Stevens Trail in Winter (Placer County, California)

 

As I have mentioned in other posts in the past, winter closes off most of the great hikes around Reno. However, I recently learned of one near Colfax, CA (about 75 miles West of Reno) and had to go check it out. I didn't quite as early of start as I had originally wanted to, but I was on the road by 8:30. This probably worked out better, as the temperatures crossing the Sierra Nevada on I-80 were very mild. After get confused and taking a minor wrong turn, I arrived at the trailhead to find a packed house.

A large group of hikers were preparing to disembark on the trail, but one of them was nice enough to flag me into an open spot that I could not see from where I was currently stopped. I would later catch up to the group and find out that they were a group of neighbors from the San Juan Valley who all enjoyed hiking together. This particular trip was a birthday hike for one of the members, Kathleen. In total, there were 17 members of the group and each and every one of them were extremely courteous and friendly. As I made my way through the group, another member told me about an overlook coming up, which I stopped at to gaze at the river valley below.

 

This valley was cut by the North Fork of the American River, and the trail we are on leads slowly down the northern side of the valley, eventually reaching the river. As I understand it, the trail was originally blazed for gold miners making their way to Colfax, but was lost for many decades after the gold rush. A boy scout found the overgrown trail in the 1960's and it has since become a very popular year-round destination for adventurers. There really are some breathtaking views here.

After catch back up with Kathleen's group, I'm informed of another point of interest in the form of a small abandoned gold mine on the mountainside directly along the trail. Another of the group invites me to join them as they explore the interior of the man-made cave. Luckily he has a kerosene lantern with him and I take advantage of a small LED light my wife gave me for Christmas. The mine only has two passable branches, each of which only go a couple of dozen yards into the mountainside. It is a pretty cool distraction though, as the miners simply followed a gold vein with their dynamite. There are still some charge holes drilled out and unused, and some rotten support timbers littering the floor. The group uses this point as a rest stop, but I want to get some good exercise today and decide to push on. I wish them well and thank them for their company before getting back to my normal pace.

 

The contrast in temperatures between shadow and being in full sunlight is quite startling. I would guess that it is approaching 70 in the sun, while at the river level and in the shade of the mountain, snow and frost still linger.

As I continue down the valley, the trail hugs the mountainside very snugly and offers terrific views of the river below. I'm surprised to see people panning for gold in the bluish-green water of the river below. With a number of 5-gallon buckets and other gear I can see, I suspect these folks are a bit more than hobbyists. Reaching the river itself, I climb around on the slippery granite boulders looking for the perfect view. These rocks are exceptionally slick from a combination of moss and frost. Eventually, I decide that breaking a bone on this obstacle course would probably put a damper on some of my plans for later this spring and decide to turn and head back.

Checking my Walkmeter app when I get back to the jeep, I see that I hiked a total of about 8.5 miles. It was a pretty easy hike with some really nice scenery and the mine provided a great distraction. I will plan on coming back here later this year to see the wildflowers. I suspect they will carpet the sides of these valleys and make for a magnificent display.