Dave Moore Nature Area (BLM, South Fork American River)

About Dave Moore Nature Area (BLM, South Fork American River)

The Dave Moore Nature Area is a BLM day-use site on Highway 49, about 2 miles west of Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, with gold panning on its list of activities. A loop trail of roughly a mile leaves the parking lot, drops to the South Fork of the American River and climbs back; the water is less than half a mile from the trailhead.

Walking down, you cross a landscape made by placer mining. Gold Rush tailing piles cover the ground, and the trail is lined with what is left from nearly 150 years ago, when Chinese laborers moved creek water by hand, with pick and shovel, to mine gold. Low walls of stacked rocks, built by hand and green with moss and lichen, line the way to the river.

The area is named for David Moore, who worked for the BLM as a conservation ranger for ten years until multiple sclerosis, which struck him at 35, forced him to retire in 1987. His illness showed his co-workers what disabled visitors face, and they built this nature area beside the river near Coloma. The BLM Folsom Resource Area, today the Mother Lode Field Office, opened it on June 4, 1994: National Trails Day and Moore's 46th birthday.

Bring your own water, because there is none on site. The area is closed to overnight camping, horses on the trail, hunting and target shooting, and organized groups or commercial trips need a BLM permit. The BLM page does not say what equipment is allowed beyond a pan, so ask the field office first; state law in California bans motorized gear on the gravel of a streambed. Bobcats and rattlesnakes live here.

From Auburn, take Highway 49 south through Cool and Pilot Hill, about 14 miles; the entrance is 3 miles past Pilot Hill on the right, at a cobblestone wall. From Highway 50, take the Ponderosa Road exit, then North Shingle Road and Lotus Road to Highway 49, cross the river bridge and drive about a mile: the entrance is on the left. The Eureka pin is the BLM's map point for the area.

On the way back up, the lower half of the loop runs through streamside woods and oaks, among incense cedars and granite boulders three times a person's height. Near the river stands Mushroom Rock: two granite boulders stacked on top of each other, with a layer of softer decomposed granite between them that an older river wore away.

Clubs and places nearby

• South Fork American River at Greenwood Creek (BLM)Free public dig · 2 mi
• Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic ParkFree public dig · 2 mi
• Coloma Resort (South Fork American River)Pay-to-dig · 2 mi
• Gold Country Treasure Seekers (Placerville)Club · 8 mi
• Auburn State Recreation Area (American River)Free public dig · 9 mi
• El Dorado County Mineral & Gem SocietyClub · 10 mi

Where to buy gear nearby

• Placerville HardwareShop · 9 mi
• Pioneer Mining SuppliesShop · 10 mi
• The Hidden Gem Rock ShopShop · 13 mi
• Heckler FabricationOnline shop · 20 mi

Access

On Highway 49, 3 miles south of Pilot Hill and about 14 miles from Auburn; the entrance is on the right at the cobblestone wall. From Highway 50, take the Ponderosa Road exit, follow North Shingle Road and Lotus Road to Highway 49, cross the river bridge and continue about 1 mile; the entrance is on the left. Day use only: no camping, no horses on the trail, no hunting or shooting, and no drinking water.

Technique

Recreational gold panning, as the BLM lists for this area. The BLM page sets no equipment rules: for anything beyond a pan, ask the BLM Mother Lode Field Office first. Organized groups and commercial activities need a BLM permit.

Sources

• BLM: Dave Moore Nature Area
• BLM: South Fork American River
• California Fish and Game Code 5653