2025 PARC Scholarship Essay Contest
Up to $3000 in Total Scholarship Awards
​Entry Deadline is March 15, 2025

Contestants must be high school seniors, and residents of Placer, Nevada or El Dorado County, but may attend school in another county.

​See the essay topic and links to the entry form and rules here.
News about the Bear River and the proposed Centennial Dam
The Centennial Dam, which was proposed to be constructed on the Bear River, is dead.

Nevada Irrigation District Board of Directors voted to end the project on September 25. The Board adopted a resolution to remove Centennial Dam from consideration.

There are questions about what will now happen to the riverfront lands that NID bought in anticipation of building the dam. What will happen to the river? Will there still be public access?

To find out more, to join in the discussion, or to join online Zoom updates, presentations, interviews, and Q&As, visit the website of Bear PARC, the Bear Protection And Restoration Collaborative​.
https://bearparc.com/
Video of PARC Celebrating 50 years is now on our YouTube Channel.
PARC Celebrates 50 Years - view YouTube playlist
PARC newsletter The Confluence December 2023
Bridge Debris Funding Bill Signed by Governor Newsom! Huge victory! See more here.
China Bar Vehicle Access Open Seven Days A Week
Auburn Bus Route to the American River Confluence
Auburn State Recreation Area:
See the ASRA website for Up-to-date information about what is open now, current closures, and visitor guidelines
New edition of American River Canyon Hikes
Practical Guides to Trails in the Canyons of the North and Middle Forks American River
by Jim Ferris, Michael Lynch, and Sheila Toner
4th Edition - Expanded and Revised, published 2020 by
Auburn State Recreation Area Canyon Keepers
American River Trails Bandanna Map featuring the popular trails in the Cool, China Bar and Confluence areas - updated version now available for purchase here
Auburn State Recreation Area Trails & River Map
See information on our Citizen Science page
Picture
Codfish Falls Nature Discovery Trail
Ponderosa Way Reopens Friday, November 17th!
The bridge has been replaced and the road has been graveled on the Weimar side. Both the north and south sides have been graded. Vehicle access and parking at the ever popular Codfish Falls Trailhead has been restored.

The 1935 one lane steel and wood Parker pony truss bridge's deck and foundation were determined to be structurally unsound in 2020 by the Bureau of Reclamation. The original bridge was taken down and replaced with a "modern" steel beam and concrete deck bridge in 2023.

The original, massive 800 mile Depression Era Ponderosa Way Firebreak Project initiated by the US Forest Service on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains was designed to separate the Ponderosa Pine forests from the Central Valley. The project included roads and bridges for emergency vehicles and employed approximately 4,800 Civilian Conservation Corps workers.
 Big Thanks to all who participated in the American River Earth Day Cleanup and activities on April 23, 2022! You really made a difference!
China Bar Vehicle Access Open Seven Day A Week Beginning January 4, 2022
The Auburn State Recreation Area is expanding vehicle access to the American River Canyon at China Bar to seven days a week on January 4th from 7:00 a.m. to sunset, twelve years after it first opened on January 1, 2010. 

The Birdsall and Oregon Bar river access dirt/gravel roads are included. Wet weather could force temporary closure of these roads.
  
The area is very popular for fishermen, swimmers, picnickers, hikers, runners, equestrian and mountain bike riders. The area also provides important access for rafters paddling from the Confluence and kayakers refining their paddling skills at the Pump Station Rapids aka Auburn's Aquatic River Park.



The man made Pump Station Rapids and paved portage trail at China Bar provide easy access for multiple paddle  adventures.



A recreational bridge crossing of the river at China Bar and trail improvements that would benefit all trail users are concept plans that were included in the recently approved ASRA General Plan update.
Bus artwork designed by Laurel Mathe of Mystic Design
Auburn Bus Route to the American River Confluence
Confluence Route
Make your day on the American River easy and stress-free, with a round-trip ride and no parking hassles.
Friday-Sunday, April 1-October 1
Rides to the Confluence
530-906-1138

Service Enhancements to Auburn Transit’s Confluence Route

Starting Friday, April 8th, 2022, the Confluence Route will be serviced through Auburn On-Demand. All rides can be scheduled at your convenience any point during service hours using the TransLoc App. It is simple and at your fingertips to request a ride. The bus stops will remain the same. Service hours are  9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Friday through Sunday. For additional information, please call the Confluence Route direct line (530) 906-2118 or the On-Demand phone (530) 906-3171.
Prices remain the same: $3.50 for general passengers and $1.75 for senior, youth or disabled.

See more about the Confluence Route here.
https://www.auburn.ca.gov/585/Confluence-Route

See more about Auburn Transit here:
https://www.auburn.ca.gov/192/Transit-Services