*** Update***
OK – I have been advised that Mushroom Rock (identified as Mushroom Hole in the article below) was actually written up in National Geographic Adventure Magazine. This surprised me greatly and makes my original opening sentence (below) a little less accurate, apparently. I have posted the commentary found in National Geographic Adventure Magazine below. And after that will be my original post…
“Sierra Leap
Mushroom Hole
Located in Tahoe National Forest just above the Middle Yuba River, Mushroom Hole takes its name from the shitake-shaped rock that dominates it. At about 30 feet, it’s one of the northern Sierra’s most popular leaps.Height: 5; depth: 5; privacy: 3.
Bonus: If you’re offended by nudity, this is about the only Sierra swimming hole where you can avoid it—you would have to be a fool to go commando off this cliff.
Location: About 80 miles northeast of Sacramento. From Sacramento, take I-80 east for 36 miles to Auburn; head 28 miles north on State Road 49 to Nevada City, then continue north for another 14 miles on State Road 49. Cross the bridge over the Middle Yuba River and take an immediate left on Moonshine Creek Road. Drive a mile and park, making sure not to block any driveways. (There is lots of private property hereabouts, so obey signs.) Look for a trail on the left that will take you down to the river. About a half mile downsteam is an overused hole named Strawberry; continue another 250 yards to Mushroom.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Steep downhill climb to the trail, then a half-mile riverside hike to Strawberry and 250-yards to Mushroom. Wear tennis shoes or sturdy sandals for traction and watch for poison oak.Contact: Tahoe National Forest (530-265-4531; http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/tahoe).”
Now this is my original post…
Mushroom Rock does not appear on any maps and is known primarily to locals, but I believe it is far superior to the nearby Oregon Creek (although the old, wooden covered bridge at Oregon Creek is pretty cool) – both of which are sites along the Middle Fork of the Yuba River…
To access Mushroom Rock, you drive up or down Moonshine Road depending on which direction you are coming from. Likely, you will be accessing Moonshine Road via Highway 49 or Marysville Road. There is no sign as to where to park alongside Moonshine Road to access Mushroom Rock. You either look for the trail leading down from the road or you look for the other parked cars.
Where you park alongside Moonshine Road to access the trail down…
What you see when you first start down the trail…
You cross this creek on the way down…
The trail is definitely not an official trail and so it can be relatively steep at times…
Not all of this area’s mining is history…
The view where the trail terminates at the Yuba River…
The pool of water you jump into right from the start…
A view along the Yuba River…
Rocks scoured down by the water…
Salamanders were everywhere on this particular trip, which was cool…
Salamander Greatness…
*
Another view along the Middle Fork of the Yuba River – up the riverbank…
Brandon assessing a jump site. I’ve only done that one a handful of times…
Gravel beach with fire pit in case you want to hang out for a while…
This spot is no joke. Last time I was here with Carrie, David and Diane, a kid drowned at this exact site…
Some views down the Middle Fork of the Yuba River…
The view up the Yuba River…
Rocks along the river…
The Mushroom Rock:
A cave on the access route to the jump location from Mushroom Rock…
The Velvet Rocket 
Unfortunately I remember that trip well. I actually believe that it was the last time I was at mushroom. Seeing that kid carried out in the cage was horrible. Hope your trips are going well. Get in touch. David
I have been going to mushroom hole for years and to see all the people down there disrespecting the area makes me mad! Take your trash and your feces home with you!
Today on the trail down there was a new barbed wire fence. When we came back up a weird guy was standing up there and told us we couldn’t come back up because it was “private property.” We finally negotiated with him and he told us that he would let us up if we promised to never come back. According to others we met at the the top, he told them they couldn’t go down and was wielding a stick. WTF?? Isn’t this the Tahoe National Forest?
I’m surprised to hear that, given that Mushroom Rock has been accessed by the public without problems for decades. And, yes, it is public land as it is National Forest property. I would guess that the guy is simply mentally ill or his behavior is possibly connected to a mining claim. Many areas along the Yuba River are staked out as part of someone’s mining claim (including Mushroom Rock), but there has never been a conflict before that I know of at Mushroom Rock as the miners (who are almost never there) and recreational users have each minded their own business.
I live in London now, otherwise I would just go there with a set of bolt cutters and open the trail back up. If the problem has not been resolved by the time I visit home again, I’ll take care of it then.
