Trails & Vistas

2 miles · nearly flat · pavement and dirt · Easy

Follows Little Deer Creek from Pioneer Park to the foot of Broad Street, then climbs the Commercial Street sidewalk past York Street through the old Chinese Quarter to the Chinese Memorial. The Chamber at Robinson Plaza hands out a Chinese Quarter walking guide. Restrooms only at Robinson Plaza and the city lot by the memorial. Managed by City of Nevada City Parks & Recreation, (530) 265-2496. Source: Bear Yuba Land Trust.

1.5-mile loop · lower trail drops 185 ft · dirt · Easy to moderate

A loop along the 1850 Rough & Ready Ditch and down to the Angkula Seo suspension bridge over Deer Creek, past remnants of the Providence Mine and four signs on Nisenan history. A connector opened in December 2024 links it to the canal section downstream. Dogs on leash. No parking anywhere on Providence Mine Road, so walk in. Managed by Bear Yuba Land Trust, (530) 272-5994. Source: Bear Yuba Land Trust.

0.7 mile to the top · 220 ft on a gentle grade · dirt · Easy

The city's own 30-acre mountain, bought as open space in 2011. The trail curls around to a flat summit meadow at about 3,060 feet with views over town to Wolf Mountain, Oregon Peak, and Mount Fillmore 32 miles off. Spring wildflowers on the south side, shade on the north. Day use only, dogs on leash, no alcohol. Managed by Bear Yuba Land Trust (trail manager), (530) 272-5994. Source: Bear Yuba Land Trust.

0.6 mile plus 0.2 in the park · 20 to 60 ft · paved and dirt · Easy

A short stroll with a history lesson: a display of hydraulic mining monitors (the water cannons that tore up these hills) and a plaque on American Hill, then Tobiassen Park, also called Coyote Park, around Charles Marsh Pond, an 1861 reservoir with piers and picnic tables. Park in the Rood Center lot; the park itself has only two disabled spaces. Managed by Nevada County Public Works, (530) 265-1411. Source: Bear Yuba Land Trust.

2.4 miles one way · 150 ft · dirt · Easy to moderate

Ends at Hirschman's Pond, about five acres of water from natural sources, at the foot of cliffs cut by 1800s hydraulic mining, a county historical landmark since 2021. Ducks, geese, and herons; shore fishing; a bench on the south side. A 40-foot trestle built the old flume way. The eastern 0.4 mile is built to ADA standards. Hikers and mountain bikers share it; dogs on leash; no horses. Managed by Bear Yuba Land Trust for the City of Nevada City, (530) 272-5994. Source: Bear Yuba Land Trust.

1.8 miles one way, plus a 0.6-mile loop · 150 ft · dirt · Moderate

Along the Newtown Canal, a hydraulic-mining ditch that now carries Nevada Irrigation District water, to Stocking Flat: picnic tables, a Chinese wooden arch, a plaque honoring the Chinese pioneers, and the Chinese Bridge over Deer Creek with a waterfall and pool below. Old Mountaineer Mine foundations along the way. Managed by Bureau of Land Management, (916) 941-3101, and NID. Source: Bear Yuba Land Trust.

4.5 miles one way · 90 ft · dirt · Easy grade, long

An almost level walk or ride along a canal under Douglas fir and dogwood on Banner Mountain. Near the red sluice gate, a bench looks down on town: you can pick out St. Canice's white spire and the courthouse. Side trip: the Orene Wetherall Trail, 1.2 miles round trip and 280 feet down into the Woodpecker Wildlife Preserve. Foot and bike only, dogs on leash. Managed by Bear Yuba Land Trust, (530) 272-5994. Source: Bear Yuba Land Trust.

2.2 miles each way · 60 ft · dirt · Easy

A level path along an old water ditch above the river; the first mile is wheelchair accessible. Benches, two picnic tables, wooden bridges where the historic flumes stood, and glimpses of the South Yuba canyon. The last 0.2 mile is unmaintained. Dogs on leash; no bikes. From the overflow lot take the wooden steps up and turn left on the ditch trail. Managed by South Yuba River State Park, (530) 273-3884. Source: Bear Yuba Land Trust.

West: partly closed · Jones Bar: open to the river · Moderate

Independence West is closed from the Jones Bar junction to Rush Creek under a State Parks order, after the 2020 Jones Fire burned its wooden flumes, including Flume 28 over the Rush Creek waterfall. The Jones Bar Trail is open, starts at the same trailhead through a 60-foot pedestrian underpass (58 inches high at its lowest), and runs down to the South Yuba River. Dogs on leash. Managed by South Yuba River State Park, (530) 273-3884. Source: California State Parks, South Yuba River SP.

0.75 mile to the river · 200 ft · dirt · Easy to moderate

Walk across the old bridge to the trailhead and on to Hoyt Crossing, a gravel and boulder bar with swimming holes, picnic tables, and the Miner's Tunnel inlet across the river. Fair warning: the main beach is clothing-optional. No alcohol or glass. For a workout, the old Hoyt Crossing Road climbs 1,000 feet in 1.6 miles to views of Devil's Slide and the San Juan Ridge. Managed by South Yuba River State Park, (530) 273-3884. Source: Bear Yuba Land Trust.

1.2 miles one way · level · Easy · $10 vehicle day use

A gentle path upstream along the north side of the South Yuba, famous for its spring wildflowers (rangers lead weekend walks mid-March to mid-May). Start or finish on the Bridgeport Covered Bridge: built in 1862, 225 feet, and reopened to walkers in November 2021 after ten years and $6.9 million of repairs. Visitor Center open Saturday and Sunday, 11 AM to 3 PM. Dogs allowed on trails, but not on the bridge or 200 feet downstream of it. Managed by South Yuba River State Park, (530) 432-2546. Source: California State Parks, South Yuba River SP.

Diggins Loop 2.78 miles · Hiller Tunnel · Moderate · $10 vehicle day use

The great pit left by the hydraulic miners, now a state park. The Diggins Loop is the best way through it; the Tunnel Trail drops in through Hiller Tunnel (bring a flashlight and water shoes); a short paved Overlook Trail is wheelchair accessible. No dogs or bikes on those trails. Museum in North Bloomfield: daily 10 to 4 through October, then weekends only, November through May. Take the paved route State Parks gives (Hwy 49 north 11 miles, right on Tyler Foote Rd.), not your GPS, which may route you onto miles of dirt. Managed by Malakoff Diggins SHP, (530) 265-2740. Source: California State Parks; Friends of North Bloomfield & Malakoff Diggins.