Spring is a great time for biking and hiking in the foothills. Enjoy the green hills and cooler temperatures. Check out our Google Map featuring the Placerville bike/ walking trail. For a beautiful photo album of the trail and more click here: Here is some food for thought about the biking the trail:
The Placerville “Rails to Trails” Walking / Bike path, also know as the “El Dorado Trail”, runs right through downtown before becoming a dedicated trail for several miles both east and west of Placerville.
For more detailed information and pictures see the Official Site – elDoradoTrail.com
For those staying at Coloma Spring Suites, bikes rentals are available nearby at Placerville Bike Shop Here are a few highlights:
Head west along the trail from Downtown and you will cross a railroad trestle bridge over Weber Creek. The bridge is retrofitted for bikes but it retains the character of the original bridge. There is a great view of Weber Creek several hundred feet below.
Head east and you pass through a railroad tunnel just east of town. It is low grade but uphill all the way to Smith Flat. Make sure you have a bike with a good set of gears. There is a parking lot for the trail in Smith Flat, 3 miles from town. For the faint of heart, you can drive your bike up to Smith Flat and then coast downhill into town.
While you are in Smith Flat, stop for lunch at the Smith Flat House. They have a beautiful outdoor space in the back yard. Be sure to check out the bar /restaurant in the basement. They boast a wooden bar that came on a ship around the horn in the 1800’s. The opening to the Blue Lead Mine is fenced off in the corner of the dining room. More then 6 million dollars worth of gold came out of this mine in the 1800 and 1900′s.
The trail continues another 4 miles east. Once you get take the overpass over highway 50 the trail levels off quite a bit but is still up hill. The reward is the paved path becomes gravel and winds through a beautiful grove of oak trees.