Mineral Bar Primative Campground, Colfax California

The Best North Fork of the American river Camping In Colfax

Getting There

We drove up from the San Francisco Bay Area. It is an easy drive all the way up highway 80 to the small town of Colfax. From Colfax we headed to our original destination, the USFS Sugar Pine Point Campground. Well, here’s a tip. Always check to see if the USFS campgrounds are open.

It is about an hour drive from Colfax to the USFS Sugar Pine Point Campground. When we got there the big green gate was locked. There were a few more USFS sites that were also closed in the area.

So we stopped and had some fun in the snow before driving an hour back to a campground we saw on the way out. Mineral Bar Campground is a short and windy 3 mile drive from Colfax. It truly is the best North Fork of the American River camping in Colfax. While it is considered a primitive campground due to toilets being the only services, you are close to anything you might need.

You would never know the town was so close though. All you see from the campground is the the wide swiftly flowing river between the two tree covered mountain ranges. The hills are filled with tall green trees. It is just beautiful.

Winter Review

Keep in mind that this is a winter review in the month of January. There were only two of us in the entire campground. There is a day use area with a lot of room for parking. We are not sure how busy this area would be in the summer months. 

We did see a lot of rafters and kayakers filling the day use area and making their way down to the river.  There are two day use parking areas. One is right across from campsite 7 and the other one is across the road by campsites 1 through 4. 

With the limited river access, deep and quick moving water, I would say it is not the best campground for young children. However ,the river may change during the summer when the water flow and depth are less.

Walking The Campground

There are only 16 campsites at the Mineral Bar Campground. We were there in January when only 7 campsites are open. The other nine campsites are behind a locked gate, but you can still wander through them on foot.

They are laid out in a strip along the river. One thing that is very important to point out, is that none of the campsites are right on the river’s edge. I have read many reviews where people are frustrated that they need to walk a ways to get to the water. Take a look at Google maps so you can see the actual layout of the campground.

At the end of the road by site 16, there is a path that leads down to a small sandy beach area. This looked like a nice space for one family so get to it early.

Reviewing The Campsites

While this campground is in an amazing location, it must be pointed out that the campsites are quite small and very close together. The maximum vehicle length is 24 feet. Our van is 18 feet and could fit in all of the campsite parking areas, but as we walked around we felt it might be tough to get a 24 foot van in some of the spots. Spots 1,2,3,4,5 and 7 looked to be the best bets for longer vans.

Best sites for good sun – 1 through 7
Best site for river views – 1 through 5
Best sites for shade – 8 through 16
Flat to fairly flat sites – 6 and 7. Most other sites will require you to get out your leveling blocks.
Large picnic areas – site 13, 15 and 16 have large sunny picnic areas down below the shaded parking area. (15 and 16 are pictured below) You will need to carry your items down a small hill to the picnic area. Unfortunately these sites do not have direct river access though. There are no sites right on the water.

Open Season

Year round.
May 1 to May 14 there are 16 campsites first come first serve.
May 15 to September 15 there are 16 sites available by reservation.
September 16 through October 14 there are 16 sites available first come first serve.
October 15 through April 30 there are only 7 sites available first come first serve.

Amenities & More

4 pit toilets.
No drinking water.
Picnic tables.
Fire Rings.
Bear Boxes.
Kayak / raft launch area.
Maximum vehicle length 24 feet.
14 day camping limit.
Dogs are allowed.
Mountain lions, bears and rattlesnakes live in this area.

Fees

$28 per site year round.
$10 for an extra vehicle.

Reservations

www.reservecalifornia.com
1-800-444-7275

Campgrounds Nearby

Long Ravine Campground
Greenhorn Campground
Peninsula Camping & Boating
Orchard Spring Campground
USFS Sugar Pine Point Campground (download the ‘USFS and BLM’ app for more information)

Local Things To See And Do

Kayaking and river rafting.
Hiking.
Mountain Biking.
Fishing.
There are a lot of OHV (off highway vehicle) trails in this area.

Cell Signal

AT&T – 2 bars.
Verizon – 2 bars.

Coordinates

39.10100034 N -120.92400036 W

If you have any questions or comments about this product, please submit them in the comments section below. 

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