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Published: February 14th 2006
Today we hiked the West side of the South Yuba Independence Trail, just North of Nevada City off of Highway 49. The Independence Trail is built on the original water course of the 1856 Excelsior Ditch. This canal carried water from the South Yuba River to the hydraulic gold mines in Smartville about 25 miles away. The Excelsior Ditch is an ingeniously designed and constructed facility made up of a combination of earthen and rock walled ditches and wooden flumes.
Because the Ditch was designed to transport water, its nominal gradient makes it well suited for an easily accessible trail. From the beginning of the Independence Trail in 1978, Sequoya Challenge (a non-profit corporation) has constructed trail and facilities suitable for accommodating individuals with a broad range of physical challenges. In recent years, a partnership between Sequoya Challenge and California State Parks has facilitated preservation of historic resources, expansion of the trail, repair and replacement of worn-out structures, and increasing the level of accessibility of the trail.
While the ultimate goal of extending the trail most of the full length of the original canal is in the distant future, the reality of providing a fully accessible trail with wilderness-like
Down the trail we go...
it's quiet, peaceful and wheelchair accessible all the way down to the waterfalls and creek 1.2 miles down the trail.characteristics currently exists.
No visit to Nevada County would be complete without a stop at this wonderful nature spot miles above the majestic South Yuba River.
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Tot: 0.171s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 27; qc: 88; dbt: 0.1269s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
