Auburn Quarry Needs Your Support

Do you like limestone? Would you like to be able to drive to the foothills and have your pick of at least 150 good climbs?

If your answers are "Yes. Yes. Yes!!," then the quarry at Auburn State Recreation Area needs your help.

CRAGS is pushing ahead on efforts to get climbing legalized in the recreation area. Access to this climbing area has been long sought by climbers. And it'd help boost Auburn's economy with all the money we climbers spend while we're out there on gas, food, Starbucks, microbrews, camping, supplies and other stuff.

The next step is to seek the city of Auburn's assistance with requesting that the California Department of Parks and Recreation speed up lifting the ban that's been in place since 2003.

The state parks' Gold Fields District, which manages the federally (publicly) owned land, is currently developing an updated General Plan/Interim Resource Management Plan for the recreation area that appears to include technical rock climbing as an approved activity.

CRAGS will make a 15-minute presentation to Auburn's City Council at about 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 13. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.

The more climbers who can turn out for the meeting and show their support for this climbing area, the better. It's a drive for some folks -- carpool if you can so that city officials know how much interest there is when they make their decision.

The city will be considering this request until its April 13 meeting, when the resolution is expected to be voted on. Please call, email or write the city manager and mayor requesting their support for an expedited end to the climbing ban.

For directions to city council chambers and map.

The Auburn City Hall is very easy to find. From the west, take the 2nd Auburn exit. It will say Hwy 49 to Grass Valley. At the end of the ramp, go right. The large old 3-story yellow-brick building right in front of you as you drive up the street is City Hall. Get in the left lane. At the signal, go straight across with a slight angle left, into the driveway for City Hall. Park behind the building, and walk to the left rear entrance (downhill side of the back of the building). Inside the door, stairways go up and down. Bear left and go up. When you reach the next level, the City Council chambers will be through the doors on the left.