Auburn Lake Trails, CA

Auburn Lake Trails sits in the gold country foothills of El Dorado County, on a stretch of Highway 49 that runs between Auburn to the north and Placerville to the south. Much of the canyon country around it belongs to Auburn State Recreation Area, which follows the North and Middle Forks of the American River. The area splits into two parts. Cool is the town, once called Cave Valley, a crossroads where Highway 49 meets Highway 193, with the shops, the espresso drive-thru and a short list of restaurants, and houses on wooded parcels around them. Auburn Lake Trails, the community next door, is gated and built around a golf course, pools, a lake and a network of riding trails, with horse properties on large lots. The river is the main draw outdoors. The recreation area offers rafting, fishing and gold panning on the forks, and trails such as the Olmstead Loop start near Cool. The Western States Trail passes through, which is why runners fill the town for the Way Too Cool 50K each March. Three places anchor the local table. Stubby's smokes meats and serves breakfast, Cool Beerwerks pours its own beer alongside sushi and Hawaiian-style plates, and American River Pizza & Grill turns out French dip sandwiches and pizza on Highway 49. Getting around means driving, and the distances are real. Auburn has the full supermarkets and the bigger errands, Placerville lies the other way down Highway 49, and Highway 193 runs east to Georgetown. Nothing here is close enough to walk between, and no transit connects the two parts. Space is the trade, and the drive is the price. Every errand takes a car and Highway 49 is the main road, slow and winding in places, and rain or a stalled truck can back it up. What people get back is a hillside with canyon trails a short drive from the door.