The Osborn Loop Trail is part of the 14-acre Empire Mine State Historic Park in Grass Valley. The trails are a runner’s dream. Well maintained and each trail intersecting another for a trip as long as you like. The same is true for equestrians and those of us who prefer a different pace. Park at the east end of the visitor’s center parking lot and access the trails in the back of the mining yard. Or park at Penn Gate. Occasionally, I like to pay the extra $7 fee to see the Bourn Cottage and grounds.
On my last visit, a dusting of snow put me in the holiday spirit. The cottage was decorated for Christmas and the Osborn Loop Trail was still drenched in fall color.
The historic park gives us a glimpse into the influence gold mining had in our area. The luxury of electricity, flush toilets and a telephone in the cottage were just a few of the signs of the wealth that came from the mine.
Several mine shafts dot the property. In the mining yard you can look through a gate into one of the shafts. If you get the docent-led tour, you will learn more about the life of a miner. Several buildings offer gold mining history lessons.
Once you leave the mining yard and head for the trail, concrete foundations and hills of pilings are evidence of the mining operations. The park has been doing some much-needed clearing of thick brush. A park-like setting is returning to some areas. The well-marked trails wind in and around the mine sites and keep you walking for miles.
The Osborn Loop trail is a 2.4-mile trail. Start at the east end of the visitor center parking lot. Head out on the Hardrock Trail and it will run into Osborn Loop Trail. It's easy to get diverted by the mining sites, so expect more than a 2.4-mile adventure. A section of this trail runs parallel to the road so keep your dogs on a leash. (Mother Lode Trails Note: dogs must be on a leash throughout the Park, off-leash dog owners will be cited.)
Close to town but offering a forest setting, the Empire Mine State Historic Park has a variety of attractions to keep most everyone entertained. To get there from Auburn, take Highway 49 north toward Grass Valley. Take the Empire Street exit and follow Empire Street up to the park.
Mary West is author of the book “Day Hiker:The Gold Country Trail Guide.” The book is a collection of the Day Hiker columns found in the Auburn Journal newspaper 2016-2019 where West shares her longtime love of the outdoors, and favorite hikes in Northern California’s Gold Country and beyond. West was a recipient of the 2017 CRAFT Award for Best Outdoor Column by the Outdoor Writers of California. You can follow West on Facebook and Instagram.
To see the original article and Mary's photos, visit the Auburn Journal newspaper.
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CLICK HERE for a trail map and more information about Empire Mine State Historic Park.

 2018 has been another great year for trail building on Land Trust lands.
First up, four new miles of the Donner Lake Rim Trail, linking the Glacier Way Trailhead to Northwoods, were built and are ready for finishing work in the spring. This is an exciting stretch of trail with beautiful views of Donner Lake and the Sierra Crest, connecting Donner Lake Rim Trail to the Trout Creek Trail, which in turn connects to Downtown Truckee. Click here to learn more.
A new pedestrian bridge, avoiding an ongoing erosion issue on the Donner Summit Canyon Trail, was installed this fall with the help of our partners at California State Parks. This keeps hikers, runners and cyclists out of a difficult section of washed out trail on their way to a beautiful overlook of Donner Lake.
Elsewhere on Donner Summit, working with the Access Fund and American Conservation Experience, the Land Trust made significant improvements to the trail accessing Black Wall.
In the Martis Valley, we reworked 1/2 mile of trail in Waddle Ranch Preserve and created ADA access to the beautiful Elizabethtown Meadows Trail.
And we worked to maintain our many existing trails like the beautiful network at Royal Gorge on Donner Summit, including the 13-mile Royal Gorge Rim Trail.
We couldn't have done any of this without your help - from the generous donations that supported professional planning and building, to the roughly 300 volunteers who put in 35 days this summer, adding up to more than 50,000 person-hours!
For more information, go to:
http://tdlandtrust.org/news/making-big-progress-trails-2018