The Auburn State Recreation Area, 40,000 acres of land along the Middle and North Forks of the American River, almost never existed.
Once a major locus of interest during the California Gold Rush, the canyon was scheduled to be dammed when it was discovered to be along a major earthquake fault line and that damming it might be damning the city of Sacramento to its West to potential flooding.
The project was fortunately abandoned, and now the Auburn State Recreation Area is greatly enjoyed by non-human and human life. The pictures here come from the Lake Clementine Trail — the falls from the (relatively wee) dam off of Lake Clementine, the North Fork of the American River, and the Foresthill Bridge, tallest in California and third tallest in the world at 730 feet.
