Independence Trail has garnered attention both locally and nationwide, beckoning outdoor enthusiasts and hikers alike.
Founded by Naturalist John Olmsted, the trail was in the path of the Jones Fire in 2020, which destroyed bridges and flumes on the western part of the trail rendering it impassable. Last year, landslide concerns proved too dangerous on the eastern trail, closing it indefinitely as a safety protocol.
Now, after over two years have passed, the Independence Trail is slowly but surely coming back to its normal iteration, though it will take time.
“The west trail was closed because the flumes burned and there was always the Jones Bar trail and that’s what State Parks rebuilt — a new Jones Bar trail,” explained Erin Tarr, executive director of Bear Yuba Land Trust, the organization that owns portions of the trail. “You can walk down that trail, you just can’t continue out to Rush Creek. That’s the only access on the west.”
California State Parks already owns the majority of the trail – the land trust inherited the 207-acre Sequoyah Challenge and thus inherited their parcels that hadn’t been transferred to state parks.
“We applied for FEMA (funds). State Parks got FEMA funding but the land trust was denied because we are a nonprofit. So we worked with Cal OES to do an appeal, and that was a year and half ago. They never responded to our appeal,” Tarr said.
Public interest in the trail surged with the PBS airing of “A Wild Independence,” a documentary on Olmsted’s vision to transform the former mining site into a wheelchair accessible nature trail, the first of its kind in the nation. Executive Director Jesse Locks of the Nevada City Film Festival was integral in getting the film on public television.
“Jesse helped get it on to PBS and through that it spurred (interest),” Tarr said. “So it’s, what’s the next step? State Parks and the county and FREED and the land trust have been trying to figure out other ways to get access restored. We’re trying to restore access, and we believe the best way forward is to get the land transferred to State Parks. They have the funding to repair it.”
Tarr said it is unknown when the trail will be fully accessible again, but said her organization plans on making “a lot of progress” in 2023. State Parks, she said, are doing engineering work, but the first destroyed flume on the trail lies on the land trust’s allotment. She acknowledged the county for advocating for her organization’s efforts.
What can the community of avid outdoors people do to help? Tarr said that for the moment, patience is key.
“We just need the land transferred to State Parks. Right now there is no immediate action but it is coming. We’re planning work days for spring and that’s a great way to help too,” Tarr said.
To contact Staff Writer Jennifer Nobles email jnobles@theunion.com, or call 530-477-4232.
