California Hiking-Fishing-Prospecting advise

[mamich]

Seeking some advice on taking a trip to the Sierra's. My son wants to do a hiking trip around the end of April out to the Sierra's and was gracious and thoughtful enough to invite his dear old dad to enjoy the time with him. He is finally finishing college after eight long years and wants to get back to nature for some R&R time. In doing some searching there is a ton of places to go but seems most are day in day out kinda trails so I thought asking the locals would be more beneficial. We would like to do some hiking into country with some fishing possibilities along the way, looking at trying to stay out 4-6 days at least spending time enjoying nature along with the chance of doing a little panning and prospecting but really looking for a great place to spend out away from it all. My concern is the weather or should I say snow pack, most of the longer trails in and thru gold country are higher altitude and I believe would make for some cold days and nights and not some enjoyable spring weather. So I'm reaching out for any ideas that some might have who know the area and the average weather during that timeframe along with any issues or concerns like wildlife. We have both spent time in the mountains of New Mexico so we aren't total strangers to backpacking and hiking but I know how important local knowledge is to a trip like this. Many thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

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[firebird]

Auburn State Recreational Area sounds good for what you're looking for.

https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/california/auburn-state-recreation-area

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

North of Fresno,Ca or your prospecting will be a bust.The Sierra's south of Fresno have a Granite cap and very little chance of finding gold unless you are south of Tulare,Ca more towards Bakersfield.

 

[Madmox]

How hung up are you on the Sierras? Because the Trinity Alps and Marble Mountains are truly spectacular. Snow pack is definitely a concern because the snowpack across California is now well above average. That being said, with the proper great it isn’t a huge deal and I can unequivocally say the Trinity Alps and Marble Mountains are one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. That and it also fits the panning/ prospecting angle nicely. There are pretty incredible artifacts from the mining era scattered across those mountains.

https://www.outdoorproject.com/adventures/trinity-alps-marble-mountain-wilderness/hikes

 

[Hard Prospector]

Record snow pack in the Sierra Nevada will keep everything above 8000' locked in a deep freeze well into Summer. After that, high water with blown out creeks and rivers for quite some time.

I would recommend looking into Roaring Camp in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Cabins, camping, hiking, gold prospecting and good trout fishing on site. This river is a trail race fishery (dam regulated) so this stretch should be good shape for fishing by late June. Been there several times, although not cheap, for what you get price is fair and a very well ran operation. Most enjoy the experience enough to go back. Pm me with any questions.

 

[mamich]

Thanks Firebird, will put Auburn on the list of possibles.

 

[mamich]

Back of the Boat, we will definitely be trying to stay north of Fresno. Thanks for the advice

 

[mamich]

Madmox, Great looking stuff up there. I just did a quick search and never thought that part of Cali but will definitely look deeper into it. Thanks for the suggestion

 

[Goldwasher]

*Sierra

Real "Gold Country" is below snowline and above Freezing by April. Nights perfect for campfire.

Coincidently the geology for gold in the region parallels the altitude in most places.

Typically the higher you go the less gold in the Mother Lode..

Not saying there isn't gold higher in places.

Look up all the "Rec Areas" Auburn, Yuba, Butte.. there are several.

Most are " hands and Pans" but you'll find color if you keep at it in any of those areas.

Roaring camp can be flooded well into June and is expensive. It would still be fun . Not the best base camp for exploration because of their access set up.You can't just come and go.

 

[63bkpkr]

Hello mamich, there are several places to check for water flow date in Cubic Feet per Second (CFS), one is USGS Real Time Water Flow Data. The flow levels will give a person an idea of what is happening to the river as well as the snow pack. For instance a flow of 250 CFS on the North Fork of the American means that the water is safe enough to cross but unless a person is a very good swimmer a person could not swim back up river. Higher flows indicate there is still a lot of snow melting. This river under lower water flow rates (200 cfs or less) in the summer is 54 degrees Fahrenheit, under snow melt conditions in the 40's.

