Directions
The BLM parcels that compose the Pine Hill Preserve are open to the public year round for passive recreation activities. Access is limited to foot traffic only and there is no designated parking for most of the Preserve sites, except for the Salmon Falls and Kanaka Valley sites. From Sacramento take Hwy 50 east to the Bass Lake Rd. exit (Exit 32) and turn left (north). Continue onto Bass Lake/Marbe Valley Rd. for about 4 miles, turn left (west) onto Green Valley Rd. and travel 1.4 miles. Take a right on Deer Valley Road for 2.2 miles, then a slight left (North) on Kanaka Valley Rd., continue for about 1.6 miles until you encounter a sharp right turn and two green gates on the left side of the road. At this point you have reached the trail access; park near the gates following indications on the signs.
Phone
916-941-3101
Activities
INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMS, HIKING, HORSEBACK RIDING, WILDLIFE VIEWING, ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, PHOTOGRAPHY
Camping Reservations
Reserve your campsite at these camping areas:
Hiking Trails
Looking for nice hiking areas to take a hike? Choose from these scenic hiking trails:
Related Link(s)
More California Recreation Areas
Pine Hill Preserve Flickr Album
Pine Hill Preserve Area of Critical Environmental Concern
The Pine Hill Preserve ACEC is a cooperative conservation effort among local entities to protect the habitat of eight rare plant species. The Preserve lands and the adjacent Kanaka Valley, located approximately 30 miles east of Sacramento, consist of 4,790 acres, about 70% of which has dense clusters of rare plants and is within an area designated for the recovery of five federally listed rare plants.
Pine Hill Preserve ACEC is home to a collection of eight rare plant species. Four of the plant species that grow in the Pine Hill Preserve are endemic, which means they grow nowhere else in the world. One species is nearly endemic, with only a few plants found elsewhere. This assemblage of rare plants is part of a unique community confined to soils known as the Rescue soils, named after the nearby community of Rescue, CA. Visit CalPhotos to view images of these rare plants.
- El Dorado bedstraw
- Pine Hill Ceanothus
- Pine Hill Flannelbush
- Stebbins’ morning-glory
- Layne’s butterweed
- Red Hill soaproot
- El Dorado mule-ears
- Bisbee Peak rush-rose
2020 Spring Pine Hill Preserve Tours
Beginning in April, the Pine Hill Preserve, in coordination with the El Dorado Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, will offer a guided bird tour and three guided plant tours in different areas of the Preserve. The tours are free and open to the public. There is a limit of 20 participants per tour. Led by volunteer naturalists, each plant tour will focus primarily on the plants growing within the chaparral and oak woodland ecosystems of the Pine Hill Preserve, but will also include information about wildlife, pollinators, and geology.
When: With exception of the bird tour, the following tours will begin at 9:00 AM and conclude by 1:00 PM. The bird tour will begin at 7:00 AM and concludes at noon.
- Sunday, April 5 – Kanaka Valley Bird Hike with Chris Conard “ CNPS/PHP
- Saturday, April 18 – Kanaka Valley Plant Hike – CNPS/PHP
- Saturday, May 2 – Cameron Park Unit through hike – CNPS/PHP
- Saturday, May 9 – Pine Hill Ecological Reserve – CNPS/PHP
Where: Tour locations are indicated above. Field trip participants will meet at designated areas and carpool to the site. Virginia Meyer, with the CNPS El Dorado Chapter, will notify bird and plant tour participants one week in advance regarding the meeting location for the tours.
Cost: Free
What to wear and bring: Sturdy shoes, hat, water, a lunch or snacks, sunscreen, and insect repellant.
How to register: For the bird and plant tours:
Contact Virginia Meyer, CNPS Volunteer
By email: vcmeyer@mac.com
Secondary contact Graciela Hinshaw, BLM-Pine Hill Preserve Manager
By email: pinehillpreserve@gmail.com or ghinshaw@blm.gov
BECOME A BLM VOLUNTEER AT THE PINE HILL PRESERVE ACEC — Download the Volunteer Form
Contact: Graciela Hinshaw, BLM Pine Hill Preserve Manager
Hunting and Shooting Info – Pine Hill Preserve ACEC:
- No target shooting
- No closure, but we discourage hunting because of minimal public access and the high density of people and homes surrounding the parcels (Lotus & Cameron Park parcels)
NOTE: All California game species are regulated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Rules, regulations, and seasons are controlled by CDFW, and it is the hunter™s responsibility to verify and comply with proper species, seasons, zones, regulations, and legal location if hunting on public lands.
FGC 3004 “ It is unlawful for any person to hunt or discharge while hunting, any firearm or other deadly weapon within 150 yards of any occupied dwelling house, residence, or other building or any barn or other outbuilding used in connection therewith. The 150 yard area is a “Safety Zone.”
Helpful Links:
Where to Shoot
California Department of Fish & Wildlife
Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting on Public Lands, BLM California
Return To: BLM, Mother Lode Field Office
