A New Trailhead Takes Root Near the North Fork Cosumnes
A neighboring land trust has secured 30 acres along Highway 49 that will one day welcome the public to a new state wildlife area near the North Fork Cosumnes River.
American River Canyon Alliance
Good access is the quiet backbone of conservation. A river you cannot reach is a river few people learn to love. So we take note when a neighbor secures the ground where a future trailhead will stand.
The American River Conservancy reports that it has acquired 30 acres along Highway 49, near the North Fork Cosumnes River. Escrow closed on June 27, 2025. The Conservancy purchased the parcel for $150,000, and every dollar came from private individual donations.
The site is slated to become the El Dorado Ranch Trailhead Facility. Once built, it will provide parking and public access to the future El Dorado Ranch State Wildlife Area. In plain terms, this is the front door to land that will be held for wildlife and for people who want to walk it.
We follow this work because it mirrors our own. The American River canyons and the Cosumnes watershed share the same Sierra foothill country, the same oak and pine, the same need for places where the public can step off the highway and onto a trail.
A trailhead is a small thing on a map. On the ground it is where stewardship begins. We congratulate the American River Conservancy and the donors who made this purchase possible, and we will watch the El Dorado Ranch project grow.