Leaves of the Japanese maple trees are turning red at Big Springs Gardens, the outdoor restaurant and grounds outside Sierra City that will be open for two more delicious Sunday buffets.

Owner Don Phillips opens the 118 acres of forested gardens to diners this year through Sept. 24. Then, he will close down for the winter, reopening for weddings, private occasions and buffets next year from June 6 through Labor Day.

Reservations can be made by calling Phillips at 862-1333. Seatings are at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.

The flagstone-paved restaurant area looks over a pond populated by fat trout. Beyond, Phillips' private home rests below a nearly treeless slope that reaches up to craggy buttes.

On a recent weekend, classical guitar music accompanied a generous, unpretentious buffet of smoked salmon and capers, poached salmon in dill sauce, cheese tortellini, steamed asparagus, chicken salad with grapes and potato pancakes grilled on an open fire. Fresh fruit, a salad bar and eggs and sausage rounded out the offering.

Desert included richly textured carrot cake and peach cobbler, heavenly alone or with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

The gardens appear to take the principals of Japanese gardening and apply them to the Sierra foothills. Natural stones mark gentle paths that wind up to the Big Springs. Tiny foot-stone bridges meander across several creeks that flow down from the springs, through masses of azaleas and rhododendron that explode after the snows.

The entire garden can be enjoyed in less than four hours. Even one looping pathway taken in an hour yields refreshing views and the scent of mountain water, ferns, moss and damp rock.

The gardens are located on Highway 49, three miles past Sierra City. Much of the road winds along the now-shallow North Fork of the Yuba River. Now that summer traffic has gone, the drive is leisurely and takes one and a half to two hours.

Phillips said he will open for a shorter season next year and handle only six weddings. "I have other projects I need to do," he said.

For more information, see his Web site at www.bigspringsgardens.com or write to him at 32613 Highway 49, P.O. Box 192, Sierra City, CA 96125.

ooo

To contact staff writer Trina Kleist, e-mail trinak@theunion.com or call 477-4231.