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    Ponderosa Way Bridge Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Ponderosa Way Bridge

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    Very narrow dirt road
    Micki M.

    I love swimming and sunning. I am obsessed with finding swimming holes in my area and this is a good one! Living in NorCal, there are numerous swimming holes to choose from, and this is one! The only drawback is that you are driving five miles in a one lane dirt road. I wouldn't suggest you drive here in anything other than a 4WD, but people do it, and I don't recommend it. Although the five miles can be long especially on a windy, bumpy road...this swimming hole is well worth the drive! It's perfect! Not as crowded as some of your other swimming holes and clean port a potties! People are really respectful and not much riff-raff. I say this because one of our favorite swimming holes has become quite popular and in my recent trips, we noticed so much trash and people disrespecting the rules. People!! Pick up after yourselves! This place isn't as crowded and we didn't see any broken glass or trash being left behind. The water is just as inviting as our favorite hole and the water is just as refreshing. The water was calm and there's a lot of sandy beach areas. I'll come back again next year!

    Gregg R.

    Awesome bridge at the bottom of Ponderosa Way from Weimar. You have to go down a very rocky, narrow non paved road to get to the bridge. I did it on my cross bike and it was a harrowing descent down to the bottom. Many rocks and washed out road sections to get to the bottom. When you get there, you are rewarded with this gorgeous bridge. Take a picture as then it's a long ride back up to the top!

    Secret selfie spot
    Michael M.

    I absolutely love coming to this place. Ever since I found out about this place a few months ago, I just can't stop coming here. First of all when you try to get to this place, Google Maps will lead you to a place where the road kind of ends. And when I mean that the road will and I'm talking about the paved Road will end. This is not mean that you stop driving, you have to start driving onto the unpaved portion of the trail which will lead you all the way down to the bridge. I must warn everyone that when they come here, please be prepared to drive on some really bumpy Terrain. I drive a crossover vehicle and even with my vehicle I kind of had to take it just a little bit slow so that way I don't damage my undercarriage on my vehicle. Surprisingly, I see some regular Passenger cars that drive onto this road. It makes me wonder how the heck do these vehicles even make it out onto this road! Also, this road is a shared road so I highly advise everyone to be aware of what's in front of them and to share the road with everyone who uses it. Once you get down to the very end of the road you will reach the bridge. This is where you can park your vehicle, keep in mind that there is absolutely no parking on the side of the road except for when you reach the bridge because as I said earlier the road is very narrow and it is shared with oncoming traffic. Once you reach the bridge, you will find that there is a pay station although at this time I think that it is not applicable because there are no more envelopes in there. Also, there are two porta-potties and there is a lockable trash can for dumping your trash into there. The bridge itself can support vehicles including large vans. I just saw one van drive across it today. I do not know where the other side of the road goes but I believe it's farther inland. There is a painted sign on the bridge says no diving off of the bridge. This is probably due to the fact that the floor of the river is quite shallow from the surface or the river so if you want to dive off of it you can potentially hit your head. Quite often you can see River rafts and kayaks come through this River. There's also a Trail off to the side which you can hyconn and it will take you about 30 to 45 minutes if you are walking to reach the waterfall area. There was also some turn offs from the main path which can lead you to the River Bar and there is another turn off which is very technical but if you can do it you can scale up the side of a mountain to get to a secret spot to take selfies at but keep in mind you are on your own and if you hurt yourself that is just too bad. I get this place of Solid 5 stars! If you like to come and get away from the noisy City and get some peace in mind being out in nature than this is the place to hit up.

    Helen H.

    I'm glad we came in a SUV, because it was a bumpy ride. I wouldn't want to drive there myself on the narrow and steep road. I'm nervous when it comes to driving on bridges as well. There's parking right before the bridge, so we went over it and back for nothing. A sign stated there's a $10 entrance fee but there was nobody collecting money. The Codfish Creek Falls Discovery Trail is easy to navigate for a beginner hiker. It's 2.4 miles roundtrip. The American River was to the left of us as we hiked up. The trail is narrow with lots of trees providing shade. There was a porta-potty along the way, but I would never think of using it. The trail leads you to a waterfall at the end. The waterfall was weak though, since we went in January and there hasn't been much rainfall. Luckily, none of us saw any poison oak.

