Edwards Crossing Bridge — Attraction in Nevada City

Amazingly beautiful spot to go for a hike or access the river for a day of fun in the water. We spent hours and hours floating around, swimming, cliff jumping, and exploring different swimming holes and rapids up and down the river. We even found a little natural water slide. It's so serene! And the water is the perfect temperature - not too cold, and it warms up throughout the day.

Keep in mind it can be difficult to actually get to the river. First, the drive down is pretty steep so be sure to shift into a low gear. Second, there are several trails that wind along both the north and south shore that can take you to all sorts of different spots, including some far away from other people, but once it's time to leave the trail and get to the actual shore, it WILL be steep and rocky so you need to be extremely careful. We managed it ok even with big inner tubes and a cooler but it was a struggle.

The other thing is parking. This is the biggest drawback here. We got extremely lucky and snagged the last spot on a hot Saturday at about 11 am. Everyone else parked illegally at the risk of a ticket, or had to wait it out until someone left. The lot was entirely full all the way up to about 6 pm, and even then just a couple spots were open. Plan accordingly!

As for the bridge itself, it looks beautiful but up close you can see the wooden slats are pretty rickety. Cross in your car at your own risk!

Bring water and sunscreen and food. There's a pit toilet at the parking lot but you'll need hand sanitizer...

Beautiful area! Popular swimming area. In 2 days i saw numerous professional wedding photo shoots dome, along with amateur and personal photos taken. The drive down is steep, DRIVE SLOW and in low gear. My brakes got hot, and I could smell a few other cars brakes that came down after me. The switchbacks are tight and blind. Worth the trek down. Great hiking, with varying difficulty. And I saw many people panning for gold (no digging or...

Wow, I was blown away but the beauty at this access point. Yes, the road was narrow and steep but it was worth it and I was able to get a parking spot no problem .. (it was a weekday though) Im only taking away a star because of the 3 random naked men that showed up and stood on rocks facing my 5 small children. We were further away from the bridge so I was told it was not a nude area but I guess some people will strip...