AUBURN, Calif. — Mammoth Bar in the Auburn State Recreation Area is temporarily closed on Thursday due to a landslide blocking an access road.
It happened at around 4 a.m. Thursday and it managed to cover an entire area of Old Foresthill Road in Auburn.
"I'm unaware of what the cause of the rockslide was, however during inclement weather and the days following, inclement weather soil saturation has the tendency to disturb soil and slides can occur," said Lauren Shoemaker, sector superintendent for Auburn State Recreation Area.
Because of the magnitude of the damage, all of Old Foresthill Road is shut down just past the confluence of the American River until the intersection of Foresthill Road.
The road maintenance manager for Placer County said, in the past, weather has caused erosion in the area and part of the road is known for slides. But they currently have geologists surveying the area to keep it safe.
They are monitoring areas that have potential rock fall and are expected to give feedback on having rocks knocked down before they cause any dangers.
"Due to the typography of the canyon and the soil construction that's underneath what we walk on, on a general basis, we do have rock slides that occur on occasion and soil shifting that occurs," said Shoemaker.
Shoemaker said as long as people are proceeding with caution, they can anticipate running into rock slides.
"During inclement weather, especially when we have a lot of rain or snow that happens, go slow, tread lightly on soil content. That way you don't leave a lasting mark that we cannot repair. And also take all precautions, travel with your lights on, drive at a speed that you can anticipate hazards," said Shoemaker.
Placer County is hiring a company to blast some of the boulders and they will follow with clean up. They said the road is not expected to reopen until Monday. The confluence is open for access to Placerville.
Mammoth Bar OHV Area is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills, about 30 miles northeast of Sacramento, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
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