Wow!I grew up in grass vly during the eearly ’80’s.we spent a LOT of at 🍄 “pond”.anyway that “cat” you folk’s ran into going 🆙 the trail has been running us off the “property” since we kid’s. We always just went around him. Blow’s my mind I’m chatting about the swimming hole we grew 🆙at!!.✌🍄
I have bolt cutters. I am planning this trip soon. If the barbed wire is still up when I get there, I will handle it.
Thank you, MV. I’m glad we can count on you.
I called the Tahoe National Forest and they have sent the local sheriff to look into it. He checked the map and it is clearly National Forest. I hope this also helps.
That’s awesome work, Paula. Thanks for your efforts.
Any word on what the sheriffs have done about the barbed wire fence?
(By the way, thank you for contacting them Paula!)
So my boyfriend and I hiked to this swimming hole today. We had a hard time finding it since we’ve never been there. So we finally found it and towards the start of the trail there was a barbed wire fence which we just crawled underneath with no problem….it said private property but we just kept going. There were a ton of tree branches on the trail so it made it hard to make it down the trail.
I believe the owner of the property put it there to be a jackass so people wouldn’t walk there. We reached another barbed wire which was the end of the property. We continued the trail and made it to the swimming hole and the rocks to jump off of.
Does anyone know if there is another swimming hole farther down the river other than the one at the end of the trail to the 1st swimming hole? I wanted to walk farther down the river but it just looked like a ton of huge rocks and no open space.
Anyways…after making our way back we reached the barbed wire fence but this time there was this man that told us to get off his property. He was being a total asshole. He made us go around his property so we hiked along the left side of the barbed wire which was a pain in the ass. There were nothing but leaves, stickers, tree branches, and sinking in the dirt while hiking back up since we weren’t on a trail because of the selfish stubborn rude-ass man.
I just don’t understand why that man had to be so cruel there wasn’t anything around but trees and dirt…his house wasn’t even close to us period. Doesn’t he have anything else better to do? Total Dick! Someone needs to really do something here!
How do I get to this cave spot on the access route?
ok I’m a little confused….after the trail terminating into the Yuba River is that hole called Strawberry or Mushroom or something else? I made it to a huge swimming hole and it had a couple rocks to jump from. There was no more trail to hike further down the river. Do I have to hike further down river on the rocks to get to Mushroom and/or Strawberry?
Thanks for your comments, Jamie.
The man that claimed to be the owner of the property is technically correct in claiming it is “his” in that it is public land and we are, therefore, ALL owners of the land. It is National Forest property. So, you could just as well have replied that it is “yours” as well. By the way, what does the man look like?
In regard to your questions: Although it looks like there is nothing downstream but a bunch of rocks, that is actually where the cave and “Mushroom Rock” itself are. The swimming hole directly at the end of the trail is nice, but it is not where the main action is.
He’s a thin old man in his late 50’s or 60’s. He had a long gray mustache and a little go-tee. It was just a small section of the trail that was blocked off with barbed wire which he said it was his property. Do you know if he’s lived there all his life and all of the sudden he’s finally tired of people walking thru?
Is there a way around going thru this small section of what he calls his property? It’s just irritating that he won’t let us walk thru this small section. If it’s true that the small section is his property and not the National Forest’s or whatever then someone would need to make a new path around his property which sucks! I wonder if the Sheriff could talk him into letting people just walk thru or even maybe its not even his property. What do you think?
So as far as the cave and “Mushroom rock” how far do I have to hike downstream to get there from the 1st swimming hole? Is hiking through the rocks the only way down and the easiest?
I would guess that he is new on the scene as people have literally been using that trail for decades without any problems. It’s just in the past month or so that individuals have started telling me about having problems with this guy. He sounds like a bastard. Unfortunately, there is no way I know of yet that bypasses the problem with him to get down to Mushroom Hole and back up. Hopefully, this guy will either be dealt with soon or a new trail that skirts around his problem-causing zone will be formed.
In terms of getting to Mushroom Rock and the cave, I’d estimate that you need to go downstream about 100-150 yards or so. And, yes, going through/over/around the rocks is the best way.
Hey thanks a lot! I was wondering if you know of any other good swimming holes to visit?
Hi Jamie –
One that is quite close by to Mushroom Rock (just off Highway 49) is Oregon Creek. If you hike upstream (there is an easy trail to follow) for a few hundred yards you will come to a large swimming hole that is deep enough to be quite good. You’ll know you are there because there will be other people there as well as some signs from an old mining claim warning you not to go farther upstream.
