MALAKOFF DIGGINS STATE PARK LOOP

Thursday, April 16, 2015

 

DIFFICULTY:  Moderate

ELEVATION GAIN:  Starting elevation - - 3400 ft. - - - N. Bloomfield & Blair Trails - -  gain is 314 ft. - - - Rim Trail - - gain is 382 ft. - - - Diggins Loop Trail - - gain is 75 ft.

HIKE DISTANCE:  Approximately 8 miles

GENERAL LOCATION:  Malakoff Diggins State Park - - About 70 miles (1 hour, 50 minutes) from Sun City Lincoln Hills and about  26 miles north of Nevada City.

DESCRIPTION:  The Malakoff mine pit is more than a mile long, a half mile wide and nearly 600 feet deep.  Some say it resembles Bryce Canyon in miniature.  Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park is the site of what was once the world’s largest hydraulic gold mine.  The initial miners in the area tried their luck, found nothing, and declared the site a “humbug”.  That name stuck to the adjacent hamlet and creek.

Several years later, when gold was really discovered, residents of Humbug deemed the name inappropriate so they changed it to Bloomfield.  Since a Bloomfield already existed further south in California, the town changed its name to North Bloomfield.  Historians have yet to figure out why the miners chose the name Bloomfield.  During its operation between 1866 and 1884, some 41 million cubic yards of earth was excavated, yielding several million dollars worth of gold. 

The amount of erosion and subsequent environmental damage caused by hydraulic mining was astonishing.  Debris dumped into the Yuba River was carried all the way to the Central Valley.  Silt was flushed all the way to the San Francisco Bay.  It is said to have clogged up the river, caused floods and navigational problems on the Sacramento River.

This hike will be a slight variation on the hike we took last year.  We will take the N. Bloomfield Trail to the Blair Trail stopping at the view point to overlook the open pit.  Then we’ll take the Rim Trail (3.29 miles), until we reach the highest overlook in the Park.  From there we will take the Hiller Tunnel Trail connecting to the Diggins Loop Trail.  This loop trail circles the Diggins Pond and traverses the interior of the pit so that a hiker can see the sculpted mountainsides up close.

TRAVEL TIME AND DISTANCE:  About 1 hour and 50 minutes driving time and 70 miles one way.  We expect to return to Lincoln Hills at about 5:00pm.  A donation of $9 is suggested for riders.  There is an $8 parking fee per car, payable at the Park office, or a California State Park pass can be used in lieu of payment.  If you have such a pass and plan to either drive or ride, please bring your State Park pass with you.  Thanks!

HIKE LEADER:    Jim Fisher                       SWEEP:   Denny Fisher

                              (916) 205-4849 Cell                         (916) 505-4948

SPECIAL NOTES:

  • FACILITIES:  Bathrooms are available in the Park near the Park Office.
  • PREPARTION FOR HIKE
    1. Bring a copy of your ID (driver’s license), health card, and an emergency contact name and phone number with you on the hike.
    2. IF YOU HAVE ANY HEALTH ISSUES, PLEASE CONSIDER YOUR CONDITION BEFORE PREPARATION FOR HIKING.
    3. Always bring 2 pairs of shoes, along with a plastic bag to store your muddy/dusty hiking boots after the hike.  DO NOT get your driver’s car dirty by wearing your dirty boots on the drive home.
    4. Hiking boots (not tennis shoes) and poles are recommended.  Trekking poles for traversing some small streams in the open pit may be needed.
    5. Be prepared for any type of weather – bring layers and sun screen, nd a hat.  Be prepared for cold weather.
    6. Wear LONG PANTS and a long sleeved shirt or jacket as we hike through some bushy areas in the pit.
    7. Bring lunch and plenty of water.

LUNCH:  Bring your lunch as well as trail snacks.  You may want to bring a large plastic bag that can be used to sit on during lunch just in case where we stop has no other place to sit other than on the ground.

RISKS:

  • Poison Oak - - Poison oak is along the trail through out the park.
  • Wet Areas - - Depending on the amount of rain, parts of the trails and the pit area may have several wet areas and/or small streams.
  • Possible Overgrown Trails - - Park trails are apparently no longer maintained.  The Diggins Trail in the pit area has some bushy areas.

QUESTIONS:  Call Denny Fisher at (916) 505-4948 or Jim Fisher at (916) 205-4849

MEETING TIME:  7:15am.  LEAVING TIME:  7:30AM

 

RAIN CANCELS HIKE - - -MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE WEBSITE

DRIVING DIRECTIONS     Detailed driving directions will be handed out to all drivers.