AUBURN, Calif. — Rain or shine, Hidden Falls Regional Park is a destination for the Sacramento Region. Located in Auburn, about 45 minutes from Sacramento, the 1200-acre park offers around 30 miles of multi-use trails for hikers, cyclists and equestrian riding.
Though visitors from around the region are welcome, limited parking has created neighborhood issues in the past. In response to neighborhood frustration, Placer County created an online reservation system and put up "no parking" signs in the areas up to a mile from the park. Park reservations will cost between $4 and $8 dollars.
"It's not intended to be a money maker for us," Andy Fisher, the Placer County parks administrator, said. "It's to make sure that people...know that they have a space reserved for themselves and also to work with the neighborhood to make sure we're not stacking up cars all over the neighborhood."
Before the reservation system started in 2017, Fisher said park rangers were turning away up to 500 cars a day due to the full parking lot. Frustrated visitors would then park along narrow streets, creating possible dangers for the neighborhood, Fisher said.
"The reservation was the biggest impact on traffic calming," he said, adding that with time people are beginning to understand the need for reservations. "
"We don't have the lines out the gate now, and really I think it's made it quite a bit more enjoyable for people," Fisher said.
HERE'S HOW TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT
- Step one: Visit the Placer County website.
- Step two: Choose between a $4 and $8 pass. The $8 pass allows you to stay from sunrise to sunset. A $4 pass will allow you to stay between sunrise to 2:30 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. to sunset, depending on your selection.
- Step three: Choose a "session" (the day you want to go).
- Step four: Create an account and purchase your parking pass
*Don't forget, this only applies on weekends and other "high use" days.
WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?
If it's not about the money, where does your payment go? Fisher said the $4 or $8 goes back to the management of Hidden Falls - for the ranger service that patrols the park, picks up litter and guides traffic.
DIRECTIONS TO THE PARK: