Great beginners trail for toddlers! My daughter is 16 months old and did this walk. We got there at 10 and left at 1. We saw only a few people on the trail on a week day. Saw only a handful of dinosaurs. Wouldn't recommend a stroller, you'd have to pick it up at some points, but is maybe doable. Really nice river spot to relax at maybe half way, 3/4 of the way. It's an easy loop to follow. Starts at one side of the parking lot and ends at the other. read more

Dave Moore Nature Area - Lots of rocks to climb - Hiking Near Me - Lotus, California

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This is a nearby nature haven for families. Lots of free parking right off the road. Pit toilet in the parking lot. Down an accessible path about half a mile is a nice beach on the river. Sandy. Rocks to sit on and throw! The path is wide and mostly poison oak free. Along the path your kids will find small toys hidden on the rock walls, in the madrone bushes, hanging from the puzzle-bark pines. Nice picnic areas have been cleared of brush and poison oak and have picnic tables. Our four-year old loved the walk, enjoyed the beach, and managed the return hike, too! We could have stayed all afternoon if we had thought to bring a blanket and sand toys. Next time we will also bring small toys to add to the fun of the search! This is a loop trail, a little over a mile, but only the first half mile is wide, accessible and clear of poison oak. We returned via this trail because the rest of the loop narrows and poison oak was everywhere. Older kids might like it. read more

Dave Moore Nature Area - Trail head sign - Hiking Near Me - Lotus, California

The Dave Moore Nature Area is owned and maintained by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It's a flat, 1 mile hiking loop that brings you to the South Fork of the American River. The hike takes you through several habitats, all gorgeous, at least it was a few days ago when I hiked it. This place is awesome! First of all, there is no fee. It's free to park and enter. Secondly, prior hikers have left little dinosaur figures along the trail for others to find. It's fun to try to spot them or move them about. Of course it would be 100 years of bad luck if you stole 'em. Thirdly, there is lots to look at along this short hike. There is the mushroom rock. It's two stacked granite boulders with a soft layer of decomposed granite in between. It's an awesome selfie shot. You can crawl about the rocks. There is another outcropping of large granite columns further down the trail. Those are too large to crawl about. It reminded me a bit of the of the American traveling stones on the Tv show Outlander. I walked about them, but still stayed in the present time. Anyways, the other neat things were the tailing pilings from the gold mining days. Chinese laborers in the 1860s built the rock walls along the trail. Those were built to channel the creek water. There are Ponderosa pines, cedars, wildflowers, and native plants to view. There is a beautiful California Madrone tree right along the trail. But darn it, selfish folks have carved into the branches vandalizing it and broke branches off. That definitely is not good for the lifespan of the tree. I don't advise going off trail into the brush, there are critters that you don't want to bump into such as rattlesnakes and bobcats. Plus there is poison oak out there. There is river access. Beautiful to look at. It's limited to a small rocky area, not large enough to spread out and lounge about though. Plus the river current is fast and strong even in a few feet. It's not a swim area. It's worth repeating again.. it's not a swim area! The site is located about two miles west of the Marshall Gold Discovery Park on Highway 49. They do have a porta toilet near the trailhead but no washing facilities. The entry road and parking lot is packed dirt. There is no picnic area, BBQs are not allowed for the obvious reason. Don't be the doofus that starts a forest fire. read more

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It's hard to believe I have been coming out here for over 10 years, and only just now getting around to reviewing it. Back then I might see a couple of friendly faces on the trail, now even in winter I will likely meet a dozen people on the trail. This weekend we came to see how the storms affected the trail. Multiple trees have fallen over on to the trail, branches were bent down or broken, the mash off the trail next to the river now contains at least one sink hole. After my daughter was born this was the first trail we brought her to, all bundled up. One of the regulars stopped to chat, he hadn't expected us to push a stroller over the boulders. The storms seem to have covered some of the smaller boulders in mud and shifted others which actually makes that section of the trail easier for littles. Over all the trail is still safe to walk just be ready to duck under branches and go over some trees. As the weather gets warmer a hat will be a good idea! read more

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Love this place! A real gem for kids, magical! free parking, outhouse restroom. Nice river access too!

Have your kids ever wanted to go on a Dinosaur hunt? Then this is a great Nature trail for your family. Little Dinosaurs are lurking in the forest can you find them? Kids will need to look up high and down low to find them. In the grass or on the rocks, hanging from a branch or up high in a tree. Kids are free to move the dinosaurs to new areas on the trail But be sure not to take any home that way more kids can go on a Dinosaur hunt in the forest. Once down at the river there was plenty of space to sit on a rock and eat our lunch while social distancing from others during this time. Just be careful near the river as the water is fast moving. The trail is easy to moderate. From the parking lot trail sign on the right when you pull we took the trail on this side. It is alittle more gradual walking you down to river and not as steep as the other side. On the trail you will see a couple little bridges and cool rocks formations. Going up the other side wasn't too bad but I was glad we went the side we started on from the right side of trail. There are a couple picnic tables along the way to stop and rest if needed. Remember to keep a close lookout you never know where a dinosaur or two will be hiding. We took our 4 year old granddaughter loved the adventure and the trail was no issue for her. We saw younger kids her age and some older kids about 8-9 yrs old with parents at the river and on the trails. Have fun read more

