The wild canyons of the North Fork of North Fork American River are nestled between the main North Fork American River and I-80 in the Sierra Nevada range. With headwaters just above Lake Valley Reservoir near Emigrant Gap, it is truly one of the jewels of the North Fork American River drainage. This mostly free flowing tributary drops nearly 4000 feet as it flows 16 miles from the reservoir to its confluence with the main North Fork American at Euchre Bar. In the upper reaches near Emigrant Gap the river flows through rolling terrain forested primarily with pine and fir with a mix of oak and cedar. The lower 9 miles of the river supports a native rainbow trout fishery as it flows through a rugged and deeply incised canyon. In this lower 9 miles most of the main tributaries of the North Fork of North Fork American River enter the river in a fabulous mile long gorge. While the drainage does suffer from the private and public checkerboard ownership from the railroad lands, the river canyon remains very wild and unspoiled. It is a surprise that this tributary was not included along with the North Fork American River when it received its wild and scenic designation.
Even with its close proximity to I-80, access to the North Fork of North Fork American River in its lower 9 miles is very limited due to its rugged nature and checkerboard ownership pattern. The public access issue we are faced with is a private landowner along a road that has been used by the public for about 150 years is now trying to block the public’s use of that road. Originally the road was used to access the once mining town of Lost Camp and mining areas of the North Fork American River. Since the gold rush era the road and nearby trails have been used by the public to access public lands along the North Fork American River. At one time the road was part of the USFS road system and trails that the road lead to were also part of the USFS trail system. The road crosses both private and public lands. There are easements in place for some, but not all, of the private lands that the road crosses. In the 150 years of use the public has never been block from its use until the spring of 2007 when one of the private landowners which recently acquired parcels, decided to post “No Trespassing” signs and erect a gate across the road. The county (Placer County) does not want to get involved because it is not a county road. The Forest Service no longer considers the road part of their system and has been little help in providing information about their use of the road. About 15 years ago nearby in Placer County there was a similar public access issue that was taken to court. In that case the court granted a summary judgement in favor of the public’s right of access. There is some additional information on the web at http://www.northforktrails.com/lostcamproad/. Any help in finding pro bono legal help with this matter would be appreciated.
If you need any further information or can be of assistance, please contact me.
Thanks,
Ron Gould
North Fork American River Alliance
http://www.nfara.org/
Phone: (530) 878-9232
Email: rgould@colfaxnet.com