Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The
Park Headquarters and Museum
( 530-265-2740; 9am-5pm, tour 1:30pm Fri-
Sun May-Sep)
offers a tour of the town and the chance to see some impressive gold nuggets.
The one-mile
Diggins Loop Trail
is the quickest way to get a glimpse of the scarred
cabins $40; May-Sep)
at Chute Hill or a miner's cabin for not much more.
Access Tyler-Foote Crossing Rd, the turnoff for the park, 10 miles northwest of Nevada
City on Hwy 49.
North Yuba River
The northernmost segment of Hwy 49 follows the North Yuba River through some stun-
ning, remote parts of the Sierra Nevada, known for a tough, short season of white water
and great fly-fishing. An entire lifetime outdoors could hardly cover the trail network that
hikers, mountain-bikers and skiers blaze every season. In summer, snow remains at the
highest elevations and many places have roaring fireplaces year-round.
The best source of trail and camping information is the
Yuba River Ranger Station
(
530-288-3231; 15924 Hwy 49, Camptonville;
8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri)
.
Downieville
Downieville, the biggest town in remote Sierra County, is located at the junction of the
North Yuba and Downie Rivers. With a reputation that quietly rivals Moab, Utah (before it
got big), the town is one of the premiere places for mountain-bike riding in the US, and a
staging area for true wilderness adventures.
As with most Gold Rush towns, it wasn't always fun and games: the first justice of the
peace was the local barkeep, and a placard tells the story of the racist mob that hanged a
Chicana named Josefa on the town bridge in 1851, the only recorded lynching of a woman
in California. The town retains a grisly affection for frontier justice and its ghosts; a recon-
structed gallows is across the river, by the civic building.
Activities
The mountains and rivers in these parts beg to be explored. Favorite hikes include the
Si-
erra Buttes Fire Lookout
, a moderate 6 miler that joins the
Pacific Crest Trail
before a