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Fun family nature trail well suited for ages 3-12. It's fairly level with some fun rock climbing areas, the beautiful adjacent river and sandy beach, and best of all the dinosaur hunt. Our grandkids had loads of fun and we had an easy hike. read more

Dave Moore Nature Area - River area stop along the trail. - Hiking Near Me - Lotus, California

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I thank Dave Moor every time I arrive here, this place is wonderful! From the easy trail to the river, to exploring this area, prior to BLM taking it over, it was dredged by placerville gold mining company ( I think that was the company) and there are tailing piles throughout this entire area. Mostly covered up with D.G. (Decomposed Granite) over the top of the tailing piles to even things out, the dredges missed some gold, as artifacts have been found, a piece of old dredge plate with 3/8" holes punched through to allow the small material to fall out.. I've got to say, this is a very interesting spot for any history buff that loves the old timers and is fascinated with the yeller stuff (ahem) The poison oak is everywhere, but if it doesn't bother you, then explore around. Someone talked about rattlers though as many times as I have visited here, I have yet to see any in the last 4 years Very fortunate to live near this place, if you see some trash, pick it up along the way, as it seems blm no longer clears the paths or cleans up. The place is becoming a tinder box over the last few years, so be careful Great for the kids and elderly! Thank you Dave! read more

Used to be a nice morning trip, but flooding has transformed the larger extent of the riverside and fallen trees have made some difficult terrain of a few points in the walk. There is a restroom in the parking lot, as well as a trash can at both entrances. It is a nature loop so it's a nice experience and can be done in 30-40mins. read more

Very easy trail for young children and even my parents who are minimally active seniors. Look for tiny dinosaurs on this trail! It provides a nice distraction for littles along the way and is a bit fun for adults too honestly. read more

We discovered this Nature Area on a recent camping trip. A bit of history of the area; Dave Moore worked for the Bureau of Land Management as a Conservation Ranger. He was stricken with multiple sclerosis at age 35 & forced to retire. His disability brought to his co-workers such an awareness of the struggle faced by disabled persons that they developed a nature area for the physically challenged along the South Fork of the American River. It is about a one mile loop trail which goes from the parking lot trail head to the South Fork American River and back again. They say it is easy for wheel chairs & strollers, but only certain parts. The trail is well maintained, but there also is rocks, roots, ups & downs. A nice area to stop about half way thru the trail, along the river and watch local rafting tours float by. Bring water bottles with you. Be aware of your surroundings...this is prime rattlesnake country. read more

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First time ever the grandkids called it the dinosaur trail. They found toy dinosaurs throughout the trail in trees, on the rocks and they replaced them in different locations for other kids to find. It was like Easter eggs looking for them they had a blast. The 2 yr old and 4 yr old's helped each other. So peaceful. read more

We were looking for a quick afternoon hike on a dog friendly trail and found Dave Moor NA after doing quick web search. Dave Moore is an awesome place to bring your dogs for a quick nature hit, without going too far from home or having to really gear up for a full dose of nature. Off leash is perfectly fine here, and if you keep your pooch on a leash, you'll be in the minority. There is a nicely maintained mile long loop trail here with a detour down to the American River if you want to get a little wet. I can see it being a little rough on a crowded day and the mile loop does feel a little short. Still, its a nice little area that I will come back to. read more

I had quite the time trying to find this trail because if you follow the directions on yelp it tells you to turn onto Deloro Ln but instead you keep going about 800 ft and that's the turn. Don't be fooled as I was. read more

Dave Moore Nature Area is a very easy/short/flat hike that is great for kids or the elderly. Half of the trail is well taken care of and the other half is a bit more rugged. I brought my 6 year old and it was a fine hike for him. One guy we passed mentioned just having a hip replacement.... which gives you an idea of how mellow this trail is. There are a few picnic benches, a well-maintained outhouse, and the trail has river access. We walked down to the river and found a group of soccer-moms and their brood of naked children playing in the water. It was weird so we kept walking and found a bench far away from the naked children to have our lunch. An added bonus, the drive up beautiful and its near Coloma state park, where Gold was first discovered in CA. A double added bonus, the park and parking are free. read more

This is a nice half day or quarter day trip. The trail here is handicap accessible. The hike to the river only takes about 10min. There are really pretty flowers and cool looking lizards in the summertime. My favorite thing here are the hamburger rocks. By the time you reach the river, you'll probably need a cool down from the Coloma sun. Fortunately there are a couple small uncrowded beaches here. Another perk is that parking is easy and free for the day. read more