Hidden Falls Regional Park: Best Family Friendly Guide

We lived in the Sacramento Greater Area for about five years and we would always discover fun and beautiful places to enjoy as a family. Here you will find something useful and fun, a Hidden Falls Regional Park: Best Family Friendly Guide. This is a trip we enjoyed back in 2020 but the information is still relevant in year 2022. Check it out!

It’s year 2020, and we are still quarantined in California amidst the COVID19 pandemic but we were dying for some outdoor fun. In this Placer County Park, we found exactly what we were looking for. A beautiful waterfall park in Auburn great for families.

Is Hidden Falls Regional Park kid-friendly?

The short answer is yes, but if this is your first time going to this regional park in Auburn you might have all sorts of questions in regards to that. For your peace of mind, here is my guide with an overview and the best tips to make the most out of your visit.

Hidden Falls Regional Park offers amazing views and 30 miles of trails which are great for hiking, running, biking, and equestrian riding. The best part? It is perfect for a family day out!

We were pleasantly surprised with this hidden gem! There are multiple trails and loops you can take to explore the park. Since we went with our six and four-year-olds we researched information on the length and difficulty of each trail and came up with the perfect route to take. The hiking was perfectly doable even for the kids and of course, they led to the waterfall.

What trail should I take to get to the waterfall at Hidden Falls Park in Auburn?

There are endless combinations of trails, all beautifully maintained and almost all are easy or moderate. There are not many rocky areas. This is great if you’re visiting with little kids because it reduces the chances of tripping. Just make sure to wear good walking shoes and you will be just fine.

Here is our best recommendation on kid-friendly trails at Hidden Falls Park:  take the South Legacy Way trail to the Whiskey Diggins Bridge. Cross the bridge following the North Legacy Way sign but cut off to the Hidden Falls Access trail. This will take you to the lookout and if you go down a bit more you will be able to enjoy getting into the water.

How Should I Prepare to Visit Hidden Falls?

These are the essentials, especially if you have little kids:

• When doing your research, take into consideration that there is more than one Hidden Falls Regional Park in the United States. This review is specifically for the one located in Auburn, California.

• Download the park’s map beforehand hand and have it printed or on your phone. You won’t have a mobile signal in some areas of the park.

• Although most of the trails and loops are shaded I strongly recommend you bringing a hat and lots of water if you go during Summer. California’s heat is real! Cooling pads are good options too if you are intolerant to the heat like me.

Other Pro Tips

• In addition to water, bringing snacks is also a good idea if you have little kids. There are several areas where you can take breaks. Some even have benches were you can sit down and enjoy nature. Note that at the time we are writing this article the picnic areas are closed to ensure social distancing.

• Dogs are welcome. We actually saw multiple families who brought their four-legged friends. Just be mindful that they are required to have a leach. Additionally, you want to bring bags for their poop. Please, remember to bring water for them too.

• If possible, go during weekdays. It is less crowded and you don’t need to pay for parking. During weekends reservations and payment for parking are required unless stated on their website.

• Most people will tell you to get there early. Well, with two young kids that’s a challenge for me. We got there around 1 PM and we were all good. But then again, we went on a Thursday. During weekends it might be a different story.

• There are porta-potties but there’s no water. Therefore you might want to bring wipes and hand sanitizers.

• Be prepared to share the trails not only with dogs but also horses and mountain bikes. The trails are wide enough and I felt safe.

• You will have great views from the lookout. Bring your phone – or DSL camera for that matter- fully charged as you will find multiple good photo ops.

• One of the things we enjoyed the most was getting in the water! Bring water shoes if possible. Rocks in the water were slippery.

• Don’t forget the sunscreen.

• Be mindful that the routes to go to the waterfall are downhill. Save some energy for the return as the route is uphill.

• Fishing is allowed. Bring your gear!

Flora & Fauna

One more thing to note about Hidden Falls is the amount of wonderful flora and fauna that you can find there. If you are lucky you might spot a deer, but for sure you will see lots of birds. There are also lots of plants such as Lavander. During Summer you should also be cautious about poison oak. They also have informative posts around with info on what kinds of plants and animals you can see.

Bonus Tips!

To keep the girls motivated during our hike I told them we were going on two missions:

Treasure Hunt: I told them the park’s name is Hidden Falls because the waterfalls are “hidden treasures”. Our first mission was to follow the trails to get to the treasure. Once there we would get in because the water was magical and would take away the sweat and the heat. In my opinion, with kids, it’s not about what it is but how you present them with what it is.

Spread Kindness: The day before we went to Hidden Falls Regional Park we spent the afternoon painting rocks with positive messages. Mind you this was the first time we got out of our house in four months and I just figured there might be more families in our same situation and I loved the idea of spreading the rocks throughout the park for people to find. We distributed the rocks in our way in and we were thrilled to see in our way out that some rocks were already taken. Hopefully, the messages brightened someone else’s day.

If using your GPS you can get to Hidden Falls Regional Park at 7587 Mears Place, Auburn CA.  The park’s hours are posted daily by park rangers, make sure to check that out upon arrival.

Hidden Falls is perfect for families. Pack up the kids and give it a try. You will not regret it.

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For more family-friendly things to do in the Greater Sacramento area just click here.