If they build it, will you come?

Would you like to be able to walk — or bike — from Memorial Park to the Empire Mine?

A new trail being created by local volunteers will provide safer passage for bicyclists and pedestrians seeking an outdoor retreat close to town. When finished, the trail will connect Grass Valley’s Memorial Park to Empire Mine State Historic Park.

“We think it provides needed public access. It’s a natural corridor,” said Kevin Williams, supervising ranger at Empire Mine.

A little less than a mile, the new trail snakes through mixed habitats of shaded riparian areas and then climbs through forests of cedar and ponderosa pine, manzanita and oak.

When the trail is complete joggers, dog walkers and bicyclists will bypass a dangerous stretch of Highway 174 to access Empire Mine’s popular trail system.

Eventually, if private landowners grant passage, the Land Trust wants to extend trails another six miles to the Glenbrook Basin.

The trail is made possible by an easement across city, private and state lands. Representatives from the Nevada County Land Trust, the city of Grass Valley and Empire Mine trampled through poison oak and blackberry bushes to mark the trail.

The project is one of several targeted areas that will bring recreation opportunities closer to people’s homes and work places.

Budget cuts throughout state, federal and county governments mean fewer resources for trail work. Independent local agencies such as the Nevada County Land Trust, Bicyclists of Nevada County and the Gold Country Trails Council are coming together to provide needed trail labor.

“Without that sort of support, you’re going to be stuck without new trails and deteriorating old trails. I think that would be a tragedy,” said Bill Haire, trails coordinator for the Land Trust.

The Nevada County Land Trust is a local nonprofit corporation that works with willing donors to conserve ranches, farmlands and natural areas. The group also creates hiking, biking and walking trails for public use.

BONC is made up of around 40 members who are dedicated to building and maintaining trails that they love to ride. Each year, the group organizes weekly informal rides and about six trail workdays in and around Nevada County.

“We make trails for everyone,” said John Gardiner, BONC president, emphasizing that the trails they work on aren’t always specifically designed for mountain bikes. Offering free food and beverages, the bike club uses its Web site and the local paper to get the word out about the need for trail work volunteers.

About 20 people from various backgrounds arrived on a recent Sunday morning to work on the new Memorial link to the trail. Diana Wilburn came with her husband to volunteer for the first time. The retired couple uses local trails twice a week for mountain biking and wanted to give something back.

The combination of rugged and scenic national forest, Bureau of Land Management and state park trails in Nevada County are hard to duplicate and make this area one of the most sought-after mountain biking destinations in the state.

Gardiner says great trails in Nevada County are what caused him to pack up and move here from the Bay Area. “I can’t think of another place in the state that has trails like these.”

Haire, a retired forester and member of both the bike club and the Land Trust, gives on-site training to volunteer trail crews. “I want to build trails so they are sustainable. If you build it wrong, you’ll fight it forever,” Haire said. The volunteers cleared pine needles, leaves and branches from a section of the trail.

They then used Pulaskis — a firefighting tool with an ax blade on one side and a grub hoe on the other — for carving the initial rough cuts of the trail. The workers used the McLeod for the finish work, another firefighting tool with a flat square-shaped blade and rake with wide spaced tines. Any rocks along the way were incorporated into the trail.

Haire says the trail is about 50 percent complete and hopes to have it open to the public sometime this summer. A walk led by Haire will be given on Saturday, May 21. Call the Nevada County Land Trust for details.

Trails at Empire Mine vary in difficulty from beginner to intermediate. A map of the park can be purchased at the park’s Visitor Center for $1. For family bicycle rides, a popular choice is the Hardrock Trail area, which begins at Penn Gate, located on East Empire Street.

For those who seek more of a challenge, try the Osborn Hill Loop Trail, the most difficult in the park. It branches off of the Hardrock Trail and takes riders on a 1.5 mile loop with several hills.

Most backcountry trails are located across Highway 174 in the Union Hill Trails Area and include the Pipeline, Indian Ridge and Union Hill trails.

All the trails showcase mining or Native American history, as well as an abundance of native plants and trees. Keep an eye out for wildlife such as coyotes, bobcats, foxes, raccoons, deer and mountain lions.

<I>Laura Brown is a mother of two and a Nevada County resident.</I>

For more information BONC holds regular meetings at 6:30 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at Citizen’s Restaurant in Nevada City. Be sure to check out the Web site for current ride and trail work schedules www.bonc.org or call their hotline at 274-DIRT. City and county governments have officially recognized May 20 as Bike to Work Day. “BONCers” encourage everyone to save gas, reduce air pollution and improve health by biking to work on May 20. To find out more about guided walks and events or to become a member of the Nevada County Land Trust, visit the Web at www.nevadacountylandtrust.org or phone 272-5994. For more information about Empire Mine State Historic Park, visit www.empiremine.org or call 273-8522. The park is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week.