Hikes and winery adventures along the Placer County Wine Trail

The Sierra Foothills AVA is home to the Placer County Wine Trail, a stretch of countryside near Auburn that brims with hiking paths and tasting rooms, a combination that offers plenty of enticing options for anyone who enjoys mixing a little outdoor adventure with their winery hopping. With 19 wineries included on the trail map and several outdoor experiences nearby, creating your own wine/hike adventure is easy to do.

Hidden Falls and a trio of wineries

Popular with locals and visitors alike, Auburn’s Hidden Falls Regional Park offers 30 miles of trails to explore on foot, bike or horseback. There are easy trails with so-worth-it views, such as the .3-mile Canyon View Trail,  moderate but still short jaunts like the .7-mile Seven Pools Loop, and more challenging hikes, including the 1-mile Poppy Trail and 1.4-mile River Otter Loop. Choose a trail that crosses the Canyon View Bridge for some of the best views in the park. Visit in the spring, and you’ll find wildflowers blooming across the hillsides.

Post-hike, you’ll find a trifecta of worthy winery stops nearby, including Vina Castellano Estate Vineyards and Winery, Fawnridge Winery and Lone Buffalo Vineyards.

Taste through Vina Castellano‘s Spanish and Rhone varietals in the winery’s stone barrel cave, where you can sample a flight of four wines of your choice. Walk ins are welcome, but large groups may want to make reservations.

From there, you can head to Stewart and Stephanie Perry’s Fawnridge Winery for everything from sauvignon blanc to old vine zin. Finish up at Lone Buffalo, which is as charmingly rustic and cowboy-esque as the name suggests. A tasting here includes 2.5-ounce tastes of three wines.

Water views, wine and a museum

Auburn’s Lake Clementine is in the Auburn State Recreation Area, where a 3.8-mile out-and-back trail offers plenty of shade, as well as panoramic views along the North Fork of the American River and under the towering Foresthill Bridge. Don’t miss the cascading waterfalls formed by the Lake Clementine Dam.

Afterward, head for Bonitata Boutique Wine, which is tucked inside the historic winery building at Auburn’s Bernhard Museum. One of the oldest buildings in Placer County, the site once operated as a hotel. Browse the historical artifacts and exhibits, then enjoy a little wine.