Salt Creek Loop Trailvia Olmstead Loop and Knickerbocker Creek TrailAuburn State Recreation AreaCool, CA
Signs to the parking area. There is a $10 fee for parking.
The parking lot next to this one is for horses and trailers, it's very active.
Lots of horseback riders utilize this trail system.
I chose to park around the corner for free...
And there is a trail connection right in the parking lot.
The equestrian parking area has a bathroom with vault toilets. It was very clean and tidy.
My proposed route. I came down the east side of Olmstead loop and
connected with the Salt Creek Loop Trail.
I went in a clockwise direction.
Then came back up Knickerbocker Creek Trail back to the parking lot.
The trailhead. You can choose either Olmstead loop straight or Knickerbocker to the right.
There were a few areas of muddy puddles to navigate around.
Trail is easy to follow and mostly dirt.
A nice little bridge. After crossing, make a right to stay on Olmstead loop, it's not marked.
I decided to turn here to head towards Salt Creek. If you continue straight, you stay on Olmstead Loop which is a very large loop.
pretty foliage for January.
There are quite a few of these types of connections. Some are not marked.
To get to Salt Creek Loop, we will cross the road and stay on Olmstead.
Across the road...
This is where all the trails intersect. You can take Olmstead, Knickerbocker and Salt Creek from here. I made a hairpin turn to get on Salt Creek Loop in a clockwise direction. Taking the second left would put you on the loop in the opposite direction.
Trails are well marked.
The loop trail has more elevation and is a little more rocky than Olmstead. Not as many horses on this trail.
To stay on Salt Creek Loop, you walk on the gravel road for about .25 mile.
It meets back up with the dirt trail.
North Fork of the American River.
Switchbacks take you down to the bottom of the canyon. Several hairpin turns.
This is about as close as you get to the riverwhile staying on trail. It's pretty.
Was hoping for a quiet little place to have lunch next to the creek, but I didn't want to climb down to the waters edge.
The trail continues on...
4.59 from the trailhead to the bottom of the loop.
On the way back up, I passed the small dam
And up I go! Coming down, you don't notice the grade, but there are no switchbacks in the direction.
It's a gradual 2 miles up.
Back to the junction of all the trails.
Decided to take Knickerbocker trail back to the parking lot.
Single track in between the weeds.
The infamous Knickerbocker Creek...
This trail was a bit more scenic than Olmstead loop.
Another water crossing and back to the trailhead.
This was a nice days hike, not terribly difficult except for the long grade coming back out of the canyon.
Parking lots seemed busy, but I only encountered two other hikers and no horses on trail.
8.75 miles round trip.
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