Such a beautiful and serene spot! While on ice house road you encounter a split where you can keep…read moreright for the millionaire trail parking or left for the bassi trail lot. If you keep right and park, it's a bit longer of a hike to the falls whereas if you keep left and drive up further, the hike is only about .5 miles. We intended on doing the longer hike but got confused and kept driving. Either way, it's nice that there are multiple options that lead to the same beautiful waterfall. We got to the falls around 9:30am and it was pretty empty but started getting very busy by 11am.

This is a very beautiful hike. I would definitely go in the springtime because the water is flowing…read morepretty heavily. A lot of picture spots in here as you hike up the river. When you get to the top, you see Bassey Falls, where people were laying out somewhere swimming others just enjoy enjoying lunch but overall it was a really nice day.

Great trail !!! Paved , has a beautiful look out spot with benches. It's a figure 8 trail . Perfect…read morefor running, walking with kids and taking the pup for a walk. 10/10

This is a beautiful trail through the forest that is rapidly recovering from the Caldor Fire! Nice…read moreeasily accessible trail (all paved) skirts the edge of a large canyon, with views to the East and Southeast. Parking area is small.

Shealor Lake Trailhead…read more One of the first initiation hikes for this lady in recovery and for that, a little 3 mile hike round trip fit the mold nicely. Easily accessible from Hwy 88 and is a good starter hike for the virgin outdoor walker. There are no facilities at this trail so be prepared although there is a decent sized lot below. The start of the trail meanders through alpine groves as well as large granite rock that dots this landscape in an alien way. Once at the saddle, it is barely under 7600 ft altitude and not very trying on the lungs but the view it affords you is spectacular. From one point you can see Silver Lake and amazing peaks of surrounding wilderness. Once at lake level, it is pretty calm and perfect for picnics and even a dip in the lake if one is so inclined. It was warm facing the sun and the granite rocks are just warm enough to lie on. The trek back is slightly elevated but still comfortable. Just don't veer off the path like I did and wear shorts. The manzanita bushes wreaked havoc on my bare legs in a crisscross pattern.

Not a business but a great hike. You get cell reception at the highest point of the trail.read more

To sum up this backpacking trip.. My body was crying, but my eyes were basking in a euphoric haze…read morefrom all the amazing views. If you're thinking about it but on the fence, let me tell you! This was totally worth the 12 mile roundtrip ankle-killer, stream-sloshing, snowsliding, find your own offtrail path, freeze-your-booty-off night(s), hike to Lake of the Woods. 6 miles sounded like nothing, but when you're walking on rocks, then switching uphill thru snow and back, it eventually tires you out on the way back. The trail is interesting with so much variety. You start out on a dry trail along the hills, then follow the rocky path along the streams from the melting snow, then boom, snow everywhere, and again dry patches and what looked like a fairy tale woods setting, snow again, until you finally reach the secluded semi-frozen Lake of the Wood. You also pass Taramac Lake view on the way to Lake of the Woods. Early May still had so much snow and the campsite markers were buries, so we had to just pick a spot and settled down. No fires allowed! Because.. Desolation Wilderness. It was extremely cold at night without a fire, especially surrounded by snow and a semi-frozen lake. Definitely too cold to even be outside and enjoy the stars, which we attempted but had to retreat after a while. Temps dipped down to about 40° in early May, so be prepared. In the morning, the secluded views were amazing. The fresh, crisp air, baby blues of the lake peeking thru pockets of ice, and the sounds of nature were a dream to take in. We even saw several marmots waddling about. Well worth it all!

6 miles round trip if you take the boat taxi across Echo Lake…read moreModerate hike. One of the bigger challenges of this trail is finding a parking spot. After cruising the 3 parking lots for 30 minutes I gave up and parked a quarter mile down the road. I arrived at the boat taxi just as they were leaving so I was able to hop right on. Even tho the ride is short, I'm happy to pay the 10 bucks as you get to check out the cabins on Echo Lake and the little canal between the 2 lakes is cool. It helps to be a fan of granite expanses to appreciate this hike cause there's a lot of them. And the trail has a lot of pure rock on it, but happily not a lot of rolling rocks. Still you gotta watch your step, and it's moderately steep. But Ay yi yi, the views are fantastic! And after just 30 minutes of hiking you hit the turnoff to Tamarack Lake, which looks like a totally nice lake for hanging out. But I trudged on. Did I mention this trail is popular? I passed about 4 groups, everything from college kids that looked like they had never been on a hike before to 70 year old ladies who were just cruising. And tons of couples and grizzled old hippies types. My times before on this trail I have gone to Lake Aloha, another awesome lake. But I wanted to go somewhere new so I took the Lake of the Woods turnoff in the saddle area. One passes thru a pretty little meadow, then up a short ridge, then down down down. You can see Lake of the Woods almost immediately form the crest, but boy, it's a long ways down there. But once I arrived I was happy to discover that the lake is large enough to accommodate 15 to 20 groups, with lots of big rocks to choose from. Also a couple of areas of sandy lake entry, good for swimming but they were right on the trail, so no privacy for picnicking. I continued on and found a great little spot for hanging out and swimming, a nice flat granite area. The lake is beautiful and you get that feeling that you are right on the top of the world. You should also give yourself enuf time to explore around the lake, there's some good stuff. I was sad to leave this little bit of paradise but I needed to get back before the last boat took off (6:30) otherwise it would mean an extra hour of hiking. I was a bit stressed coming out as I didn't see any other hikers going my way on the trail and the boat taxi won't come out for less than 3 people. I shouldn't have worried, there were 17 people waiting when I arrived. Notes: Bring your cell phone for calling the boat taxi, the phone wasn't working when I was there. Good Really beautiful lake Lots of good lounging rocks Good swimming & easy entry Great vistas Boat ride is fun Can bail out and go to Tamarack Lake if tired Varied beautiful scenery on trail Bad Very popular Lots of parking that is already filled up by the time you arrive due to being so popular Boat ride is $10 one way First half of trail very rocky Last half mile of trail is steep downhill, meaning a steep uphill climb out

Gorgeous views. Great campsites. Amazing fishing. Perfect paddle boarding space. Nightly serenades…read morefrom bull frogs. Clean bathrooms- flushing toilets, running water.