Another place is Bridgeport, part of the South Yuba River State Park (which is also worth visiting for its covered bridge). Starting from the bridge, follow the trail upstream a little ways and it will soon begin tracking directly along the river. Take your pick from the numerous spots.
Colgate Powerhouse also comes to mind. Drive to Lake Francis in Dobbins and just follow the road you are on (to get to Lake Francis) to the very end. You’ll twist your way down the Yuba River canyon which is pretty impressive and then the road dead-ends at the PG&E hydroelectric plant. You will wonder why the hell I sent you to a place like that, but if you look closely, you’ll see a trail leading down to the river from the right. Follow it and go upstream at least a quarter of a mile or so and you will come across some great swimming holes – including one with sheer sides called “Devil’s Cliff.”
There are some great spots at the end of Humbug Trail in Malakoff Diggins State Park as well, but you have to hike to get there.
Hey thanks for all your help. I’m gonna have to visit these places this month. I was thinking about buying this book that I saw online called “Day trips with a splash:the swimming holes of california” by Pancho Doll to give me more ideas. I don’t know if you heard of it. I’m gonna check the book out first at the bookstore and see if I like it. I live in Rocklin and it’s nice to get away from the city and all of the people.
I’m glad I could help, Jamie. I’ve seen the book you mentioned as well and I’m sure it has some good information inside. As a former Sierra College student, I am quite familiar with Rocklin, although I’m sure it looks a lot different now than it did ten years ago. Not that you asked, but if you’re looking to get out of town, might I suggest a road trip to the end of Highway 49 or a trip on Napa Valley’s Route 128? I have details of both on this site if you’re interested.
so is Oregon Creek swimming hole the same river as Mushroom rock swimming hole? And is Oregon Creek swimming hole just a few hundred yards upstream from Mushroom rock or somewhere else?
I would like to hear more about this other trip ur talking about too.
Yes, Oregon Creek is on the same fork of the Yuba River as Mushroom Rock. Really rough estimate – I’d say Oregon Creek is about a quarter of a mile upstream from Mushroom Rock. There are signs leading off of Highway 49 and a parking area near the wooden covered bridge (Yes, another covered bridge). You can’t miss it.
In regard to the other two trips, just use the search function on the right side of the page (near the top) of this web site and type in something along the lines of “Highway 49” and “Route 128”. They should come up. If you have any trouble locating these posts or have any questions, just email me.
well when I went to the swimming hole right below Mushroom rock I first parked in the parking lot which there was a bridge and the parking lot was across the street from the beginning of the street that takes you to Mushroom hole and found out it was better to just drive my car to that trail.
Are you talking about that bridge or is there another bridge you are talking about to get to Oregon Creek? How exactly do I get to Oregon creek? Do I keep driving on 49 past that street that takes you to Mushroom hole or is it better to get to Oregon Creek from being at Mushroom Hole?
If I understand you correctly, yes, I am talking about the bridge where you parked. Instead of going down Moonshine Road to get to Mushroom Rock, walk the opposite direction down to Oregon Creek and then upstream. If you’re where Moonshine Road runs into Highway 49, you’re in the right place.
Wow…thanks for all the info Justin, and thanks for the update Jamie.
You’re welcome, MV. However, I must thank you for your contributions on here as well as they are very much appreciated too.
The barbed wire fence, no trespassing sign and branches annoyingly blocking the trail were still there on 7/25/09. It’s a pain in the ass to hike down. Go to Purdon instead- clothing optional, many swimming holes, jumps and friendly people.
From Moonshine, take the 49 South, left at Oak Tree Rd (at the post office), pass Mother Truckers (continuing onto Purdon Rd.) Go over a small bridge and bear right to stay onto the paved road. When you get to the fork in the road stay on Purdon (the dirt road on the left). You will come to a large bridge, park there and take the trail down to the water. There are trails on both sides of the bridge and you can hike down at various points to get to the water. Enjoy.
Still, I do miss Strawberry/Epic Hole/Mushroom.
Just went to Mushroom Rock this weekend and that old guy was standing guard behind the makeshift fence he put up, in the middle of the afternoon on a Sunday in 95 degree heat. He was totally prepared to be there all day long!
Man he’s such an ass! What’s his problem?! It’s just a small little piece where we have to hike down. Anyone know any other way to get to Mushroom rock now besides going directly around that fence? It was a pain in the ass getting around the fence then having to move a bunch of branches.
