531 acres and over 9 miles of trails, open to all!
October 30, 2026
Placer County District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson and Placer Land Trust Board Member Twiana Armstrong cut the ribbon to open Big Hill Preserve in North Auburn.
This is a BIG deal — we are delighted to announce that the trails at Big Hill Preserve will open for public recreation on November 4th! Read on to find out how you can access these breathtakingly beautiful new trails, starting next week!
Yesterday, Placer Land Trust and Placer County cut the ribbon at Big Hill Preserve, celebrating the upcoming public opening of the new trailhead and visitor facilities on 531 acres of protected open space in North Auburn!
The Preserve features more than 9 miles of trails, a new parking area, restrooms, and other amenities for hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians. The project reflects years of partnership between the County and Placer Land Trust, which have worked together since the early 2000s to protect the Big Hill area while expanding opportunities for the public to enjoy its oak woodlands and scenic views.
For Placer Land Trust, this milestone represents not only decades of our conservation work, but also our commitment to share these precious lands with our community in a way that is sustainable, responsible, inclusive, and welcoming to all.
“We acquired Big Hill Preserve to protect some of the last unfragmented oak woodland landscapes in western Placer County,” said Jeff Darlington, Executive Director of Placer Land Trust. “We are pleased to open this permanently protected property to the community for recreation and enjoyment, and to partner with Placer County to ensure that public access is safe, responsibly managed, and aligned with the conservation values of the preserve: wildlife habitat, watershed health and working rangelands.”
The opening of Big Hill Preserve is the next chapter of a larger effort to connect open spaces and expand recreation opportunities between the Preserve and Hidden Falls Regional Park. The planned connection will include three small bridges and is anticipated to open in late 2027. Once complete, the two areas will encompass approximately 1,800 acres of connected open space and more than 40 miles of trails for nonmotorized recreation.
“Big Hill Preserve illustrates what is possible when conservation, public access and public safety are planned together from the beginning,” said District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson. “I want to thank our team for the work they put into making sure this project was sized right and addressed the important concerns of our neighbors here in North Auburn in regard to many issues including trail use etiquette, parking reservations, and parking restrictions along the roadway.”
Big Hill Preserve opens to the public November 4, but the online reservation system is up and running — so you can grab your spot now! Hours of operation are one half hour before sunrise and sunset, Wednesdays through Sundays, with parking reservations required.
Be sure to select “Big Hill- Bell Road Parking” for the new location; see screenshot below:
For more information about Big Hill Preserve, FAQs, important “know before you go” information, printable trail maps, parking reservations and more, visit www.placer.ca.gov/bighillpreserve. We look forward to seeing you out there on the trails!
Left to right: Placer Land Trust Directors Jim Haagen-Smit, Cathy Johnson, Maggie Tides, Loren Clark, Twiana Armstrong, Christine Pieper, and Executive Director Jeff Darlington at the Big Hill trailhead.
