Foresthill Bridge: California’s Tallest Bridge

From the Golden Gate Bridge to Bixby Bridge, I love exploring all of the impressive bridges California has to offer. There are so many great ones to see that I wrote an entire post on them you can read here. The tallest of all of these bridges is the Foresthill Bridge, outside of Auburn. It stands at a massive 750 feet above the ground, and it is one of those bridges you really need to see to believe. Here is all of the info so that you can experience this achievement of human ingenuity from many different viewpoints.

Details

• Cost: Free, $10 if you want to park at the state park below
• Information from my visit in 2015 and 2018

Getting There

There are two unique spots to see the bridge from, above and below. Here is how I recommend seeing both.

Below

If you are traveling north from Sacramento, get off on Highway 49 south, right near downtown Auburn and proceed towards the city of Cool (yes, that is an actual city name). The road will wind down for a few miles before you see the first view of the bridge in the distance. Continue down this road until you see the turnoff towards the city of Cool. Right past this, you will see a tiny parking area for the state park below the bridge.

If you want to go on a few hikes, then park here and pay the $10 fee and explore. If not, you can pull off right when you pass the small bridge and then walk back about halfway on said bridge for a fantastic view of the Foresthill Bridge above. 

Above

After grabbing this shot, you will want to continue on the road up the mountain till it ends on Foresthill Rd. Turn left on this road and then drive a few miles before you cross the bridge itself. When you cross it, you can pull off on the left-hand side to explore. 

From here, I recommend walking out on the bridge to see how high it is. Of course, there is a big green fence that messes up your view, but it is still a pretty crazy thing to see.

After walking out on the bridge, I headed down a small and steep single track next to the bridge, which connected with a large road. 

This dirt road let me go under the bridge for some additional photos, and from this angle, you really can see how amazing this bridge is.

After that, I climbed back up the slippery single track and walked back to my car. I wish I had more time to explore here as the mountains were all scared with hiking trails, so it seems to be a very popular spot for hiking. Let me know what your favorite hike is here, so I have an idea of what to do next time I come.