My dad and I went to Mushroom hole yesterday (9/16/09). The barbed Wire fence was there, but we unhooked a section of it and went over. The branches were also strewn over the trail for a good 75 yards of the trail. After that it was clear and we hiked the rest of the way down with no incident. My dad was the one who researched the place and we had a blast swimming at the hole. We hiked down to where the trail ended and kept hiking over some of the rocks downstream. My dad is a fish out of water, and was jonesing to get in, convinced that there was not another swimming hole further downstream, so I don’t think we got the full experience. We had fun nonetheless.
There was some trash that we found and packed out, which is irritating.
As we made our way out, I made a point to throw a bunch of the branches off the trail. I was pissed. The miser neardby had left a stack of metal fence posts near the trail, which I imagine he had there to be used later. I threw the fence posts down the ravine. Let him hike for them. We never did see the miser and he is lucky he didn’t confront me or my dad. That property is not his and if he declared that we were trespassing, then I was going to tell him to call the police or rangers. I recommend everyone having the same plan going down there….hell, I’ll call the police myself if he blocks my way. I hate people like that. Just made me angry. When I go back there, I will have bolt cutters with me and I will chop his little fence into scrap metal, regardless if he is standing there or not.
~Angry Kevin
Outstanding work, Kevin. Thank you. From what you’ve said, I’m actually sorry the old man wasn’t there so you could confront him. If enough of us are willing to stand up to people like this old Scrooge, the trail and the swimming hole can be kept open for all to enjoy. I see nothing wrong with using bolt cutters to keep public land public and intend to take bolt cutters myself the next time I am in the States and pay Mushroom Rock a visit.
That is a shame about the trash. I always haul some out when I go down there as well.
Oh, and for the record, the next time you go – definitely go downstream. You won’t be disappointed and neither will your dad.
Thanks for the reply Jamie. I am really interested in the swimming hole you mentioned near Frances Lake. The one with “Devils Cliff”. Do you think you can post a google map route from Rocklin? Trying to have a good idea about how to get there. If you plan to head to Mushroom rock anytime soon, send me an email, my dad and I are always down to go.
Oops Justin, I mean. One other thing, At the trailhead there is an actual post that looked very similar to an official trailhead sign that has been defaced and the information ripped from it. Why would a post like that be there if it was private land. That’s because it isn’t private land and that guy is breaking the law. Next I go I am going to call the police before I even get there, so that this issue can be resolved once and for all. I’d laugh if he actually threatened me with a stick.
There’s actually a pretty decent forest fire burning in the Yuba Canyon now where “Devil’s Cliff” is located. So, it may be a little while before you can get in there. However, here is a link for the route from Rocklin: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=Rocklin,+CA&daddr=Colgate+Power+House&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=35.219929,77.607422&ie=UTF8&z=9>
If you’re already up near Mushroom Rock/Hole, just continue down Marysville Road and you will get to Dobbins. You don’t need to go the way the map indicates. Regardless of which way you approach, the road after Lake Francis does a steep, winding drop into Yuba Canyon and the views are pretty cool.
Now, the end of the road is a hydroelectric power plant and you’re going to question my wisdom in sending you there. However, park along the side of the road and head toward the entrance of the power plant. You’ll see a metal stairway leading down toward the river. Follow this down and then up and it will bring you to a trail that heads upstream. Follow it for a ways and you’ll get to Devil’s Cliff. You’ll know when you’ve arrived because the river is forced through a narrow section with sheer rock cliffs.
I actually live in London now and just recently returned from visiting home (in California). So, it may be a while before I am back in California again. However, the next time I am (and assuming the weather is decent), I’ll definitely shoot you an email. Thanks for the offer of some company.
No worries on the name mix up. I’m sure Jamie is a nice person.
That’s a good point about the sign…
From reading the descriptions above, he seems like a little guy. So, yes, it would be funny if he resorted to threatening you with a stick.
I went to Strawberry/Mushroom today (9/21/09) and the gatekeeper was there again – just hanging out in 100 degree weather. I talked to him a little bit and he said that the property has always been private, but that he had just retired from his job and now he has the time to enforce his property rights. So that was that – went to Acid Rock instead!
