‘Hidden gem’ California river spot overwhelmed by visitors’ vehicles, authorities say
Influxes of tourists have recently flooded a beautiful but tiny slice of the North Fork American River, creating a parking and public safety nightmare near iconic Yankee Jims Bridge, according to Placer County and California State Parks authorities.
Parks officials as of Friday have closed all vehicle access including parking at Yankee Jims, the state-designated historical landmark a few miles west of Foresthill.
State Parks authorities did so after they, along with sheriff’s deputies, California Highway Patrol officers and Cal Fire, noted a “dramatic increase” in out-of-town visitors coming to Yankee Jims, with the vast majority parking illegally near the “rough and rugged” roads immediately surrounding the bridge, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said Friday morning in a Facebook post and accompanying video.
There are just 12 legal parking spots at the site, but authorities counted an unprecedented 313 vehicles at Yankee Jims last weekend. Vehicles blocking the limited entry and exit points at Yankee Jims, which is a narrow one-way bridge, caused an “hours-long traffic jam” at one point as cars struggled to turn around, the Sheriff’s Office post said.
“This presents a huge public safety danger, and cannot allow any first responder to access Yankee Jim’s in the event of any emergency or fire.”
In a video news release, authorities said that while people technically could still park legally about three miles away and make the hike to Yankee Jims, this would introduce its own set of safety issues, as visitors would be trekking in areas first responders also couldn’t access quickly or easily in the event of an emergency. In other words, they’re discouraging visitors altogether.
The Sheriff’s Office also pointed out the roads are “not meant for constant vehicle access, and certainly not meant for hundreds of vehicles to pile up and clog the roadway, which is already too narrow as it is.”
Yankee Jims Bridge is striking, and the water beneath it is ultra-clear. But the beauty has been part of the problem.
In a video news release, the Sheriff’s Office blamed some of the overflow of tourists on people using Yankee Jims as a photo backdrop. Social media has turned what the sheriff’s video calls a “hidden gem” into a poorly kept secret. Instagram searches with locations tagged at Yankee Jims and the Yankee Jims Bridge each turn up dozens upon dozens of images posted within the past week, many of them selfies.
The problem is further exacerbated by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. With COVID-19-related business shutdowns suspending virtually all indoor recreation venues across most of the state, weekends have seen Californians flock to hiking trails and waterways in even greater numbers than usual.
It’s been a recurring issue throughout the public health crisis. Very early in the still-ongoing stay-at-home order from Gov. Gavin Newsom, California State Parks put restrictions on parking at many parks and beaches to deter visitors, in response to crowds that hadn’t been adequately socially distancing. Many of those restrictions were loosened before the end of May.
With heat ratcheting up in the summer, though, beaches and rivers have become even more enticing to those looking to get outdoors but stay cool.
Faced with similar tourist crowd issues, Placer County’s neighbor El Dorado County earlier in the pandemic had a travel ban in place that told non-residents to stay away from the Lake Tahoe area, lest they face fines. That ban has also since been lifted, but the Lake Tahoe region remains El Dorado County’s hotbed for COVID-19 activity, data from the county health department shows.