As likely the water will be higher, having good footing on slippery rocks will be important as the water will be cold and flowing heavily. Be safe.

This year we have a Heavy snow pack, way above normal, which will impact your trip as higher elevations in April should still be snowed in. The weather this spring in NorCal will be something to pay attention to as freak storms could come in, having a weather radio could be a good safety measure. Confirm if open Campfires are allowed where you are going and if so be prepared for wet firewood conditions, bring some good fire starters. Being prepared for cool, mild, warm & hot weather might be necessary which would include some snow or rain. A good tent coupled with a good overhead large tarp is what I would bring and some good parachute cord to keep the tarp up between two trees (any two solid objects) and then tied out.

Be prepared for sticker shock when you purchase your fishing licenses. I/We wish you and your son a wonderful trip and Congratulations on his Graduation from College!..............63bkpkr

 

[gldguy1]

I live by auburn state recreational area. I say wait till end of summer, even then it's all hands and pans in state rec area because the liberals decided to turn a state rec area into a state park now :/ the water is gonna be about 40 till mid to end of summer. The sierras have too much snow, I say wait just my .2

 

[N-Lionberger]

The trinity mountains have lots of good fishing and panning opportunity.

 

[spillercanyon]

Hey Mamich, I have lived in and around the motherlode all my life, over a half century, here's the lowdown. April in the motherlode is unpredictable, it can be anywhere from snow showers to mid 80's but is usually warm with some showers. The creeks in the motherlode are more impacted by rain than they are by snow pack (unless we have real low snow levels which is odd). If it hasn't rained in a couple of weeks, the creeks are easily worked and are pretty easy to get around on. The rivers in the motherlode are different (as well as creeks in the high country), they peak out in late May or early June (best time to see the waterfalls in Yosemite, they're going to be crazy good this year). The warmer the weather, the faster the rivers are moving; unless it's real cold you'll want to stick to the creeks in April.

Not sure what you know of Cali but the southern motherlode lies just below Yosemite, you could do some hiking in Yosemite, a bit limited due to snow. There's plenty of other hiking below snow as well, the flowers are abundant in April. There's also some rivers and large lakes in the area for fishing. Not sure what Roaring Camp costs but you could join a club and have access to a lot of acres and back woods camping. I would be weary of N. Cali in April, my two bits. Aurburn Rec area works as well though I don't know it at all. PM me if you need specifics on the southern lode area.

 

[mamich]

Thanks Goldwasher and 63bkpkr, the Yuba and American watersheds looks like some decent country. I will definitely keep watch on the water flows, that's some good info and so is the weather tips, prepare for the worst and hope for the best I guess. Is the fishing good in late April on the main rivers or is the water flow to high and need to look into some slower tributaries? I did expect the sticker shock, after all it's California some I'm prepared for that.

 

[mamich]

Gldguy, I appreciate your suggestion, I'm sure summer would be a great time but late April is going to be the only time my son can do between finishing school and job and even if the weather is on and off I get to spend some valuable time with him so that's going to be our plan.

 

[mamich]

Thx N-Lionberger, we have it on the list and haven't quite ruled it out yet. We are just thinking the weather might be a little better to the south some down by the American and Yuba areas right now??

 

[goldenmojo]

mamich You might look at the Western States Trail in Placer County CA. A section of trail goes from "Michigan Bluff to Last Chance" about 18 miles long and was actually an old toll trail for miners. Creeks, Canyons and clear fresh air.

 

[N-Lionberger]

Its a little early still for the Trinities. I assume the same down south elevation wise you will encounter similar extremes.

 

[Goldwasher]

Been digging in a t-shirt all week. Chilly in the morning.

weather man said mid 70's in the valley next week.

So, the foothills are perfect.

 

[mamich]

Thx goldenmojo, looks like a good hike to do plus lots of other trails in the area. That whole NF area looks like a great place to get lost for a week of pleasure. What's cell service like, if it's nill to nun even better!