I poked around the Yuba County website and found this program, which identifies property lines:
http://gis.co.yuba.ca.us/portal_apps/parcelapp.html
(Just choose “Moonshine” from the drop down menu listing all the roads and you’ll get there)
So it would seem that perhaps you have to cross this guy’s property to get to the swimming hole, which, as we all know, is on National Forest Land. I have no problem with boltcutters, but it may be more productive for someone to contact one of the local conservation groups (Friends of The Yuba?) and try to get some kind of easement instituted. People have been going across this land for decades, and it’s the only reasonable access to public land– an incredibly beautiful piece of public land– so it wouldn’t be outrageous to assume that an easement couldn’t be forced upon the guy. Boltcutters are nothing compared to lawyers.
hey everyone!
wow, i can’t believe i found this thread. i had the most amazing experience regarding this dude who ‘owns’ the property accessing mushroom hole.
in september of ’09 i took some friends to mushroom hole to check out the river as i have done every year for the past 10.
we came up on this guy and got the stiff arm (as all of you have described above) so we got creative and went back moonshine road to the old campground thats about midway back to the 49. the campground is long closed now but we convinced the caretaker to let us park in their turnout and get on the river via the campground’s property.
we hiked down river with all our gear and after 1 1/2 hours of trudging, folding ankles on river rock & soaking our packs we arrived at strawberry.
we had an awesome time over the next two days. we had the whole swimming hole to ourselves. (i wonder why!)
anyway, we all were dreading the thought of dragging ourselves back up river to get out so we resigned to head up the trail and face the old dude and just deal.
well we headed up and reached the first fence. but not before building up in our heads that this dude ‘could’ be a psychopath and possible have and be ready to use force to keep people off his property. by the time we got to the fence my friends were freaked out. we lucked out because some kids just happened to be coming down the trail as we approached coming up and after all the racket they were making we realized the old dude wasn’t at home.
at that point we realized we had a free pass across his land and didn’t have to deal with him.
it was a great weekend but was overshadowed by this period of time where we had no idea if the trailside killer was lurking up the trail. kind of a bummer. but whatevs.
anyway, thanks for all the feedback that everyone’s provided. its been a help in learning about new spots.
if anyone’s learned of developments about mushroom hole PLEASE POST. i want to return really badly but don’t want to deal with hostile people.
thanks
jay
I had the same encounter with the land-owner and I did some research and found that the property is indeed private. However, I believe that there’s a right-of-way law that states if people have been using your property as an access point for 10 ???? years (completely guessing) that it becomes a legal public right-of-way. The locals have been accessing this spot for eons, and while some dirtbags leave trash others pick it up and it seems to work. The really frustrating piece of this is that a lovely little haven has been revoked and it seems selfish and inconsiderate of that land-owner to deny people access to a wonderful spot.
So, I have made some inquiries into the Mushroom Hole. I called the Tahoe National Forest Ranger office. They said that the person who has knowlege of that area was out of town. I will update anything I hear so that we may have some idea of how to get around Mr. AngryRetiree. The girl I spoke with did say that some of the owners in that area are sick of people hiking in and leaving trash and basically just disrespecting the area. My dad and I pack-out trash that we find, but it would be nice to not have any trash to pack-out.
I’ll update this soon.
~Curious Kevin
Thanks for looking into this Kevin and adding to the obviously limited information out there on Mushroom Hole. Oh, and I always pack out trash too, so it;s nice to know I’m not alone :)
Tahoe National Forest Ranger office: The person who knows about that is out of town… (repeat ad infinitum)
My guess is that they don’t wish to tackle the issue. Last I checked (mid to late 90’s), the CA easement law requires a precedent of 7 years of use or more, meaning that someone would have to prove that people have been regularly crossing his property to access the river for seven or more years in order to be granted a right to cross it.
He’d be better off putting up a hippy sign about trail maintenance and paying it forward with a steel post and donation tube at the beginning of his property. Between that and the savings from not having to repair all of that bolt-cuttered fencing, he could probably afford an attitude adjustment. I think he’s just bored and lonely, choosing to misdirect his retired energy against other people’s fun.
There are other spots on Moonshine Rd, as previously mentioned. :-)
Do you have any recent update on Mushroom Rock. (Mushroom hole) My family tried to get their yesterday and we were stopped by metal/barbed wire fenceing and the landowner telling us it was private property. Is there other access from further up not on private property or from the water at the bridge on 49?
Gail, did you read my comment above? I describe the hike down the river. Kind of a drag but doable
Jay mak
Found this in another blog:
http://swimmingholesofcalifornia.blogspot.com/2009/09/oregon-creek-sierra-classic.html
“Mushroom Hole – The trail is now blocked. A landowner has constructed an electric fence that prevents access. The only way to reach this hole is by a wet approach.”