Our first camping trip and I gotta say, it was pretty sweet to be right on the lake with our…read moreprivate entrance! Zero issues with geese (we had read that in other reviews) ... would be nice if the ground were flat ... but overall, it's a great lil spot! The diner staff ... 10 outta 10 ... great group of people!

This is a great campground for tent camping. We live in Folsom, CA so this is not too far from home…read more- but far enough where we feel like we are away. This campground is right on the Silver Fork of the American River. There are little beaches for kids to float - make sure they wear life jackets (floaties) - please practice water safety. Teach your kids too! The campground is quiet and we had NO CELL SERVICE (AT&T). Pack bug spray (for mosquitoes and ants)

Loved this campground! Had perfect little beach-y river spots, bathrooms were very well maintained…read moreand personally I love no service campgrounds!

Super neat and clean camping sites. Attentive and prompt…read moreresponse for inquiries. Clean campgrounds and awesome place. Greg gave us an awesome tour of the area. We definitely recommend this place for kids or any outdoor venue

VERY CLEAN!!! stayed In the larger teepee with my friends! Hot showers, spotless bathrooms, and not…read moretoo many bugs! Extremely Well maintained and very friendly and helpful staff. They also have a fun lodge full of stuff for you to do, plenty of grills to cook on, and even a microwave and keurig! They have a section of Weber creek that they blocked off to create a small swimming hole which was cool because it was so hot. It is a very Rocky creek so you will need water shoes. It was fun seeing the crawfish and the fish swimming in the water! Also like the little store they have in case you forget something and are in a pinch. It also has ice cream! Would go again. signal was pretty good as well

1/5/2019: I wrote several reviews for James Marshall Monument and Coloma State Park; however, all…read moremy reviews mysteriously disappeared! Yah~YELP! Where ARE my reviews, eh? THEREFORE, I searched ALL the YELP! photos I posted: I found a few photos dated 1/5/2019 as PROOF I did write my reviews for both locations. Disappointingly, ALL my photos AND reviews for James Marshall's Monument and Coloma State Park event MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED AFTER 2019! UNHAPPY! Anyway, in June 2022, I attended a Military Funeral I personally arranged at James Marshall's Monument for my deceased Army friend who passed away plus, instrumentally preventing his family from spending an egregious, heinous sum for funeral expenses, i.e., I contacted the Coloma State Park's Head Supervisor Ranger on my friend's family's behalf. Blessed, the Head Park Ranger Supervisor contacted my friend's family a couple days later who only had to pay $75.00 for reserving James Marshall's Monument location for my friend's Military funeral! The location presided a PRIVATE, dignified, Military funeral which involved the US Army Color Guards who fired off a 21-Gun Salute for my deceased Army friend, ample parking provided for all attending the Military Funeral, conveniently located picnic tables for food/libations setup, and more importantly, an easy, short stroll to James Marshall's Monument where the 21-Gun Salute was presided. My friend's family were so grateful to Coloma State Park's Head Park Ranger Supervisor for allowing presiding a Military funeral which was quite a distance from the Coloma State Park's American River parking lot. Reiterating, reserving the James Marshall's Monument location for my friend's family and all who attended my friend's Military Funeral, it was so PRIVATE, awesome, easy, uncomplicated set up due to the picnic tables for the food and libations were conveniently adjacent to the clean restrooms, and overall, a gorgeous, tranquil, serene, appropriate location presiding a somber, dignified, Military funeral. Finally, presiding a Military Funeral at James Marshall's Monument for my friend's family will always be remembered and revered. Best of all, all who attended my friend's Military funeral have ALL returned exploring James Marshall's Monument--again, James Marshall's log cabin, checking the construction updates for both St. John's Catholic Church and Emmanuel Church, Sutter's Mill, gold panning the American River, sent snail mail from the Coloma Post Office, ate at my friend, Noah's Argonaut Cafe, and hiked all the trails, too! BTW: Since I'm 100% Service-Connected Vietnam Veteran possessing a Veteran's Distinguished Park Pass, reserving James Marshall's Monument would be NO FEE for me! FYI: Resource Building For PHYSICALLY Applying For A Veteran's Distinguished Park Pass Resource Building 1416 9th Street Sacramento CA 95814 (916) 657-4380 https://www.mapquest.com/us/california/resources-building-375367030 www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30958​ Contact CA Park Pass Sales Office: (800) 777-0369 ext. 2 Send email: parkpassinfo@parks.ca.gov

Awesome historical stop. This cute 1800s old town brings the California Gold Rush era to life with…read moreover 20 historic mining buildings. You can still see a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, a cafe, event venue (Gold Trail Grange), museum and a charming little post office that is actually still functional. It's a great spot for all, kids enjoy the fun gold-panning activities, adults interest to learn the Gold Rush history, walking trail, picnic and hanging out by the river. We also walked around the Mt. Murphy Road Bridge, this bridge offers great views of the South Fork American River and the white-water rafting, please watch out for cars, the bridge is narrow! Highly recommend stopping by this place.