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Loomis Basin |
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Cool --- Lots Of Cool Trails
It's great fun to go exploring new trails and
scenery is much better when viewed between the ears of your favorite horse
If you want to find the ultimate truly cool place just look on the map for COOL, and there it is just a few miles south of Auburn on highway 49.
Cool has a very good staging area. It is directly behind the fire station. (Cool s only one block long, so you don’t have to ask directions to anything.) It does have a gas station and several excellent places to eat after riding. The staging area has an outhouse and water troughs as well as hitch posts. The official name for the nine mile loop west of the staging area is the Olmstead Loop, but horsemen for years have referred to this as the Knickerbocker Loop. (Knickerbocker Creek runs through the center of this area.) It is a well-marked and well-traveled path. Some of it is wide dirt roads and some of it is single track through grassy meadows. The terrain is easy and this is excellent place for beginners to start trail riding or experienced horsemen to school an inexperienced horse.
Scenery is very pleasant. On a clear day from one high spot you can see the Sacramento skyline on the horizon. There is abundant wildlife. Deer and turkey are frequently seen. The author was fortunate to watch a bobcat one sunny afternoon. The area also has a rich history. This was the site of Wendell Robie’s Pointed Rock Ranch years ago. You can still see the level oval (just below the pointed rock outcropping) where Wendell had a racetrack. Mother Lode Arabian Horse Association put on a trail trial during September using the Knickerbocker Loop. There were a number of mountain bikes on the same trail with the horses. The good news is: there was not a single problem with the bikers. The bike riders were considerate and well-educated about the protocol for dealing with horses. The bad news is: there were several problems with inconsiderate horseback riders. Mostly the problems involved riders that were in a big hurry and went blasting past other horses in an inconsiderate fashion. The area may be busy on weekends, but the parking lot can be full and you see very few people on the trail. It is very quiet during the week.
Why did the trail rider cross the road? Because they had already done Knickerbocker and wanted to go ride in the canyon.
Ride down the trail past Paige Harper spring, cross Highway 49 at the quarry (please be careful crossing this busy road with a lot of truck traffic), and pick-up the trail behind the quarry and up the canyon along the river. You can ride either direction in the American River Canyon. There are several places on the loop where you can drop down into the canyon on the Cool side of 49 and ride towards Coffer Dam. NO HANDS BRIDGE is currently open (that is a chapter of its own) and the by-pass is not for any except the very “stout-hearted” and experienced horses and riders. There are several established and well-marked trails in the area. For more information call Kathy Ellinghouse 916-885-1575.
ENJOY THE VIEW. Shirley
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Updated
12/26/05
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