Is there really an electric fence there now? And, folks, this guy needs to be stopped.
I haven’t heard of an electrical fence but the property owner is definitely bent on keeping people from going across his land. He seems to be going overboard perhaps because the spot does get misused. I wonder if he’ll mellow out after awhile?
I just got back from this area. I didn’t even attempt to go to mushroom because it is such a hot spot. So I took one of justin’s suggestions and checked out the colgate power station.
This spot is easy enough to get to. Which must be a well known fact as there’s heaps of garbage strewn all over the place. theres also a lot of graffitti on rocks and i saw a bunch of broken car window glass at the parking spot. Our group did our best to take some of trash that’s there but there was just so much.
Anyway there’s a pretty sweet jumping spot but no real good area to spend the day. I’d say skip this spot in lieu of some of the other suggestions. There are many many other great spots
Jay
Too bad about Colgate. I guess I’ll skip that one. How about Deer Falls near Grass Valley?
I like China Dam and if you go in the morning, there is nobody there until after noon, at least on weekdays.
Reading this thread makes me so sad. Before about 2008 there were so many sweet spots to enjoy a hit summer day in the most beautiful area ever! My favs were China Dam, Scothchman’s Creek hole (south yuba) with the Hawaii like waterfall and fun slides further up creek, Deer Creek Falls (Rough and Ready), University Falls aka Rock Slides and Squirrel Creek. All of them now virtually unaccessible…and some downright made us criminals for trying (arrested for trespassing but judge laughted and dismissed the case). Unfortunately with all the good the internet does…equally people who have no respect for these beautiful spots learned about them easily through the net. All I had to go was a topo map and sheer will…and so blessed for the experience!
To Jamie, Justin and Kevin if you read this…i live near you…in Citrus Heights…Ive learned of a new spots to go and always looking for people with sence of adventure to go with!
Well, I didn’t even get a chance to go to mushroom hole last year, but am trying to go this August. Maybe if we can get a group of people to go together and have a friendly chat with the angry retiree guy, we can work out some kind of compromise.
This is an awesome thread… I’ve heard about Mushroom Rock for years but still have yet to go check it out. I usually just hit up Bridgeport and hike way upstream from all the people and or just go to Edwards Crossing which is another cool spot!
I was at Bridgeport yesterday. Hundreds of folks down at the lower pools near the parking area. Only a dozen or so for the entire day up at the pool just beyond where the trail is washed out. Anyone know the name of this hole?
On Friday, went up to the hole just past Hoyt’s Crossing. River flow was up due to dam releases and the jacuzzi at the top of the hole was awesome. The water had a cobalt blue color that was absolutely unbelievable. Some nice small water slides appeared too. Again, tons of folks downriver but few venture up to this spectacular canyon.
A group of friends and I tried to go to Mushroom hole last summer (where I have gone many summers before with no problem). When we started down the trail from Moonshine Road the old guy came out of nowhere (freaky!) and said we were trespassing on private property and had to turn around and leave. I tried to be calm and reasonable with him, hoping he’d let us pass (emphasizing that I live nearby – basically neighbors), but to no avail – he was a real jerk. There always was a small forest service sign at the start of the trail – so I always thought it was an official trail, but that summer it had disappeared. Anyways I called the Tahoe National Forest ranger station up near Camptonville and spoke with one of the rangers. He said he had gotten a lot of complaints about this guy, and that the trail did cut through his property. I double checked with Yuba County assessor maps and it seems it does cut through a tiny corner of his property. The ranger said that people have been using this trail for decades to access Mushroom Hole, and someone could go through the courts to enforce the easement. Basically he said the National Forest wouldn’t do it – but an individual or groups of individuals could (but it would cost $ to hire a lawyer, etc.). He did say that there would be a good chance of being successful going through courts. Anyways, in the meanwhile the best way to get there is probably to go through the campground on Moonshine Road (ask the groundskeeper if he’ll let you pass) and trudge down the river. Once you get to a big bend in the river (a wide spot with a small creek flowing into it), hike up the side of the hill till you hit the trail, and then continue down it till you reach the swimming hole. That is the best advice I have at the moment.
I cant believe you guys have a site for the mushroom my mom owns property off moonshine Ive been going there for years and guess what I even went down there to the trail wanting to access the mushroom and he even told me i couldn’t pass his own neighbor can you believe it he spooked me too since i used to spend my entire summers there now i have to start at my moms property which is next door to the campground and hike down the river what a drag
hey yuba neighbor!
is there anyway your mom could talk some sense into ‘grumpo’? if she has any rapport with him, she may be the best bet for all of us to continue to enjoy the hole. in the meantime, do you know if its copacetic to use the campground’s beach to get access to the rive and hike down?
