CA-49 Fall Colors: Auburn Road Trip in a 2026 Chevy Blazer

October is the month Auburn earns its name. The black oaks along Highway 49 shift from dusty summer green to burnished gold, bigleaf maples push orange where the canyon walls hold moisture, and the whole corridor between here and Grass Valley turns into the kind of drive folks plan a year around. We run this loop every fall. We’re right here on Grass Valley Highway.

Start at Old Town Auburn, drive Foresthill Road to the canyon overlook, loop back through the Auburn State Recreation Area, then head north on CA-49 into Grass Valley. Four stops. No freeway. The 2026 Chevrolet Blazer handles every paved mile of it without hesitation. You won’t need more than that.

Before you leave, settle one thing about this SUV. The Blazer is a road-trip SUV, not a canyon-descender. Its 7.5 inches of ground clearance cover every paved stop on this loop confidently. That loose dirt singletrack dropping to the river bottom is a conversation for a different vehicle. What the Blazer brings to this day is a comfortable highway-capable cabin, up to 64.2 cubic feet of cargo room with the rear seats folded (layers, a cooler, camera bags, and a blanket all fit), and on AWD trims a twin-clutch rear system that reads Foresthill Road’s curves exactly the way you want. It’s the right tool for this job.

What’s the Route?

The loop covers roughly 55 miles from Gold Rush Chevrolet, and every stop of it is paved, so you can run the whole thing without ever touching a dirt road or a freeway on-ramp. Chevrolet lists the 2026 Blazer AWD fuel tank at 21.7 gallons, which carries the full loop on a single fill with margin to spare. You’ll fill once and forget it.

The Four Stops in Order

Stop 1: Old Town Auburn

Start here, and start early. Fall color in Old Town lands first because the ornamental maples on the narrow streets turn before the wild canyon oaks do. Morning light on the historic brick storefronts photographs well. Parking’s genuinely manageable at 8 or 9 a.m. on a weekend. By midday it tightens up on those narrow streets, so the early arrival earns the alarm.

It’s also your last easy restroom and coffee stop before Foresthill Road, so plan accordingly.

Stop 2: Foresthill Bridge Overlook

Eight minutes up Foresthill Road from Old Town, you reach the overlook above the North Fork American River canyon. The Foresthill Bridge stands 730 feet above the riverbed, which makes it the tallest bridge in California by deck height. In October the canyon walls below are already picking up gold and orange, and the air drops noticeably when you step out at the pullout. Give it 20 minutes. People who’ve lived in Auburn for decades still pull over for this view.

The pullout fits a midsize SUV with no parking maneuvering required. The Blazer’s AWD twin-clutch system handles the curves cleanly on the way up.

Stop 3: Auburn State Recreation Area, No Hands Bridge Trail

Back on CA-49 heading south for about five minutes, you arrive at the trailhead for the Western States Trail and the Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge (called No Hands Bridge by everyone who hikes here). That bridge was completed in 1912 for the Mountain Quarries Railroad. It’s been on the National Register of Historic Places ever since. The trail follows the old flat railroad grade through a riparian woodland of black oaks and pines above the North Fork American River.

California State Parks lists the Auburn State Recreation Area as one of its recommended fall color destinations in Placer County, specifically noting the black oaks. Those oaks peak mid- to late October, so an early-October visit catches the start of color with fewer people on the trail than peak weeks bring. The hike’s 4.4 miles out and back to the bridge. Flat grade, wide path. Legitimate family trail.

There’s a real note worth flagging here. The No Hands Bridge section has seen periodic maintenance closures in past seasons. Check current conditions at parks.ca.gov before you leave so you’re not surprised at the trailhead.

Schedule Your Fall Test Drive

Stop 4: Grass Valley

Those 25 miles north on CA-49 from Auburn to Grass Valley are the best driving stretch of the day. The road climbs gradually from Auburn’s 1,300-foot elevation into pine-oak woodland above 2,000 feet, and you’ll watch the trees get thicker and more colorful as the grade rises. The Nevada City Chamber of Commerce puts peak color for the Grass Valley corridor at mid- to late October, with dogwoods and maples on and around Main Street as the headliner trees. Early October puts you right at the front edge of that window.

The North Star Mining Museum on the south end of Grass Valley sits among sugar maples and sweet gum trees that produce some of the area’s most vivid fall color. Lunch on historic Main Street is the natural way to finish. You’ll want a full hour in town.

Be blunt with yourself about seat count. If your crew regularly fills more than five seats, the Chevy Traverse is the better choice for this trip over the Blazer. The Blazer’s a genuine five-passenger SUV with 30.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, which handles a day trip well. Two car seats, a stroller, and a dog crate at once is a tighter calculation.

Print-and-Go Checklist

• [ ] Fill the tank in Auburn before leaving (21.7-gal AWD tank covers the full loop; top it off anyway)
• [ ] Arrive at Old Town Auburn by 9 a.m. on weekends to stay ahead of the parking crunch on the narrow historic streets
• [ ] Pack real layers for the Foresthill Bridge overlook and the river canyon (both run 5 to 10 degrees cooler than Auburn’s flat)
• [ ] Download offline maps before you go (cell coverage drops on parts of Foresthill Road and in the canyon)
• [ ] Check parks.ca.gov for current Auburn SRA trail conditions before you leave, especially the No Hands Bridge section
• [ ] Carry water for the No Hands Bridge trail (no services at the trailhead)
• [ ] Confirm Grass Valley lunch spots are open, particularly on weekdays when some close early
• [ ] Charge your camera and phone fully the night before

Tweak It to Your Crew

This itinerary runs six to seven hours at a relaxed pace. You’ll want a couple of easy swaps depending on your crew.

• Families with young kids. Skip Grass Valley and spend the extra hour at the Auburn SRA trailhead. The No Hands Bridge hike is flat, wide, and manageable for elementary-age kids, and the bridge itself is a satisfying payoff. The 2026 Blazer seats five adults comfortably, and it’ll cover most family configurations without compromise.
• Tighter parking in Old Town. The Chevy Equinox is slightly more maneuverable in a compact historic district. There’s a fair tradeoff, though. The Equinox gives up some cargo capacity compared to the Blazer’s 64.2 cubic feet with the seats down, so factor in what you’re hauling before you decide.

To extend this into a full weekend, continue north from Grass Valley another 7 miles on CA-49 to Nevada City. Nevada Street in Nevada City is one of the more compact and walkable fall color districts in the Gold Country foothills. Stay a night in Grass Valley on Saturday and do Nevada City Sunday morning. It’s easy.

For a shorter day, stop after the Foresthill Bridge overlook and come back to Auburn for lunch. You’ll be under two hours with stops, solid color, no complaints.

We’re on Grass Valley Highway, which means this drive starts or ends right near us. If you want to put a 2026 Blazer on Foresthill Road before committing, come in and we’ll make it happen. Foresthill Road is one of the better short test drives in Placer County, and we’ll say that without any spin.

By the Gold Rush Chevrolet Team | October 2026