Maidu Dr. > Eagles Nest
This is what I like to call the last leg of my Shirland Canal trail run. Accessed from the Maidu Dr. entrance to the Auburn State Recreation Area, this segment of the canal trail wanders south until reaching Eagles Nest, a newly paved road that connects several new, spacious south Auburn homes.
This section of the canal trail, like the Pacific Ave. section, has spectacular views of the North Fork of the American River east toward Cool. I’ve listed this run as easy but be careful of the exposed stones and roots that stick up out of the pack dirt trail. One narrow section in particular, where the trail narrows to a couple feet wide with a steep drop off to one side and the canal on the other, can be perilous to the careless runner.
Distance: 2.5 mile out and back
Type: Easy
Surface: Trail
Images: Shirland Canal Trail
Two ways to extend this run :
- To make this run longer, start with the Shirland Canal run. Leave your car at Placer High School’s football field parking lot, follow the railroad tracks south for about 1/2 mile, run under the Pacific Ave. overpass (just before the soccer fields), and turn right up a narrow dirt path to access the Shirland Canal trail near the Pacific Ave. entrance. Total distance: 5.8 miles
- Park at the Maidu Dr. entrance to the Auburn State Recreation Area. After returning from Eagles Nest, run to Pacific Ave. and back (or vice versa). Total distance: 4.7 miles
