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Fans of the Great Outdoors, there is perhaps no better place than El Dorado County.  The County holds a myriad of recreational options, including mountain biking, hiking, camping, kayaking, rafting, hunting, and fishing. 

Try bike rides provided by the beautiful vista website
www.beautifulvista.com/bike_rides_index.htm

El Dorado County maintains many parks throughout the county, offering additional recreational opportunities including rafting, hiking and picnicing - contact the Parks and Recreation Department for further information: www.co.el-dorado.ca.us/generalservices/parks 

Union Valley Reservoir, Ice House Reservoir, and Loon Lake are prime spots for trout fishing.  The majority of Lake Tahoe is in El Dorado County and is home to mackinaw, brown and rainbow trout.  Most of the best flyfishing streams are in the high mountains, although some people try their luck on the South Fork of the American River and the Consumnes River. 

El Dorado County is home to thousands of acres of pristine woodlands with 'The Eldoardo National Forest' and 'Tahoe National Forest' making up more than 50% of the County.  This nature begs to be explored by hikers, backpackers, and campers. A popular area is the Desolation Wilderness Area; those who have found this gem, say that it rivals Yosemite National Park, only without the people and commercialism.  For more information about Eldorado National Forest, contact www.r5.fs.fed.us/eldorado 

The North Fork of the American River serves as the northern boundary of El Dorado County, and offers advanced kayakers a supreme challenge.  The South Fork of the American River offers excellent rafting from Chili Bar down to Salmon Falls bridge near Folsom Lake, a run of approximately 20 miles.  This stretch is classified as a Class 3 river.  On a scale of difficulty, Class 1 is your bathtub and Class 6 is suicide. There are several Class 6 rapids on both forks, and the majority of the north fork run is a Class 4 or 5. 

Mountain biking has exploded in popularity and El Dorado County has responded.  The most popular trail is between Folsom Lake and Salmon Falls bridge. There is an 8.5 mile trail in Sly park in Pollock Pines, which runs along Jenkinson Lake.  And farther up the mountain is Huckleberry Hill. One of the most beautiful trails, for mountain biking is the Olmstead Loop in Cool.  This trail is a 10 mile circle that offers challenging cliffs and exhilarating downhill vistas.