clementine Climb Trailhead
Oct 13, 2019 near North A…, CA
Confluence
Sep 23, 2013 near North A…, CA
Start of the Shortcut Trail at the junction with the Fire Break Trail.
Apr 3, 2016 near North A…, CA

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Weather


Current Trail Conditions

Minor Issues 38 days ago
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Check-Ins

Apr 23, 2023
Samantha Fried
Nice shady up hill in the morning.
Jun 6, 2022
Danna Juarez
Dec 19, 2021
Ben Fox
Trail held up pretty well despite recent rains. There is one spot on the Clementine that is washed out pretty excessively. I walked the bike past that
Oct 28, 2021
Doug Faker
May 4, 2021
Andreas Jorgensen
Nov 8, 2020
Marcel Marcale
Includes stagecoach and manzanita trail — 1h 41m
Sep 10, 2020
Levi Sherer
7.4mi
Jun 20, 2020
Dylan Casper
Climb almost killed me but I will be back to get revenge
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