Euchre Bar, Alta, CA June 2011

This hike, while only about five miles total, qualifies as quite the challenge because 99% of the out is going downhill and 99% of the return trip is going uphill. It follows a series of steep switchbacks, well maintained loam and duff for the most part, down a hill side with about a 30 degree angle, down to the river.

To get to the hike, you'll drive along 80 Reno to Alta, and then drive along small roads, eventually ending on a well maintained single lane dirt road that leads you across two railway tracks ultimately taking you to the trail head. This dirt road can be driven on by just about any vehicle; we drove a minivan and saw a prius at the trailhead, for example, so no OHV necessary to access the trail. At the trailhead, be respectful of private property signs. The people that live out in this area, I think, must truly value their private space. :)

Once you see this sign (below):

. . . walk down the hill, and across the tiny creek (look for the 1950's car stuck in the tree near the creek):


Keep walking, looking for a small shady trail that leads you further down the hill. On that small trail, you should see, about 20 feet down the trail, this sign, nailed on a tree:

You'll also bump into this sign:


So--plenty of signs for the trail, which is helpful.

Below: a great view of the foothills, early in the hike:

For the most part, the trail, while switchbacky, is in forest, so it's a good summer hike (or late spring hike). You'll still need a hat and block, but the forest brings a welcome respite from the more exposed trails possible in the foothills.

Closer to the river, we passed the foundations of an old mining cabin (?) along with rusted out bed springs and cans, which anywhere else we would likely have dismissed as junk. Here, on this trail, however, rightly or wrongly, we attributed the remnants to mining antiquities. :)

The destination is certainly beautiful once you get to the river, however, and if you continue the trail, you get to cross the only pedestrian suspension bridge over the North Fork of the American River, which is kind of cool . It was built in 1965, and it's covered with graffiti from the early 70's, which is kind of interesting--lots of Rolling Stones references, for example. :)

Interestingly and perhaps not too surprisingly, the bridge swings a little when you cross it, since it's suspension, and allows you great views of the river itself. With all the snow-melt recently, any trail with a view of foothill rivers is going to be stupendous at this time of year, so any river hike is going to be great, I think.

Below: a mid-bridge view of the North Fork of the American River. Just up this view, a young miner apparently fell to his death; there's a memorial plaque later in the trail that tells you a little more about him.

As we explored the bridge, we noticed also old mining paraphernalia--big nails and a giant metal cable holder, possibly to build the bridge or possibly because this area was a big mining area in its past.

Once my kids had tested Gallileo's theory of big rocks falling at the same speed as little rocks by throwing rocks off the bridge, we kept walking up the hill to follow the left fork. This path was a narrow and perilous trail that ultimately leading us to a wooden sign nailed on a tree on the bank, memorializing "Jeffrey Allan Blondell--1956-1980--A good miner but a better friend." I don't know this young man's story, but I do like his memorial.

This part of the trail ends suddenly, but if you track back to the main trail, and continue up, you can backtrack to the main trail, and instead take the right fork all the way to Humbug Creek, finding more mining paraphernalia along the way. It was hot, however, and my two boys and small white dog were ready to return home, and we still had that long uphill switchback in front of us, so we had our lunch, and treked back up the hill for to the car.

This trail was definitely an interesting hike, but I think you can get a better reward for effort with the Pioneer Hike (that waterfall!) or the Stevens Trail North hike (the views!) if you're looking for a winner of a foothills trail. Still, Euchre Bar is worth the effort if you're interested in the mining history of the area, and the river, no matter how you access it, is spectacular this time of year with all the snow-melt. Just be ready for 1500 feet elevation change in 1.5 miles.

Trail stats:
Trailhead to Euchre Bar--1.5 miles (but might seem longer due to switchback angles down/up)
Distance from home--about 80 mins
Trail surface--duff, loam, a few rocks. No scrambling. Well maintained. Shadey for the most part, but bring a hat and block.
DEFINITELY bring mosquito repellant. Those critters were HUNGRY on our hike, and we each emerged with at least 12 bites or so on our arms.