    1.7 mile hike is perfect for little ones!
    Alicia R.

    This is a year round GEM! Up until last weekend, my experience with this place had been going out here almost every weekend in the summer (when I wasn't knocked up that is). Amazing swimming location with rocks to jump off of, an "island" in the middle of the river to set up your easy up and chairs, and a nice slow flow to the river so little ones are ok to swim. (But no lifeguard available, so just keep that in mind if you do let your kids swim). By far my favorite river locale in Sacramento to hang out at. I had always seen the beginning of the hiking trail, but until last weekend had never tried it. It is a mostly flat, 1.7 mile (each way) hike to a waterfall that was RAGING when we visited last weekend after all of our recent rain! The kids had a blast - my two preschoolers did it in about 3 hours, including the time spent hanging out at the waterfall. Our littlest hikers - 2 and 9 months - conked out about halfway through, so if your babies are small bring a good child carrier backpack! There are porta potties at the head of the trail, as is the ranger "station" in the summer time. Parking is $10 per day, although when we went last weekend the box for dropping day fees was gone. In the summer however, the rangers are out all day, especially on the weekends.

    Old Coal Transporting Bridge at "ponderosa way bridge"

    Went to the wrong ponderosa way bridge, please be careful of your directions as these pictures interpreted a bridge in Weimar by google maps gave us a bridge in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Please don't drive a regular car down this road. My 94' Toyota Corolla sounded like it was being ripped apart every time we hit a bump or ran over the bushes in the middle of the path. Had 2 mental breakdowns on the way down and back up, make sure you go to the right one!!!!

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    8 years ago

    A nice place to go too, water was nice and clean the road was a little rough but all in all it was a nice and clean place to go too

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    Ask the Community - Ponderosa Way Bridge

    Review Highlights - Ponderosa Way Bridge

    I had always seen the beginning of the hiking trail, but until last weekend had never tried it.

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    Old Bear River Bridge

    Old Bear River Bridge

    3.5(2 reviews)
    6.9 mi

    Old Bear River Bridge, also called, "Bear River Historic Bridge," is located near Colfax, CA. The…read morebridge is located next to a taller and more modern bridge that is part of Route 174. This pair of bridges is about two miles to the north of Route 80. From Colfax, take Route 174 (also called, Colfax Highway) to the north. Route 174 crosses over a modern bridge, and once you've crossed this modern bridge you will find a turn-off that brings you into a dirt parking lot. Park your car in this lot. At one end of this parking lot is a stone monument with a plaque on it. Just beyond this stone monument is the north side of Old Bear River Bridge. The bridge is great for pedestrians, and vistors can gaze at the rushing waters arriving from Lake Rollins to the east. Visitors can also gaze at the waters rushing to the west and tumbling over boulders in the Bear River. Bear River continues for about nine miles until it reaches Lake Combie. The plaque has the following paragraph of writing on it: "OLD BEAR RIVER BRIDGE. Since 1852 bridges near this site have served as the gateway to western Nevada County. This 1924 span was the first concrete bridge at this site and features a Roman style single arch design, constructed in a continuous pour method. The Colfax Highway Association led a citizens group that saved the bridge from the wrecker's ball in 1986, and placed this monument in 1992." The pedestrian walkway on Old Bear River Bridge is about 20 feet lower down than Route 174, which crosses over the modern bridge. Because Old Bear River Bridge is lower, the modern bridge does not obscure the views to the west. An interesting sight from the southern end of Old Bear River Bridge is an aqueduct. This aqueduct is built on a hill rising from the southern banks of Bear River. Regarding the northern bank of Bear River, what is found here is a hiking trail that follows the river and takes you in a westerly direction. The trailhead is located near the stone monument (mentioned above), and the trail first takes you under the modern bridge, and then into a forest. I took this trail for about 20 minutes through the forest. From this trail, you are rewarded with occasional views of the Bear River below. Also, from this trail that are several small dirt trails that branch off from the main trail and lead you along a 50-foot descent down to the river's edge. ATTACHED PHOTOGRAPHS. 1. Plaque installed at north side of Old Bear River Bridge. 2. View downstream of Old Bear River Bridge, showing that the modern bridge is about 20 feet higher up than Old Bear River Bridge. 3. View of most of Old Bear River Bridge. I took this photograph from the trail that passes under the modern bridge (and under Route 174). 4. Aqueduct that is visible from the southern end of Old Bear River Bridge. 5. Looking east from Old Bear River Bridge. You can see little waterfalls. 6. Looking west from Old Bear River Bridge. From this vantage spot, you can see little waterfalls. 7. View of the dirt trail, showing a hiker wearing an orange backpack. 8. View of Bear River from the dirt trail.

