Bear Yuba Land Trust is pleased to announce the opening of the Rambler Trail on the nonprofit’s newest landholding, the Clover Valley Preserve near the community of Alta Sierra.
This 0.4 mile trail built on a sunny slope by hardworking volunteers offers a pleasant 0.8 mile there-and-back-again walk along gentle switchbacks through scattered Ponderosa pines and red buds.
In December 2014, the Bach family – owners of the property since the 1970s – generously donated the land to BYLT for the purpose of protecting the land from development forever.
“This trail was made possible by the donations of land, time, labor and finances from many people. We are so lucky to be living in such a generous community of people who care about and are willing to share our open space and accessibility to nature for pleasure, healthy exercise and mental well-being,” said BYLT Executive Director Marty Coleman-Hunt.
The Rambler Trail is located on what was an empty lot that for years had been used as an illegal dumpsite. Volunteers pulled old mattresses, tires and other refuse from the site, now a nature preserve, before building the trail. Time is reclaiming an abandoned 1964 American Motors “Rambler,” the namesake of the trail.
South Wolf Creek bisects the length of the landscape, providing habitat for aquatic and terrestrial life. Clover Valley Preserve is home to diverse trees and shrubs such as: Blue oak, black oak, live oak, Ponderosa pine, cedar, red bud, coffee berry, native blackberry and maiden hair fern. Along this short trail, listen to the soothing sound of the babbling creek. Invasive Himalayan blackberry brambles were cleared at the bottom of the trail, creating a nice, quiet resting place next to the water.
“Listen to South Wolf Creek babble in the distance while you identify soap plant, brown bells and other native plants along the way. See if you can spot the Rambler and admire the hearty Buckeye and Redbud that grace this preserve. Life is good when you are out on the trail and interacting with nature. After you explore the Rambler trail peruse the online Trails Portal and see what else is happening with BYLT,” said Trails Coordinator Shaun Clarke.
Located near Alta Sierra Elementary School, the Rambler Trail provides another outdoor recreation opportunity for the Alta Sierra community in addition to nearby Mathis Pond, Adam Ryan Preserve and Alan Thiesen Trail. Bear Yuba Land Trust fills a void in the community by providing parks and trails in an area where, besides a golf course, no others exist.
Bear Yuba Land Trust saves land, builds trails and offers programs that get people outdoors to appreciate nature in the Sierra Nevada watersheds of the Bear and Yuba rivers.
How to get to the Rambler Trail: From Highway 49, take McKnight exit in Grass Valley and turn onto Dog Bar Road. Travel on Dog Bar Road for 4.2 miles. Turn right onto Carrie Drive, travel for 1.1 miles. Turn left onto Gary Way for 0.2 miles. Turn left onto Brewer for 1.5 miles. Just past the elementary school on the right, look for Clover Valley Road on the left. Go 0.1 miles to the crest of the hill and the trail head is on your right. Park in the dirt shoulder of Clover Valley Road next to the Preserve sign.