Auburn (California)

The Placer County Courthouse, completed in 1898

Auburn is a small city in Placer County on Interstate 80.

Understand

Near the confluence of the North and East Forks of the American River are a good place to swim and drink beer. There is a picturesque old town neighborhood near the statue of a miner just off the freeway. Under the miner, there are large drainage tunnels filled with graffiti that one can explore with a flashlight.

Climate

Auburn receives hot summer weather, despite being on the western fringe of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Get in

By plane

The nearest commercial airport is in Sacramento, approximately thirty miles away. Auburn has a private airport as well.

By train

Amtrak serves downtown Auburn via its Capitol Corridor route.

• 1 Auburn railway station, 277 Nevada Street. (updated May 2020)

By car

Auburn is home to the intersection of Interstate 80 and California 49. Interstate 80 goes right past the downtown area. This makes getting off I-80 rather disorientating, since you take the exit from the freeway only to suddenly find yourself in the middle of the city. Interstate 80 goes west to Rocklin, Roseville, Sacramento, and points west. Interstate 80 goes east to Truckee, Reno, and points east. California 49 goes north to Grass Valley, Nevada City, Sierra City, and points north. California 49 goes south to Coloma, Placerville, Jackson, and points south.

By bus

Greyhound has a stop in nearby Colfax.

Get around

Placer County Transit does operate buses in part of Auburn, but service is limited and does not run on Sundays. It's better to rent a car, especially considering the city's topography, which varies significantly because the city is on a ridge.

By car

Auburn is harder to navigate than the cities to the southeast (Roseville and Rocklin) because Auburn is on a ridge, and not a flat one either. There are a lot of twists and turns on most of the local roads because they are going all around the houses and the steeper parts of the ridge. However, the outer, more recently developed parts of the town are generally laid out more reasonably and are on less undulating terrain than the downtown area is.

See

Downtown Auburn

Downtown Auburn consists of two separate districts: the historic district, which is right next to Interstate 80, and the modern district, which is to the north.

Historic district

• 1 Gold Miner (Interstate 80, historic district exit). At the junction of the I-80 off-ramp, Lincoln Way, and Maple Street is this giant statue of a gold miner. You can walk around the statue and go into the small park area that's behind it; however, the noise of the freeway, which is just a few yards from the statue, makes staying at the park for too long unpleasant. (updated Jun 2018)
• 2 Placer County Courthouse (Just above the historic district area). There's a small museum at the courthouse with local history and information. (updated Jun 2018)

Do

Auburn is known to be the "Endurance Capital of the World", as many races either start or end here. The Western States Endurance Run ends at Placer High School in Auburn.

There are hundreds of miles of trails (including the Western States Trail) that lead to or from here.

• 1 Fast Fridays (Gold Country Fairgrounds). Most Friday evenings in summer. In summer, many speedway (motorcycle racing) competitions are held in Auburn. (updated Jun 2018)

Buy

• Second Chance Thrift, 13488 Luther Rd, ☏ +1 530-885-8297. Open Wednesday - Saturday 10:00-5:00, Sunday 10:30 - 3:00. Offering High quality Furniture, Jewelry, Clothing, Collectables, and New gift Items. 

Eat

Many of the restaurants in Auburn are in the historic downtown and modern downtown areas.

• 1 Old Town Pizza, 150 Sacramento St, ☏ +1 530 888-7600. Amazing pizza fun small town feel, good beer selection. (updated Oct 2016)

Sleep

• 1 Best Western Golden Key, 13450 Lincoln Way, ☏ +1 530 885-8611, toll-free: +1-800-201-0121, fax: +1 530 888-0319. 
• 2 Holiday Inn, 120 Grass Valley Highway, ☏ +1 530 887-8787. 
• 3 Motel 6, 1819 Auburn Ravine Rd, ☏ +1 530 888-7829, fax: +1 530 888-6200. 
• 4 Power's Mansion Inn, 195 Harrison Ave, ☏ +1 530-885-1166. (updated Oct 2016)

Go next

• 1 Rocklin
• 2 Coloma - The California Gold Rush began in Coloma in 1848 with the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill, and today travelers can visit the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park to see the exact spot where gold was found. In addition, the park has a recreation of Sutter's Mill, exhibits documenting the Gold Rush, and the opportunity to pan for gold in the American River. While much of the original town is now essentially a ghost town, there are a few lodging options and restaurants. For visitors seeking adventure, the American River is a popular whitewater rafting destination, and a number of outfitters offer trips that start in Coloma.
• 3 Truckee
• 4 Grass Valley

Routes through Auburn

Sacramento ← Rocklin ←	W  E	→ Truckee → Reno
Loyalton ← Grass Valley ←	N  S	→ Coloma → Oakhurst
END ←	N  S	→ Rocklin → Sacramento