Week two brings us to a hike through old growth forest and the promise of wildflowers.
From Auburn, take the Foresthill exit to Foresthill Road, and cross one of my favorite bridges, also the tallest bridge in California. This road is windy, but the locals know it well and drive accordingly, be sure to use the turn-outs as needed. About 15 miles in, on the right hand side, is the U.S. Forest Service Foresthill Ranger Station. Stop here to pick up trail maps and an interpretive pamphlet for the hike. This is an interpretive hike, with a lot of history, the pamphlet will help answer questions, help you identify local vegetation, and offer some rather interesting history about these ancient trees.
Just over a mile past the Ranger Station turn right onto Mosquito Ridge Road. About 25 miles of beautiful winding road later is the turn marked for the Placer Big Trees. Be sure to take your time on this road. It is beautiful, and offers great views of the canyon, but takes quite a bit of time. From the Foresthill exit to the trail head takes about 60 - 80 minutes.Follow the signs to the large parking area. There is a bathroom and picnic area.
This hike offers two trails that intersect. The trail head directs you to the main loop and interpretive trail: The Big Trees Loop.
This trail has markers and leads you through the history of the the grove, introduces you to some of the Giant Sequoias and a rather large Douglas Fir, and identifies multiple evergreen trees and wildflowers. 
Due to a rather odd and cold spring the Wild Iris were just finishing their bloom as appeared to be the Dogwood, and the Azalea had not yet begun to flower. There are 17 markers on the the trail that correspond to the pamphlet. This loop will drop you back off at the trail head and takes about 40 minutes.
The second trail, the Forest View Trail, starts to the right of the trail head, or at marker 13. This trail is a bit more strenuous, taking you up, or down, a rather steep hill near marker 13 and is not as clearly marked, however it is not difficult to follow. This trail takes about 40 minutes as well, and is about a mile long. If you have time, I recommend both trails. To complete this trail we did the Big Trees Loop backwards from 17 to 13 and then turned right to climb the hill, of course since it is a loop, there really is no right or wrong way. My hiking companion for the day decided she wanted to be a hiking anti-conformist.Both trails are well shaded and peaceful, as well as quite free of people. It also meanders by a creek, which in addition to adding tranquility, increases the mosquito count so repellent is recommended, as are close toed, sturdy shoes, especially for the Forest View Trail.
The Pros: shady, peaceful, educational, moderately easy hike, bathrooms and picnic area.
The Cons: long drive, some mosquitoes.
The Rating: 1/5 for difficulty (2/5 for the Forest View Trail), 4/5 for overall pleasantness (due in part to the educational factor).
My dad and I saw a bear on this trail one time. There were signs in the parking lot about what do to if you see a bear - and what not to do. It was a couple hundred feet down the trail. I saw it and turned right around and started to like run away and then remembered that you're not supposed to run. So I basically ended up just going right behind my dad so he was between me and the bear. The bear of course took off as soon as it saw us, but my dad laughed at me that I wasn't going to protect *him* lol
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