I hope everyone has had an opportunity to spend some quality time with family before school gets back into full swing. That doesn't mean the fun stops, just that school studies come first. We took this last weekend before school and hit up of favorite swim hole. Edwards Crossing has been a staple for the last three years and we weren't about to let it slip through the cracks.
Getting there is easy. Take 80 North towards Lake Tahoe, exit onto Hwy 49 heading North towards Grass Valley. After passing Grass Valley you will come to Nevada City. Here you will make a left and continue on Hwy 49 towards Downieville. Once you make your left and continue on Hwy 49 you will take your first right onto Coyote St. Follow it until it T's into North Bloomfield Rd. Go right onto N. Bloomfield and continue down until you come to Edwards Crossing. There is parking before the bridge and some on the other side of the bridge as well. The last couple of miles of N. Bloomfield Rd. is a steep downhill grade that's only a little more than a one lane road. Drive very cautiously, please. The drive to the parking area from Sacramento is about 68 miles.
Edwards Crossing was constructed in 1904 so that traffic to and from the mine (Malakoff Diggins) could cross the South Yuba River. This beautiful green steel 114-foot bridge has an unusual three-hinged metal arch, triangular members and steel pins and was built by the American Bridge Company. This historic bridge was the main access to North Bloomfield (Malakoff Diggings SHP.) from Nevada City. I really love this bridge with it's combination of steel girders and wooden roadway.
This place makes everyone feel young at heart. I remember last year my dad did a cannonball off one of large rocks, at the end of the day he said it was the most fun he's had in a long time. I also remember on that very same trip it was raining when we arrived and as we walked the trail down to the river the drops got bigger but by the time we reached the water the clouds started to disapate and the sun starting to peek out and it made a beautiful rainbow. You should get here as early as possible to get a good spot to set up base because this place is popular. You may encounter people drinking and hooping and hollering and even playing the occasional instrument. There are aways families down here with kids so it's a good place for your kids to be social and make new friends. As any river spot goes it's not unusual for people to lay out without clothes (just FYI). Gold panning is also popular here as well, the kids asked this guy who was working a sluice box near us all kinds of questions that he ever so politely answered.
Quest for gold
Papi cannonballing back in 07.2010
There is a vault toilet at the parking area, unfortunately it is pretty stinky so we usually make a stop at a gas station in either Grass Valley or Nevada City to unload before we get here. Bring lots of water! You will need to hydrate! During the day the sun is very strong so bring waterproof sunscreen, hats and if possible some form of shade whether it be an umbrella or a sun shade canopy. Also, there is poison oak along the trails so keep an eye out. It's not too bad but still...
We had been anticipating this trip for a while and it sure was nice to play in the water. Due to the massive snow pack this winter the water was too swift and too cold earlier in the season. I love my children and I'm not making any more so safety is #1. That being said, the water was spectacular!! It was warm, clear and slow moving which makes for a great day at the river.
As you walk over the bridge if you look to your right, around the bend out of view is where we usually hang out. There are rocks to jump off, rocky and sandy beaches to lie out on and swim holes to explore. We didn't go this way because we noticed there were a lot of people, more than usual, so we went to the left. Note: Bring goggles, there's a lot of Brown and Rainbow Trout swimming around. My kids enjoy following them, and there were so many over 9". This was our first time on this side of the bridge so we were unsure where the best spots were. The spot we found was just before the trail goes around the bend, at this point there are sandy beaches a plenty and the one we chose was across the river. After setting up base the kids jumped back in the water and started to explore the area, we found just a little ways downstream there was a good area to chase fish, there were so many! And if you pay attention you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of some small brown and orange non-poisonous snakes, we saw three and they were all of 12" in lenght. We tried to catch one be we weren't quick enough.
While we were having fun my baby found a pair of sunglasses in the water and a few minutes before that I found a yellow scooper wedged between some rocks at the bottom of the river. Every time we go we find something, the time before that I found some fellows California Drivers Licence at the bottom of a swim hole, the funny thing was when I looked at the picture the guy looked familiar. That's because earlier I swam past him while swimming upriver, boy was he surprised! As I approached him I said his name (I can't remember it, adult ADD) and that I hadn't seen him in a while, he looked perplexed. I then pulled out his I.D. out of my pocket and asked him if he lost something, he smiled as he searched all of his pockets. He was happy and I had a good story. Another time my baby found a gold necklace while wading through the water. You never know what gifts the river has in store for you.
After eating our fruit and sandwiches we headed back up the river to go to our old spot hoping the crowd had diminished. To our suprise they had so we dropped our gear on the rocky beach and dispursed. Some of us went to a little area where they tried to catch fish and the rest of us went over to the rocks to do some jumping. Needless to say it was good to be home.
Looking right from the bridge towards the place to be.
This is the gate you go past to get to our favorite spot, go down the trail and take the third trail down on your right. You will need to walk along the river and climb over some rocks to get there. Enjoy!
Next time we go I'll give a shout out on FB and if you like maybe you'll join us.
Uncle Leo
Copy and paste the URL below for a map of the location.
Edwards Crossing: http://g.co/maps/t34u
This area has become so popular that people are parking in "no parking" areas and being cited. The ticket is $70 so be sure to park in legal areas, nowhere within 300 yds from the bridge on the dirt road north of the bridge.
Posted by: Ralph | 07/22/2016 at 07:48 AM