    The view of the river from the bridge is very nice, but unfortunately there is a lot of trash and…read moregraffiti which spoil the experience. We did not walk the trail, so maybe if you do that and get away from the parking area and bridges it is better.

    Photos
    Old Bear River Bridge
    Old Bear River Bridge
    Old Bear River Bridge

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    Old Town Auburn - 9/16/22 Cool name and spot to take a break

    Old Town Auburn

    4.4(19 reviews)
    10.4 mi

    From my separate City of Auburn review:…read more Auburn is an attractive city, especially Old Town Auburn, which attracts passersby on the highway between Reno and Sacramento with the quaint architecture on a hill flanked by a giant sculpture. Its small-town charm is likely why movies like Rocky and Bullwinkle, Breakdown, Wisdom, and xXx had scenes shot here, but the town relates most to the 1996 John Travolta movie Phinome Phenomin Phenomm Look Who's Talking. The guy who discovered gold here in 1849 was memorialized by Ken Fox with a 45-ton concrete (rebar and wire mesh) statue at the entrance of Old Town. Ken Fox was a dentist able to do this in between teeth cleanings and forcing customers to look at super close-up pictures of their teeth in order to sell "special deep teeth cleaning" by the quadrant. This dentist has more "Great Statues" in the area which you'd likely find ful-"filling". Get it? Anyway, it's right off the highway, so stop there and check out Old Town. (Check my reviews on Edelweis 2 and the California Club)

    Quality/Quantity - What a cool active town, see pictures…read more(and/or their website) of some current events. This might be our new pit stop...? Or a designated location? We usually go to downtown Auburn, so I am glad we came to Old Town this time. Atmosphere - Cool historic town. Lots of locally owned shops. Plenty of places to eat. Walk friendly but not sure if ADA friendly. Dog friendly, at least at the brewery. :) Service - Good, everyone we met was friendly. Price - Depends on where you shop, eat, and drink. Owner Comment - What a great fun town, looking forward to coming back soon when I have more time.

    Photos
    Old Town Auburn - 9/16/22 Cool, current promotion

    9/16/22 Cool, current promotion

    Old Town Auburn
    Old Town Auburn - 9/16/22 Local brewery

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    9/16/22 Local brewery

    Lake Oroville State Recreation Area - Trees perfect for setting up hammocks.

    Lake Oroville State Recreation Area

    3.9(35 reviews)
    46.4 mi

    Went camping over the weekend at Loafer Creek. Stayed in site 94. They've cleared a lot of the…read moreunderbrush around that site so not nearly as much privacy as in previous years. The a holes in spot 132 decided to party until 4 o'clock in the morning and keep everybody up. Thanks for that. Lots of clean bathrooms, and a central shower area in the first loop provides reasonably priced showers with both hot and cold water. Apparently, there are no evening patrols in this particular campground. No enforcement of the reasonable time to be quiet. When we informed the people at the gate on the way out, they just looked at us blankly. I guess we'll have to contact the district office. Cell phone reception was mixed. People with AT&T did not seem to have good cell phone reception in most places. I have T-Mobile and got two bars in most places. My friend who had Verizon had full service and 5G If you get a chance, go to the waffle shop in town. That's literally the name of the restaurant. See Rachel at the counter for excellent service. Also in the area not to be missed is Jake's burgers.

    This place is so cleaned up and so nice it has everything it has the lake going through it it has a…read moreplay array with these little bears in it that the kids can sit on kind of thing it has toys they can ride on it's beautiful it's clean it's monitored with some security driving through once in awhile I was so impressed after seeing the other place the bedrock place and I was so disappointed this place was a thing of beauty

    Photos
    Lake Oroville State Recreation Area - Large parking spots to fit 4 cars at our site #27.

