South Yuba River State Park
The Park is currently OPEN.
Please check the hours of operation.Park Facilities
Parking
Restrooms
Drinking Water Available
Wheelchair Accessible
Restrooms
Drinking Water Available
Wheelchair Accessible
Boating
Summer 2025 Information
Welcome to South Yuba River State Park! The park is open for day use only (sunrise to sunset) every day. The Visitor Center located at Bridgeport (17660 Pleasant Valley Road) is open most Wednesdays-Saturdays depending on staff availability.
Please use caution when swimming in the river. Moving water can turn dangrous very quickly. Loaner life jackets are available at Bridgeport and Highway 49 crossing. Please recreate responsibly.
We do not allow fires, alcohol, glass, or barbecues of any kind. The vegetation in the canyon gets very dry in the summer months, so we ask that you do your part to protect our communities by not bringing any potential source of ignition.
Join us for free gold panning on Fridays and Saturdays from 12 P.M. to 2 P.M. next to the Visitor Center!
Buttermilk Bend Trail Now Open!
The Buttemilk Bend Trail is fully open after last winter's washout. A beautiful new redwood bridge has been constructed to span the slide
The
Bridgeport Covered Bridge Restoration Project
We welcome people to walk through the covered bridge and take a step back in time! The bridge connects hiking trails and the historic area, allowing visitors to relive the mining-era days of travel along the turnpike.This historic landmark reopened to the public on November 4th, 2021 after being closed for 10 years due to safety concerns. Preservation is a community effort, and would not have been possible without decades of community involvement. With the support of State Parks, Sierra Gold Parks Foundation, Nevada County, South Yuba River Citizens’ League, and the Nevada County Regional Chamber of Commerce, private citizens, and elected officials, Save Our Bridge gained the attention and eventual $6.9 million in funding to make this goal a reality. The rehabilitation project spanned mid-2019 through the fall of 2021 by Spectra Company and is an inspiring example how a community can come together to save an historical treasure for future generations.
Click here for the chronicled progress of the project.
Independence Trail Partial Closure Due to Jones Fire
Independence Trail is partially closed to the public due to safety concerns and resource protection in the aftermath of the 2020 Jones Fire. A District Superintendent Order enacting the closure is currently in effect. The historic Independence Trail, off Highway 49 in western Nevada County, is closed west of the intersection with the newly re-aligned Jones Bar Trail to Rush Creek.
The Independence Trail was constructed on historic flumes designed to carry water to hydraulic mining operations. The flumes act as bridges in many locations and Flume 22, the first flume located approximately a quarter mile from the eastern trail entrance off of Highway 49, is damaged due to soil erosion associated with continuous landslides. Several lower sections of the bottom piers, supporting the structure, are broken or undercut due to soil instability. The bridge is not safe for pedestrian traffic.
State Park crews are actively surveying the damage and working toward the restoration of this trail system. The work is extensive and may involve extended closure.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding in staying off the trails for your own safety. If you have any further questions, please call the Sierra District Office at (530) 273-3884.
Land Acknowledgement
California State Parks acknowledges the Nisenan People have been here in this State Park since time immemorial. The Nisenan People are still here today, though they are nearly invisible.
The Sierra District of California State Parks includes their story in our interpretation and education here at the South Yuba River State Park. We understand we are on Nisenan Land and that the original Tribal Families have yet to recover from the near genocide of their people during the California Gold Rush.
California State Parks supports the Nevada City Rancheria Tribe in efforts to stabilize their people as well as the campaign to restore Tribal sovereignty through Federal Recognition.
Watch our interview with Nisenan Tribal Spokesperson, Shelly Covert recording here
Location-Directions:
South Yuba River State Park headquarters located at Bridgeport, 17660 Pleasant Valley Rd can be accessed from Highway 20 west of Grass Valley or from Highway 49 north of Nevada City. Remote portions of the park are accessible from Edwards Crossing, Purdon Crossing, and Highway 49.
The park:
This 20-mile portion of the South Yuba River canyon stretches from Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park to Bridgeport covered bridge. The area includes the longest single-span covered bridge in the world, the steep rugged canyon of the South Yuba River, and the Independence Trail - the first identified wheelchair-accessible wilderness trail in the country.
South Yuba River State Park offers many scenic vistas. Visitors can view swift moving water carving the granitic canyon that is peppered with seasonal native blooms in springtime, and experience refreshing swimming holes that dot the 20 mile length of the Yuba River in late summer. Along the length of the park, visitors can see several architectually different bridges spanning from the Gold Rush era to the mid-20th century.
Visitors can enjoy:
- swimming
- bird watching
- panning for gold
- wildflowers in the spring
- hiking in the historic gold country
- docent-led history, wildflower, birding, geology, and gold-panning tours are also offered at selected times throughout the year
Adventuresome hikers have a choice of trails ranging in difficulty, from the easiest (Independence Trail), to other more strenuous trails throughout the park. Click on the "Hiking" link above right to explore all the hiking trail options.
Caution:
Winter and Spring weather conditions can cause the trail to become muddy and impassable for wheelchairs. Call the park for trail condition information before you go.
Filming Videos and Still Photography in State Parks
California State Parks thanks you for choosing our beautiful parks for your photographic activities and sharing the wonders of our park units with the world. However, in order to maintain the beauty of our parks and its natural and cultural resources, we require that all commercial, still and motion picture photographers obtain a film permit from the California Film Commission.California State Parks requires an approved film permit for:
- All commercial still photography and videography
- Professional photographers offering private services
- Student photo/film projects
- Professional development projects
Drones are not permitted unless a special permit is granted. To learn more, please visit our blog here.
For specific film permit information at Empire Mine State Historic Park, Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park or South Yuba River State Park, please review Sierra Gold Sector Film Permit information.
