Hiking at Lake Clementine, Auburn California
I’m going on one hike a month as part of my eco-friendly resolutions and I’m happy to say that I’m actually on track to keep this resolution this year! (knock on wood)
I think for my next hike I’ll try to find something outside of Auburn. I mean, that little town is beautiful and the State Recreation Area up there has so many trails I could probably do all of my hikes up there! But I want to expand my hiking spots. There’s so much more to Northern California than Auburn.
If you have any recommendations, send them my way!
If you follow any Sacramento area Instagram accounts, you’re bound to have seen the Lake Clementine dam. That’s honestly how my sister and I decided on this hike. We’d both seen it on Instagram and thought it was worth seeing in real life. We planned our hike over text and met up Sunday after church.
We’d planned on having a big group to hike with, but everyone we knew was busy that afternoon, so it ended up being a sister hike.
We weren’t sure where to go so – of course – asked Google to help us find the trailhead. It led us to the actual dam at Lake Clementine, which is great, it was just a little further of a drive than I’d hoped for.
My advice is to head to the Auburn State Recreational Area. Park near the Forest Hill Bridge and hike the trail that leads you under it. That trail eventually hooks up to the paved road that leads you to the Lake Clementine Dam. You can also do what we did, which was park at Lake Clementine and walk towards the Forest Hill Bridge. It’s honestly an easier hike because you head uphill at the beginning of the hike (aka before you’re tired), but the payoff at the end of the hike isn’t as dramatic.
We did however find a steep mini trail down to the river bank near the bridge where we fell completely in love with the color of the river.
We spent a good hour hanging out, basking in the sun, and playing fetch with someone else’s German shepherd.
outfit details / GAP muscle tank top (old, this year's style), L.E.I. denim shorts (vintage, similar), hunter green baseball cap, Teva sandals
The thing I love about the trails in the State Recreation Area is they’re clearly marked and either paved or gravel. It makes for a very low key, easy hike for newbs like myself.
Slightly tanner and fully recharged, we headed home.
If you find yourself in downtown Auburn after your hike, check out Auburn Ale House for some grub and drinks! We stopped by there last month and it was a great meal. Busy on a weekend, for sure, but with good service and good food.
