Spacious lots and Sierra Nevada trails draw buyers to Foresthill
Once a gold rush mining town, Foresthill is now a mountain escape in the Tahoe National Forest section of the Sierra Nevada. It’s about an hour northeast of Sacramento and two hours southwest of Lake Tahoe by car, and there’s only one road in and out of the nearest town, Auburn, about 30 minutes away. “You have to really enjoy the outdoors and being friendly with your neighbors if you live out here,” says Realtor and lifelong resident Stephanie Baptista, who’s been selling here since 1987. The town of Foresthill itself is small, with only a few streets and a minor selection of shops and restaurants. Residents living up around Foresthill don't mind driving down into Auburn for more shopping options in exchange for minimum 1-acre lots and access to a boundless array of outdoor activities. “The more Sacramento advertises this area as the recreation capital of California, the more visitors we get,” Baptista says. “But we don’t have brand-name restaurants or complexes because we don’t want them.”
One-acre wooded lots and upscale mountain cabins
When it comes to Foresthill’s homes, the biggest selling point is extra space. “We have a 1-acre minimum, so it’s not like a suburb with homes piled on top of each other,” Baptista explains. The majority of homes are in Todd Valley Estates or a few other wooded tracts just southwest of the town center. These forested lots feature small ranch-style homes and cabins, as well as large modern cabins on 2-plus acres, priced between $300,000 and $800,000. Larger and even more private properties can be found in the surrounding hills. These include modest mountain homes on multiacre lots and luxurious wooded mansions on 10-acre properties, ranging from $400,000 to $1.6 million. The area also has manufactured homes that can cost from $15,000 to $420,000.
Rafting, hiking and horseback riding in Tahoe National Forest
Foresthill is an ideal location for outdoor enthusiasts. To start, the converging north and middle forks of the American River offer whitewater rafting through scenic canyons north and south of town. The community is also surrounded by trails. “We have hundreds of trails around here,” Baptista says. “Some aren’t groomed, but they’re easy to use.” These offer hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, and cross-country skiing in the winter. Many hikers visit Foresthill to explore well-known sites in the surrounding wilderness, such as Big Trees Grove, a collection of six giant sequoias towering above the immense forest, located about 25 miles northeast. Lake Tahoe is 110 miles northeast. Every summer, endurance runners set off from Tahoe and stop through Foresthill during the Western States Endurance Run, the world’s oldest 100-mile race. It follows the Tevis Trail from Tahoe to Auburn. Back in town, Foresthill Leroy E. Botts Memorial Park is home to the Foresthill Divide Museum, which has exhibits about the town’s mining history.
Dual credit opportunities at Foresthill High School
The town’s three public schools are along Foresthill Road. Students begin with kindergarten through second grade at Foresthill Elementary School and continue at Foresthill Divide School for third through eighth grades. Both earn a B-plus rating from Niche. The pipeline ends at Foresthill High School, rated an A-minus. Foresthill High partners with Sierra College for dual enrollment classes such as Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management.
Morning pastries and hiking fuel are found on Main Street
Foresthill’s few dining options sit on the parallel stretch of Main Street and Foresthill Road in the center of town. The Happy Mouth Bakery & Café and Foresthill Farms & Bakery are popular, neighboring eateries. Locals gather for cold drinks at Mountain Cub and the Red Dirt Saloon, which sit across the road from each other. Brew Masters Deli is another dining option on Main. Worton’s Market, the town’s grocery store, is a short drive southwest on Foresthill Road. National chains and big-box stores are about 20 miles away in Auburn.
One hour to Sacramento and two hours to Lake Tahoe
Auburn is home to the nearest hospital, Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital. Around Auburn, drivers can merge onto Interstate 80, which leads southwest to Sacramento, just over 50 miles from Foresthill. Sacramento International Airport is outside downtown. In the other direction, if drivers head northeast on Interstate 80, they can reach Lake Tahoe, which is about 110 miles away.
Wildfire risk in Placer County
This heavily forested region has a severe wildfire risk. The Mosquito Fire raged for months in 2022, burning over 75,000 acres. Many structures in Forethill were burned. Residents can find fire safety tips and information on the Placer County website.
