Auburn to Cool Trail Bridge: Where the PARC Campaign Actually Stands
PARC's proposed pedestrian bridge would span the American River at China Bar to link the Auburn and Cool trail systems. The project sits in permitting, and two agencies hold the next decision.
American River Canyon Alliance
Protect American River Canyons wants to close one of the foothills' most frustrating gaps: the lack of a safe foot crossing between the Auburn and Cool trail systems. According to PARC, the proposed pedestrian bridge would span the American River at China Bar State Recreation Area, tying the two networks into one continuous route.
The project is not built, funded, or designed yet. It sits in the permitting phase. Before anything advances to environmental review, planning, or design, two agencies have to authorize a crossing location. PARC names them directly: the Bureau of Reclamation (Mr. Lessard) and California State Parks (Mr. Hilton). That authorization is the single milestone the campaign is pushing toward right now.
PARC is not publishing a cost estimate or funding total at this stage, which fits a project still waiting on a green-lighted site.
Here is how to act on it. PARC is running a petition to support building the Auburn to Cool recreational trail bridge. It also asks supporters to send postcards, letters, or emails to Mr. Lessard and Mr. Hilton, requesting that they authorize a bridge location. Both are live at parc-auburn.org.
Two related notes from PARC while you are there. Crews began removing steel and concrete wreckage below the State Route 49 bridge on August 18, 2025. And the 2026 Paddling Film Festival runs July 24. The canyon work continues on several fronts at once.