Click here FOR UPDATED TRAIL MAP - MAY 2009
Hidden Falls Regional Park opened to the public on October 30, 2006.
The 221-acre open space park is located at 7587 Mears Place, north of Mt. Vernon Road between Auburn and Lincoln(Click for location map). Features of the new park include seven miles of natural surface trails suitable for hiking, running, biking and horseback riding (Click for a map of the Trails System)
In addition to the more vigorous activities on the natural surface trails, park visitors are able to enjoy fishing, picnicking, wildlife viewing, photography and other passive recreational pursuits. A paved, accessible trail is also available, which begins near the parking lot and winds through a live oak grove and picnic areas.
Outstanding natural features at Hidden Falls include Coon Creek and Deadman Creek, groves of blue oak woodlands and a year-round waterfall, 20-30 foot high.
Other park amenities include a paved access road, 50-space paved parking lot, equestrian staging area, utilities, restrooms and a 60-foot emergency-access bridge over Deadman Creek.
Hidden Falls Regional Park, formerly known as Didion Ranch, was acquired under the Placer Legacy Open Space and Agricultural Conservation Program. Placer Legacy is a voluntary program to conserve open space, help preserve the local farm economy, protect native plants and wildlife, and provide more passive recreation opportunities to the public.
Adjacent to this section of Hidden Falls is a 961-acre property that the county also acquired through Placer Legacy, previously called “Spears Ranch.” The county has begun an environmental-review process which must be completed before making improvements to the second site. Together, the two parcels comprise almost 1,200 acres of open space - including three miles of Coon Creek.
Hidden Falls - including the Spears Ranch parcel - has been described by Supervisor Robert Weygandt as the “crown jewel” of the county’s award-winning Placer Legacy program created by the Board of Supervisors about eight years ago.
To visit the park, take Atwood Road west from Highway 49 in Auburnuntil it becomes Mt. Vernon Road. Follow Mt. Vernon Rd. to Mears Road(about 3.5 miles from DeWitt Center). Turn right (north) on Mears Roadand follow to Mears Place. Park hours are from one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset daily.
For more information, please visit the Placer County web site. If you would like to make a financial contribution toward Hidden Falls Regional Park, or to become a park volunteer, please call Placer County Parks Administrator John Ramirez at 530-889-6807.