Pioneer Trail, Emigrant Gap

Above: the snow melt from this winter's huge snow fall is evident in this picture of the massive waterfall, two miles into the hike. Amazing to see, particularly at this time of year..

We had a great time up near Grouse Ridge and Nevada City today, hiking the Pioneer Trail, a trail my son had found near Lake Spaulding. Our hike was a family affair this time out--my two sons and our dog accompanied me on the hike, and it was a fun day.

The trail starts out at a smallish trailhead, just over South Yuba River Bridge. The trail sign is merely a sticker on a metal post, but the trailhead itself is evident, so you should have no problem identifying it as your destination.

Below:Lighten your daypack: don't bring your gold prospecting tools; this area's been claimed already.


The trailhead itself sits at the side of the South Yuba River, which is a river I now regard with new respect; the recent snow melt has resulted in a impressive flow of roiling water, careening along, and as soon as you emerge from your car, all you hear is a roar of the water on its way down the hill.

The trail itself is a pretty easy trail as far as things can go. The surface is well maintained, with few dramatic elevation gains, and it follows along the side of the river for most of the time. The entire trail is 25 miles long, but since we were having a family hike and not a forced march, we limited the mileage to five miles total, which took us past this disturbing sign:

We eventually figured out that the water 'discharge' would not come from above us at a random place or interval, but rather from this impressive waterfall, two miles into the hike:



The waterfall, while human controlled via a dam at the top, was very impressive, with thousands of gallons churning down the hill into the river. We had no idea it was there, so it was a huge surprise and it made for a perfect lunch spot for us all. We gazed in wonder at the aquatic power in front of us.

The scarey sign, therefore, seemed rather to be warning people to stay off the boulders at the river's edge (about 30 feet below us) rather than warning people to stay off the trail itself.

Below: The deluge of snow melt had overflowed the river banks, as you can see from the picture below. The trail, however, was about 30 feet above the banks, so as long as you stayed away from the edge, you were fine.




The trail was mostly a single track in good shape and with a variety of surfaces--mostly loam but also with frequent granite chips.


Here and there, the trail had metamorphosed into a stream bed, and, because of the wet winter and recent snows, the creeks crossing the trail required some rock hopping here and there, but nothing too hard. Hiking poles can help balance you in those river crossing situations.

We walked mainly through forest, but we regularly had spectacular views of the river, churning below us, and periodically, we'd find ourselves walking through a spectacular foot hill meadow, walking past a verdant pasture, surrounded by a circle of pines.


As I walked along with my family and our dog, I was astounded at how lucky I am to be able to do this. My two wonderful sons were having a great time, enjoying outside activity in a wondrous natural environment. We are all healthy enough to hike, and we all enjoy hiking as a way to spend the day. We have the resources to get ourselves there and to enjoy it all. We live close enough for day hikes in this wonderful resource to be possible. Finally, we were fortunate to have perfect hiking weather.

We truly are amazingly fortunate. Hope you get the chance to explore the trail too.

Trail stats:

• Trail info: The Pioneer Trail, built in a series of volunteer efforts from the 1980's to the mid 1990's, is 25 miles long one way. There are several trailheads along the way, however. We joined at the Lang Crossing trailhead, of CA 20, on the Emigrant Gap exit on 80.



• Driving: Easy--just up 80--Emigrant Gap/CA 20 exit (#161). Drive right on CA 20; look for Bowman Lakes Road. Trailhead is a few minutes past the Lake Spaulding sign. About 90 mins from home.



• Trail: mixture of duff, dirt, loam, and granite stones/rocks.



• Parking lot is small--can fit about 6 cars, but not that heavily used, so should be ok. No facilities.



• Weather: beautiful--70s, sunshine, breezy. No snow at 5000 feet in early June, which surprised me considering we're in a record snow year.
  


• Traffic on trail: very little. We passed one other person--a trailrunner and her two dogs. We saw two other hikers at the trailhead, but didn't see them again.

Want to learn more:

https://legacy.losrios.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=1fb656c5673e4ef5a7f7b61531d770b3&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.goldcountrytrailscouncil.org%2fPioneer_Trail.pdf