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 Reporter |
Summary: The trail to Codfish Creek Falls is a beautiful and easy hike along the North Fork American River. This is an interpretive trail with brochures available at the trailhead describing the ecology of the American River. The trail follows the river for about 1.4 miles until you reach Codfish Creek, where it turns upstream a short distance to the waterfall. The waterfall is a pretty cascade of about 50 ft. The waterfall gets the morning sun, and is shady in the afternoon. It is beautiful there in the morning, but for photographing the falls, it would be best to go in the afternoon. There is also a trail leading to the top of the falls. Backtrack on the main trail from the falls a short distance, and you'll see the steep trail leading to the top. There are no other cascades above the main falls. For more info, see my website. Trailhead: Along Hwy #80, at Weimar (10 miles east of Auburn). Take the Weimar Cross Road exit, and turn right onto Ponderosa Way. Drive south for 5.8 miles until you reach the bridge crossing the American River. The trail heads downstream on the north side of the river. The last 2.5 miles along the road (Ponderosa Way) leading to the trailhead, is a rough dirt road and very slow going. A 4x4 high-clearance vehicle is highly recommended. (Lat:39.00009 Lon:-120.94027) Trail Guides for Codfish Creek Falls: The American River. A Recreational Guide Book by PARC (PARC) California Waterfalls by Ann Marie Brown (Foghorn Outdoors) Best Seasons: Spring, Winter, User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Ranger Contact: Auburn State Recreation Area, (530) 885-4527 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Leon Turnbull, who has posted 17 other hikes on this site. To visit this reporters web site, click here. Trail Reviews Page 1 of 4 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by PDR on 3/9/2010 We hiked there yesterday on the most beautiful day we've had in months! The falls were really flowing and will probably increase when the snow melts in the Sierra Nevada. Take a potty break before taking the very bumpy road down. The rocks can be slippery so best to wear hiking boots. Definitely bring food for a picnic. We were there hiking, taking pictures and relaxing for almost 5 hours. Parking is a real issue, very limited. You can't be in a hurry on this one.
Reviewed by Joe on 5/2/2009 This site sure hates punctuation... Third try is the charm. Great hike, beautiful falls and awesome view. The road from Weimar had some nice washouts. It was easy in a Jeep but normal cars would probably have some trouble. The easy but longer way is to take 80 to Foresthill Road in Auburn, head east over the Foresthill Bridge, go about ten miles and turn left on Ponderosa Way. That side of the road is longer but it's wider, far less rutted and nowhere near as steep. From there, the trailhead is just over the bridge near the portapotties. The views of the river and hills are awesome, and it's a nice forest hike part of the way. The side trail to the top is steep and slick in the rain but worth it. In the rain today I had the trail to myse
Reviewed by SVK on 3/15/2009 Gorgeous! The road to the trail wasn't that bad. I've been on worse. I wouldn't suggest a small car because you'd scrape bottom. Once you get there though it's awesome and worth the ride. I suggest going early. We arrived around 10 a.m. and there wasn't any one there. On our way out around noon though there was a ton of people and the trail isn't wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
Reviewed by K & K on 1/11/2009 This hike was absolutely fabulous...However!!! You should know that the trail to GET to the hike is F'n Death Defying!!! If your ride is a small car or truck without 4 wheel drive, you're in for quite an ADVENTURE!!! Getting there is craziness, but after that it's pristine. Go slow down the bumpy windy trail because if you lose traction, you'll fall off the cliff's edge to a valley of DEATH!!! Comin back up ain't that bad...but goin down made me poop my pants!!! Have fun!!! p.s. you can keep goin over the bridge and come up on foresthill which connects to the 80 if you don't want to backtrack.
Reviewed by Mike on 5/12/2008 Nice hike. Pretty. There are 2 outhouses hidden along the hike and a nice trail guide. There are a couple places where the trail gets narrow and it took me two tries to find the trail head. If you came from 80, the trail is on the same side of the river that you drove down and continues downstream. Some deep pot holes and huge rocks makes the trail head tough to reach in a Honda Civic with racing tires, but it's doable. I could have done it in my old Saturn with stock tires easily. Have fun!
Reviewed by Mandy on 4/21/2008 Loved this hike! Great for beginners, but do your homework on poison oak because there is tons of it along the trail! Remember "leaves of three, leave them be!" (I scrubbed down with "Tecnu" as soon as I got home and washed my clothes and shoes.) I went with a group from school and had a great instructor show me all the cool stuff. There are black swallowtail butterflies, a really neat type of cucumber vine, and lots of beautiful wildflowers. Some really beautiful birds too. The waterfall was georgeous! We even found a yellow-legged frog at the fall. Along the trail are also some really pretty views of the river. 
Reviewed by JC on 3/26/2008 River otters, waterfall, lots of picnic spots. Awesome.
Reviewed by Lori on 2/21/2008 Okay the road down to the river is a little challenging but if you're not too squeemish it isn't that terrible... We made it down just fine in my Ford Focus (and only misjudged one minor spot so far as clearance goes). We were in first gear both up and down. Would agree with Christo regarding the the narrow path and maybe two spots requiring balance. We should have done like Christo and obeyed the "dogs on leash" sign but didn't, so our pooch took two short detours off the trail and came home with nose-to-tail hitchhiker-burrs and about 6 or 7 nasty ticks (thank God for Frontline Plus)! Fairly easy hike along the river with beautiful scenery. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, Placer County Hiking, Placer County Trails, Placer County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||