If you're in the Bay Area and are looking for a low-key weekend escape from reality (damn you Trump!), I suggest giving California's Gold Country a try. With hundreds of miles of diverse hiking trails and quaint little towns that are ripe with history, Gold Country is truly a sight to behold.
But when you only have 24 hours here, where do you go? What do you do? Where do you eat? My girlfriend and I faced this exact "first-world" problem recently when we decided to make a spontaneous day-trip out to the wild California east.
Even if you are only in this wondrous area for a fleeting moment, you have to check out the Auburn-Foresthill Bridge. We stopped by after lunch and o my goodness the experience was BREATHTAKING!
Located 730 feet (!!!) above ground, the Foresthill Bridge is the tallest bridge in California. Coming into this structural masterpiece, we had already gotten a sense of how massive and picturesque the bridge was based off of pictures from the Interwebs. But dang, Foresthill was definitely one of those instances where you had to be in person to experience the magic in its entirety. It was awe-inspiring, domineering, and drop-dead beautiful.
There are two ways to see the bridge: Above and below. To see it from the ground level, you can park along the North Fork American River and stare at the sheer size of the bridge while swimming gracefully in calm (for the most part) waters. From high up, you can actually drive all the way to the bridge itself. A lot of people cross the bridge frequently to get to and from Auburn/Foresthill. I definitely recommend this view because then you can appreciate how tall this beast is. From the bridge, everything below seemingly looked like ants. And from the top, you can actually walk ACROSS THE BRIDGE! It was a bit windy and scary for me, but you can do it if you're brave enough.
But for the most daring of souls, I highly encourage y'all to take one of the many hiking trails in the area and actually ascend up to the bridge! The landscape is quite scenic, the paths are paved, and if you get lost just look up!
When planning a trip out to Foresthill Bridge, just note that it's about 40 or so minutes from Sacramento (probably 3ish from the Bay Area). Getting there from the freeway is quite simple. If coming from Interstate 80, just exit Foresthill road and it'll be about five minutes until you see the bridge. For those taking Highway 49 (AKA Gold Country road), exit off Old Foresthill Road and then follow it until the bridge (about 20 minutes?). If you just want to take a snapshot of Foresthill from above, there's free parking right next to the bridge. I don't think there's actually a "time limit" but space can get tight. From below, I do believe you have to purchase a permit ($10?) as a lot of people come by just to swim in the river.
I don't know why I do this to myself. I absolutely hate heights but I LOVE hiking peaks and checking out tall bridges. I think it's because the view is just so breathtaking that the opportunity can't be passed up. The same thing applied to Foresthill Bridge. You'll probably have to pay me life insurance before I walk across that thing, but gosh darnit I'll drive 2 hours to this place in order to get a view from the top. And for that reason I'll give this place an "Omg, I'd travel 2 hours for this" rating. Check it out. You won't regret it.
Have fun and prosper, read more