Mineral Bar Campground — Auburn State Recreation Area

 Close to the n. fork of the American river. Lots of great swimming holes close by up river. Great hiking path opposite the camp ground going up river. ActivitIes Include fishing, hIkIng, and gold prospectIng.
 Camping fee Is $30 per site. Some  spaces are large enough for a rv. 




 North fork American river camping

Bring Water!

One of my favorite summer spots, great Access to the American River. Site has pit toilets, fire rings, tables and bear lockers(have seen several bears)

Gold Panning on the river

First come first serve campsites, i went for a solo camp trip and loved it. I came in on a Thursday afternoon and snagged campsite #5. (Useful tip, BRING A PEN AND EXACT CASH) Upon arrival, scope out the place and and claim your spot by filling out the envelope with your name and vehicle information and how many days your plan on staying. Place the cash ($28 a night) in the envelope and put it in the post that’s on the parking entrance. Depending on what time you arrive, rangers will issue you a pass on your campsite post the day of or the day after. 

No showers or running water....there are only toilets available. Bring your own water to drink, wash dishes and pans, or wash yourselves. The nearest store is about 2 miles back to the main road if you need to re-up on anything. 

Overall, the campsite area is nice, it’s close proximity to the river, depending on which site you chose, sites 1-6 offer little shade to none, the rest of the sites offer a good amount of shade. and your neighbors are kinda close. The river is extremely clean and clear with good temperature. The rangers are there everyday (I think). Very friendly folks. It can get pretty busy during the weekend with a lot of folks coming in for day-use. I love the campsite and will be back in the future. Just stay prepared and ready. 

Beautiful place

Only 15 minutes away (windy road) from Colfax, but feels so remote! 

Beautiful mountain valley of north fork. Clean campsites right along road with bearboxes, picnic tables, and fire pits. Easy river access down the hill to rocky swimming pools. Water was COLD obviously in December haha. Many hiking trails up and down the canyon. 

Highly recommend! I’m coming back here for sure!

Off the beaten track

We stayed there for a weekend in late March and it was gorgeous! The only thing is most of the good spots were closed off. There was only one really good spot with shade that was more secluded than the others so I would suggest getting there early

Beautiful and green but some spots are better than others

First visit here.  Our campsite was right on the river.  We enjoyed our stay here and would likely return to lounge in the river during the summer. 
Nice trails to explore that run along the river’s edge. Easy trails for beginners. 


Nice spot on the river

We camped during the off season (November) so we had our pick of the campsites, which was a great considering the spots are right next to each other. Using hand warmers and a tent warmer we did fine with the cold nights. Really nice site right by the water. No potable water or flushable toilets, so be prepared! 

Enjoyed staying in the first come first served campground!

**General:** Normally, there are 18 designated sites that are reservable only from May 1– October 15. What we didn’t know until we arrived was that only Sites 1-7 were open after this date; fortunately, only two other sites were occupied when we arrived at 5:30 pm on a Monday in late October. The access road is about six miles of curvy, hilly, and narrow (sometimes only one lane) pavement. There is a sign prohibiting trailers; our 18-foot camper van did fine but anything much larger would definitely be challenged. 

  

**Site Quality:** Many of the sites are more suitable for tent campers. The parking area is at the top of the hill, and you set up your tent below. Most of the sites that have a “driveway” were not level, except for Sites 5 and 6. We lucked out with Site 6 – it was large and level and directly across from the vault toilets. A fire pit/grill, large concrete picnic table, and bear box complete the site (although there was a fire ban in effect).

  

**Bath:** Only one vault toilet was open, and it was very clean. It was cleaned again the next morning. 

  

**Activities:** This campground is located on the North Fork of the American River. In season, this campground would be very popular with rafters; there is a raft launch and takeout area close to the campsites. The river was crystal clear and beautiful.

  

This was a small but beautiful campground. We were surprised that we had a semi-decent cell signal ranging from 1 to 2 bars (Verizon).

Off-season peaceful stay

I’ve been here about 8-10 times and every time I love my stay, it’s a quiet getaway around 45 mins away from me and the sound of the river is amazing. I’ve only been talked to once by a ranger who didn’t see my ticket but otherwise not many people usually there and they mostly leave by dark. Say hi if you see me I frequent sometimes!