Natural Bridges Trailhead — Attraction in Angels Camp

Amazing place! I would definitely go again! I'm giving it 4 instead of 5 stars because it is challenging to get to and swim through. And limited parking. We came on a Tuesday afternoon during a heat wave. My husband and I and our 2 young adult kids. We missed the turn to the parking lot at first because it's not well marked and it's at a weird angle. We barely got a place to park. It's not really a lot, but a wide street with parking along one side. There is a pit toilet in the parking area. The trail down to the creek took me about 30 minutes, but I was going slowly. A couple places were kind of steep. Mostly gently sloping. Some spots were rocky. It was hot, but the trail was shaded with trees. I recommend tennis shoes or water shoes (not flip flops) for the hike. The creek area is really pretty and great for hanging out or picnicking. The water is shallow in the creek and entrance to the cave (in late July), but deep in the middle of the cave. The water was really cold, but it felt good on a hot day. I'm not good at estimating distances, but it takes a few minutes to swim/float through the cave. Some people were swimming through, but I recommend wearing shoes and using a floaty. It is really rocky on both ends. Too deep to walk through in the middle. We brought a couple pool noodles and a couple inflatable rings. The 31- inch inflatable ring was the best (but we're petite people). The cave wasn't dark enough to need a light. It was really cool floating through and looking up at the cave ceiling. There wasn't really a current, so you have to paddle with your arms. There is a nice place to hang out along the creek once you get through the cave, but you can only get there through the cave as far as I could tell. You go back through the cave and return on the same trail you come in on. I didn't think it was that much harder going back up than coming down, but I did take it slow. We took water and snacks and stayed for a couple of hours. Overall, I think going through the cave is worth the hot hike, the cold water, and the $8...

This was a whirt hike down a mountain with lots of rocks on the trail to get to the caves. The hike down took approximately 20 minutes. Once we got there the cave was full of people playing music and eating picnics leaving litter. This was on a Saturday and summer so I would highly recommend if you want less rambunctious crowds, to try this trail on a weekday. Since the caves were full of people we hiked down Coyote Creek for another 20 minutes or so where it was quiet. Once the trail ran out we hide back to the caves and there were fewer people to contend with. Highly recommend starting this trail with an inflatable raft or a very small boat and blowing it up with your own portable pump near the caves. You can swim through the caves but it gets relatively dark and you can't see the bottom. The cave itself is stunning!!!! I would guess it was about a quarter mile long so you blow up your raft go through the caves but it is light enough so you don't need a flashlight. On the other side of the caves is also beautiful you can stash your inflatables and walk another 20 minutes or so up Coyote Creek until the trail peters out. People brought food but left their litter which was awful. If you bring a picnic be prepared to pack in and out all of your trash and there are NO BATHROOMS once you leave the parking lot. As far as the parking lot goes it is about 25 cars worth of legal parking behind an open gate. We arrived at 9:45 on a beautiful summer Saturday in the morning and there was only about three spots left. When we hiked back up the trail at about 2:00 p.m. some spots had opened but there were also a lot of people parked illegally on the road. Unsure if they were ticketed. I would recommend this trail and floating through the caves but if you don't want loads of people playing music and having mini parties down there, go...

There are actually 2 trails to get down to the cave part. If you follow the ‘parking lot’ until the end and go past the boulders you can take a much shorter but harder, steeper trail down to the cave. The other one is very long and winding and you’re in the sun a lot. But it’s smooth. That one is located at the trail sign. I didn’t actually go through the cave as the water seemed high and I can’t swim but it was cold and the water was moving pretty quickly. If you follow the river down the opposite way of the cave there is actually another cave on that side as well. Much deeper then the other and it has a slab that you can walk about halfway through the cave on. You would need to swim the rest to see the other side. That trail is very very rocky and you have to cross fallen logs and step in the river a few times to make it. If you don’t go through the caves the trail is there and back. It took me a couple hours to see it all. Be aware this is bear territory. I saw lots and lots of black bear poop during my walk. Didn’t see the bears though, only birds. The signs say this park isn’t for dogs but I saw several dogs there that seemed to like the area. Overall very pretty place and probably better for people who can swim through the caves to get the...