    Large parking spots to fit 4 cars at our site #27.

    Lake Oroville State Recreation Area - Jake's burgers Staff

    Jake's burgers Staff

    Lake Oroville State Recreation Area

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    Yankee Jim's Bridge - This is at the waterfall

    Yankee Jim's Bridge

    4.2(5 reviews)
    3.4 mi

    We have always loved coming to Yankee Jim's! Unfortunately…read morethe swim hole is closed for the next 4 years due to construction of the new bridge on top. So sad but so excited to go back!

    Ok...my sister came here yesterday...and I love waterfalls so I asked here where it was…read more This place is located in colfax ca. If you type in Yankee Jim's bridge...it will come up on Google maps...please download the map...BECAUSE YOU WILL LOSE SERVICE. Once you get on Yankee Jim's road...it is paved...then turns into a dirt road for about 3 miles. You need to drive slow...no rails...and a long drop.. some places are narrow...and yes a car can drive on that road. I have a civic and had no problems. But drive slow...some people go a little faster...there are little pot holes here and there. You can drive across the bridge...I did...my mom was scared...but not me... Once you arrive at the bridge...there is a portapotty...and a few places to park. If you drive over the bridge...there is additional parking...and stairs that lead to a path to the river. If you keep driving just about .25 miles more...you will see a beautiful waterfall on your left... There is a 3 mile hike to a beautiful swimming hole...I did not go there...but you can see pictures on Google. This place is so beautiful...I saw people with kayaks and fishing poles. The path to the river can be accessed from a trail to right of portapotty...or by stairs across the bridge. I would recommend coming here if your looking for a day trip...or something to do.

    Photos
    Yankee Jim's Bridge - Main Swimming area from half way down trail

    Main Swimming area from half way down trail

    Yankee Jim's Bridge - River from road

    River from road

    Yankee Jim's Bridge

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    Donner Summit Bridge - 01.01.25 views from the Rainbow Bridge

    Donner Summit Bridge

    4.9(8 reviews)
    39.9 mi

    Background On Donner Summit Bridge: The Donner Summit Bridge, also known as the Rainbow Bridge, is…read morenamed after the Donner Summit, a high point in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The Donner Summit is significant because it was the location where the Donner Party struggled to survive the winter in 1846-47. Background On Visit: Might as well visit the place if i'm already in the area. Location/Parking: The bridge is located on Donner Pass Road and is next to Donner Lake Overlook. There's parking before the bridge and if parking has been taken, you can park over at the Donner Lake Overlook. Ambiance/Decor: Nice ambiance with great views of Sierra Nevada Mountains and Donner Lake. You can also visualize how tough it was for the Donner party to maneuver through the tough terrain with the freezing temps. Luckily on the day that I visited, the weather was absolutely beautiful and there was some snow that hasn't melted on the Sierra Nevada mountain. Donner Summit Bridge For Thought: I would like to come again and drive on the bridge.

    Also known as the Rainbow Bridge [Truckee CA]…read more As we were making our way up Donner Pass Road we had a good view of the bridge from below and in my mind it reminded me of the Bixby Bridge in Big Sur as it was built around the same period and has a very similar style. Donner Pass Road is a scenic road that runs through the Sierra Nevada mountains between Truckee and Reno NV. As we arrived at the bridge we pulled off onto the parking lot on the side and enjoyed stunning views of the mountains, Truckee River and Donner Lake below. A plaque on the bridge read "Dedicated to the pioneers who blazed the overland trail through these mountains." This beautiful bridge was restored in 1995 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Review #3558

    Photos
    Donner Summit Bridge - 01.01.25 Donner Memorial Bridge -- aka Rainbow Bridge - Donner Summit, California

    01.01.25 Donner Memorial Bridge -- aka Rainbow Bridge - Donner Summit, California

    Donner Summit Bridge - 01.01.25 taking a scenic drive up Old Highway 40 to the iconic Rainbow Bridge

    01.01.25 taking a scenic drive up Old Highway 40 to the iconic Rainbow Bridge

    Donner Summit Bridge - 01.01.25 Happy New Year view of the Rainbow Bridge

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    01.01.25 Happy New Year view of the Rainbow Bridge

    Ponderosa Way Bridge - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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