SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Bureau of Reclamation and California Department of Parks and Recreation announced a temporary Birdsall Road to Birdsall River Access closure in Auburn State Recreation Area’s China Bar Area. Significant flows from the North Fork of the American River caused Birdsall Road slumping during the storms of January 2017 and led to its closure.
Reclamation and State Parks will re-open the road when repairs are completed later this year. Signage is posted at each end of the closed route and State Parks will post detour signs. Expect construction activities and heavy equipment in and around the impacted areas.
Roads:
• Closed - road to Birdsall River Access from China Bar Road at Oregon Hill downhill to the river. The closure is indicated in red on the attached map. Other trails and roads, and Oregon Hill parking and restroom remain open.
• Open - China Bar Road from Maidu Drive in Auburn is open to vehicles on weekends and holidays from April to September, and open to hiking, biking and horse riding all year.
Trails:
• A.75-mile portion of the Auburn-Cool Trail that follows Birdsall Road will also be closed during the road repair. The Birdsall River Access follows road alignments formerly used by dam construction equipment in the canyon below Auburn.
• Use other area trails during this repair work, such as the Cardiac Bypass Trail.
Boating: in this reach of the North Fork American River, use other access points near Auburn, including the confluence area upstream near Highway 49, the take-out at Oregon Bar downstream, or to continue downstream to Folsom Lake and take-out at Rattlesnake Bar when lake water levels are favorable.
Call Auburn State Recreation Area for additional information on closures at 530-885-4527 (TTY 711) or check the website http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=502.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
