Trails of Two Cities

By Hank Meals

Both Grass Valley and Nevada City are blessed with public trails. Trails have multiple values and their benefits reach far beyond recreation. Trails can enrich the quality of life for individuals and make communities livable. They also protect, nurture and showcase the region by traversing areas of natural beauty, distinctive geography, historic significance and ecological diversity.

The Empire Mine was located in 1850 and continued to produce under various configurations and ownerships until 1956. Because of the varying value of gold it is impossible to fix a monetary value on the production, but estimates are as high as two billion dollars – enough to make Grass Valley the richest and most famous underground gold mining district in California.Through the considerable effort of a group of locals the Empire and adjacent mining properties became a State Park in 1975. Within its 845 acres, there are 12 miles of trails that range from an easy stroll to an all day exploration of the many well marked loop trails. Maps are available at the Visitor Center. The trails are distributed over three geographic areas. The Hardrock Trail begins at the former Pennsylvania Mine where there are a few remaining concrete structures and continues for 1.4 miles to the Visitor Center where you can return via the Empire Street Trail. This is the easiest trail in the park. Both the Osborn Hill and Union Hill Trails involve some easy climbing and provide more solitude than the Hardrock Trail. All of the trails pass the remains of former mining operations.

A far-sighted partnership between Nevada City and the Nevada County Land Trust resulted in the newly created Hirschman Trail located northwest of Nevada City. This is a 2.4 mile long trail between Cement Hill Road and Indian Flat Road. There is also a connecting spur trail up Wood Ravine to Indian Trail Road. The trail traverses a series of former hydraulic mines that washed away the edge of the mountainside to get to bedrock where concentrations of placer gold were located. Hirschman, Gentry and Grover operated a hydraulic mine here from 1872 to 1880. In 1884, the Sawyer Decision put such harsh restrictions on hydraulic mining that it was impossible to continue operating such mines at a profit. Murphy and Grover continued mining into the 20th century at this location using a tunnel. Hirschman’s Pond is the main feature on the eastern part of the trail. You will probably find ducks, geese and other water-oriented birds in this beautiful 5-acre pond. Deer, bobcats, turtles, raccoons, wood rats, skunks and other animals also share the place. The western portion of the trail contains more big trees and you will notice long channels and hills that are part of the legacy of hydraulic mining. Accumulation of pine needles and low growing plants have greatly softened the look of this once barren landscape. Invasive plants, such as Scotch broom, are common on the eastern part of the trail, but they will eventually be removed.This unique trail provides the user an opportunity to observe the reinhabitation of a mined area by native plants that, in time, create habitat for birds, mammals and reptiles.

Photos by Hank Meals

Hank Meals is an archaeologist, historian, writer, photographer, and artist who has lived and worked in the Sierra Nevada foothills for forty years. He is author of the following indispensible resources for anyone interested in hiking the trails of Nevada County.

The River: Hiking Trails and History of the South Fork of the Yuba River
Yuba Trails 1 & 2: A Selection of Historic Hiking Trails in the Yuba River Watershed