Yuba River Swimming Hole

We left our campsite in Grass Valley and drove less than half an hour to the Bridgeport Covered Bridge, then walked upstream along the Yuba River.  We had intended to take a self-guided walk along the same route as the weekly docent-lead wildflower walks along the river, but a sign advised us that the walks for the season had been cancelled because of the lack of rains and unseasonal warmth that had caused an early bloom.  Still, we decided that it was cool enough in the morning (about 10) to walk along the trail loop and explore a section of the river that we had not seen before.  As we walked along, Laura photographed flowers and insects she encountered:

The trail from the bridge paralleled the river, and had a few cobbles and uneven sections that made me happy I had brought my walking stick, but the grade was easy as we walked along.  We passed turbulent rapids, and expected that to continue as the canyon closed and narrowed up-river--we mostly expected to see white-water views of the river, like the picture below:

However, we rounded a corner, began to hear faint voices, and a section of quiet, blue green water came into view:

On the opposite side of the river we could see a family playing near the water, which was very clear--we had found a local swimming hole, and the far side of the river had a long beach area.  Our side of the river was more rocky with small strips of sandy beach between large boulders.  But the area was inviting, and so we rolled up our long pants, and went wading.

The people on the opposite shore left, and for awhile we were alone at this lovely spot, then a family arrived, followed by another then another--all on the opposite side, where it looked like you could almost drive to the swimming hole.  The rock pictured below had a deep pool on one side below its highest point, and we watched as people jumped/dove off the rock into the deep green waters over and over.

Laura waded then climbed out on the rocks on our side--these are the same rocks that are behind Liz in the picture above where she is wading:

As Laura came down of the rocks, and began exploring on the inside edge, she slipped and went in--the only electronic items she carried were her car keys which she quickly dug out of her dripping pocket and I put into the sun to dry (they still worked later).  Luckily, she didn't have her iPhone in her pocket like she usually does.  The dip didn't bother her, and she actually waded out into waist deep water, because the water was not too cold, and the sun was so warm.  We saw a huge trout through the clear water, and lots of small six-inchers, and tons of little one inch and less fish everywhere.

I also photographed a bumble bee near the waters edge on some blackberry vines:

Laura hiked out to our car and came back with our picnic lunch, which we ate beside the river--and by the time she got back, people had come to our side of the river as well.  There are probably six separate large and deep/calm swimming holes along this stretch of river. By noon, when we left, I counted over fifty people (and a dozen dogs) in different little groups dotted along this section of the river.   It is an absolutely beautiful swimming place, but plan to visit on a weekday or if on a weekend come at 9:00 and be prepared to leave by 12:00 noon.

We returned to Grass Valley where Laura packed up and left for home.  Liz and I organized/gathered our gear so we could easily leave early on Monday--we heard it would be in the nineties in Stockton.