Shirttail Canyon

Total Miles
24.6

Technical Rating

2

Easy

Best Time

Summer

Trail Type

Full-Width Road

Accessible By

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Shirttail Canyon
5

Trail Overview

The main attraction of this route is a popular swimming hole below Colfax-Foresthill Suspension Bridge. Our round-about way of getting there follows a paved road through historic Iowa Hill, then continues on a narrow, winding dirt road through the forest. Take a picnic lunch and inner tube to enjoy the crystal-clear water of the American River inside Auburn State Recreation Area (fee area). Street-legal vehicles only. To go direct to swimming hole, use reverse directions.

Photos of Shirttail Canyon

Shirttail Canyon
Shirttail Canyon

Difficulty

Easy: First half is a twisting paved road, narrow in spots. Watch for bikers. Second half is an easy dirt road. Four-wheel drive recommended.

History

Gold was first discovered in Iowa Hill in 1853 and mining continued off and on into the 1930s. A few mines have been intermittently worked in recent years. Most mining has been hydraulic, scars of which you'll see along the route. One spot along Iowa Hill Road has sheer cliffs on each side of the road due to hydraulic undercutting.

Technical Rating

2

Status Reports

Dikran Diarian
Apr 05, 2025
4x4
Open
Normal
Rough/Deteriorated
First time on the trail with a stock Tacoma TRD OR. Dry roads except for a few mud puddles if you want to have some fun. The first portion of the trail is on road, the second half is dirt and rocks, it was a fun bumpy ride. A few fallen trees which had been pushed over to the side, did not cause any issues. Mostly kept the car in 4x4. I saw 2 other cars there the whole time. The path does get narrow, but nothing that made us feel unsafe. Overall as someone new to off-roading, it was very manageable
Kelvin Santamaria
Mar 07, 2025
4x4
Open
Normal
Muddy/Wet
Rough/Deteriorated
LC100 on 35s and my Tacoma on 35s, stayed in 2wd the whole time. Didn’t air down. Did the whole loop from 9pm-11pm. Only saw one jeep. Really simple. Just some fog slowed us down. Pretty fun at night while no one is on the road.
Timo K
Feb 22, 2025
2025 Nissan Frontier
Open
Very easy roads, mostly pavement. Narrow road but amazing views. not many places to pull over and get out but a fun trip with the family to see some natural beauty. Dirt road is very easy no 4 wheel drive needed.
Kev M
Jan 18, 2025
4x4
Open
Dusty
Muddy/Wet
Near the end there was a fork. I went the wrong way. There was a lot of overgrowth and at one point a fallen tree that made the road impossible to move forward on. I had to reverse a mile or so to turn around

Access Description

Take I-80 to town of Colfax. Take exit for Highway 174. Westbound exiters must cross over freeway. Follow Canyon Way south along east side of freeway 0.3 miles to paved Iowa Hill Road on left.

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