Yeah this place is awsome. Tho didn’t find this entrance trail. Hiked long along the river (from upriver) this trail brings u from down river?
Hi Matt –
Yes, the trail pictured in the post does lead down to Mushroom from the road. However, in the past couple of years, a property owner who owns a parcel covering a section of the trail has been hassling people attempting to utilize the trail. So, it seems your way is the best (only?) way in now.
As the owner of a (different, not this one) private property that lots of people claim to have been using for “eons”, I have to say I feel sorry for this guy. We paid for our property, pay the taxes each year, and pay for insurance. Because of the beauty and/or location of our property. we paid even more than a property with no such attraction. Now we are caught between a rock and a hard place: hundreds, if not thousands, of people claiming to have the “right” to traipse through our property to access a “public” water feature, leaving a trail of trash and fishhooks and spent shotgun shells. Meanwhile, our insurance company (and the flawed legal system) tells us that we are liable if someone gets hurt while using our property unless we are actively working at keeping people off of our property. We cannot just give up and let people use our property, or the insurance will drop us–and the sheriff will not enforce it unless we keep the property posted and as inaccessible to the public as possible. So we keep replacing fencing, and fenceposts, and the signs that are torn down, and the gate that has been driven through and bent backwards so many times that it is wired together…while people like all of you keep accusing us of selfishness and greed and of being just plain lousy humans. I am sorry for your loss of easy access, but give the grouch old man a break. Find or make a new access over public land and leave him alone.
I agree with Momma landowner. The guy may be a crotch, but surely there is plenty of public land that could be used to access the hole? I’m going up there soon… I guess I will find out. What’s hard to determine is where the private property boundaries are since almost the whole area is labeled as National Forest.
Went to Mushroom Hole yesterday to find that the cliffs have eroded and big boulders, that were once Mushroom Rock, have fallen into the swim hole. It is not safe to jump off the rock anymore and I doubt there is even access to climb up it. I was a little dissappointed when I got there to find the hole was ruined.
I went there this past Saturday. We spent the day at Oregon Creek (so amazing!) and then went down to Moonshine Rd to try to find the old trail down to Mushroom Hole so we could camp there for the night and enjoy it the next day. We finally found the pull-off after being led astray by a bunch of other cars parked on the side of the road near a metal gate (still not sure what they were doing). The trail was still about 1/4 mile down Moonshine just after you see a spot on the left side at the curve where there’s a strip of dirt road that cuts the corner (not sure how else to describe it). Anyway I went down the trail about 20 feet with a female friend of mine, making sure to be quiet, and then we hit the barb wire fence that the guy put up. It is substantial and goes as far as I could see in both directions.
We were wondering if we could just follow the fence line until there was a break and just go down the river from there, and I swear we weren’t even standing by the fence looking at it for a minute and then we hear a voice say “Don’t touch my fence! This is private property!” and then the guy comes out from behind a tree 30 feet away. Anyway we very politely told him that we had no intention of crossing his fence, and we asked him how far in either direction we would have to go to not be on his property and he said “I don’t know”. We asked if he knew any other way down to the river and he again said “I don’t know” and “Everything from here back towards 49 is private property”. I asked if he could step forward to talk to us and help us out, because all we wanted to do was go down to the river for a swim. He was silent. I asked if there was anything he could do to help us, and he was silent. This trail and fence isn’t anywhere near his house so he was obviously out in the woods all day waiting, even at 5:30 pm when we went! Scary.
I’m certain this guy is mentally ill by the way he was talking to us and the creepy blank stare on his face. He is definitely not all there. I would recommend to stay away. No telling what he would do if someone actually went on his property. According to parcel records he is most likely Roger Dale Elam. I forgot to take a GPS coordinate of where the trail hit the fence and it’s kinda near two property lines so I’m not sure which one it was (more likely Elam though). Public info says Mr. Elam is 58 which seems about right.
I looked at the parcel maps of Yuba county and there is definitely access to the river from Moonshine Rd that goes through public federal land (owner is listed as USA). Unfortunately we tried and made it to the creek that runs north-south and it was very difficult and steep… lots of brambles, poison oak, leaves on the ground making it slippery. And even then it’s still a good trek to the river from there. Could possibly make a trail in a day if there were enough people with the right tools, but maybe not worth the effort if what the previous commenter said is true.
Also was going to ask at the private campground (that now seems to be “closed” even though there were a couple tents set up and people milling around) if we could use their access, but shortly after we drove by they closed the gate and there were signs up saying “private property / no trespassing” so we didn’t think it would be appropriate to walk in and ask around.
Sad that this swimming hole isn’t accessible anymore and that it (apparently) has fallen apart. But Oregon Creek just up the road is gorgeous. You can’t tell from the pictures or descriptions elsewhere on the internet, but the hole there is deep enough to jump into from the 15 ft ledge above it, you can stand behind the waterfall, and there’s a couple of natural slides (more like dips I guess) that you can go down on your belly. Totally fun and only a 2 minute walk from the pull-off on the side of 49. We were there all day and only about 10 other people showed up. Very, very nice.
Going to swim at the state park on the South Yuba is nice too… plenty of great holes and pools there, especially if you’re willing to hike up the river a bit. We stopped here on our way back on Sunday.
Hi I use to live in the Bay area and am planning a trip to Mushroom hole in a couple days. Is the best access point the camp ground now? Also is it true that the mushroom rock is gone now?
Just out of NSJ, North on 49, past the Tahoe National Forrest sign, and at the end of the second sweeping turn….You’ve gone too far if you find yourself on a sharp 15 mph corner…there is a small pull out. There is enough room for two or so vehicles to safely park on the right. Get out and look south and there is a little creek, Clear Creek. There is a nice trail (Indian Trail) starting at the culvert and gently winding down to what the article calls Mushroom. The secret (no longer) trail has been used since before cracker found gold in California. At the end of the trail is the large public (below high water mark) beach and the rocks peeps love to jump off, absolutely nothing downstream from there but hey, there you are! Your welcome:-)
Has anyone been to mushroom rock lately? I thought about visiting this place again. And any recommendations on how to hike to it now?
The trail by Clear Creek is private property
Hey Jamie –
Check out the comment that “Greenthumb” left above you… I haven’t tried it, but that sounds pretty promising.
What’s the latest on accessing Mushroom Rock? We could not find the trailhead.
I’m not sure. I haven’t been there in a few years, but I’ve been wondering what the current status is as well…
The latest on the old guy that had (rightfully) blocked access by building a fence across the trail. He has passed away. He lived there along time, and when he retired, sometime in 08? maybe? he had more time on his hand and decided to guard his trail. He was tired of all the riff-raff leaving all their beer cans and other trash down at the first hole (some call it Strawberry, we call it the Epic hole). I hope that all you river lovers are like my family and bring extra garbage bags to pick up the ridiculous amounts of trash found at the mighy Yuba’s pristine holes. I have a house on Moonshine Rd. and I love this place more than anything. Let’s keep it healthy for many generations to come.
We live off Moonshine Rd and have an access trail from our property on Moonshine Creek. Around .5 mile in the acess trail along the creek runs into an overgrown 4wd road that runs up the ridge towards the mill as well as Dow ridge towards the Yuba. If you continue down towards the Yuba you reach Strawberry hole. I suspect if you hike back up this 4wd rd you may also be able to traverse the ridge to Mushroom without taking the boulders along the river. All of the access to the Moonshine Creek trail is private, but I have heard people park near the mill and come down the 4wd rd. I believe the trail at the end of that road is a piece of the long since closed trail from Moonshine. There is an active mining claim at Strawberry/Epic hole that is posted.
Thank you for the information…
So you can access Mushroom hole again this way and the old weird guy passed away?
“Beatrisa the Trailscout” asked me to post the following comment for her, which I present exactly as she wrote it:
Reading this thread makes me so sad. Before about 2008 there were so many sweet spots to enjoy a hit summer day in the most beautiful area ever! My favs were China Dam, Scothchman’s Creek hole (south yuba) with the Hawaii like waterfall and fun slides further up creek, Deer Creek Falls (Rough and Ready), University Falls aka Rock Slides and Squirrel Creek. All of them now virtually unaccessible…and some downright made us criminals for trying (arrested for trespassing but judge laughted and dismissed the case). Unfortunately with all the good the internet does…equally people who have no respect for these beautiful spots learned about them easily through the net. All I had to go was a topo map and sheer will…and so blessed for the experience!
To Jamie, Justin and Kevin if you read this…i live near you…in Citrus Heights…Ive learned of a new spots to go and always looking for people with sence of adventure to go with!