Volunteers will help blaze N. Yuba trail

By Tim Omarzu

A trail project near Downieville should get a big kickoff Saturday. Eighty or more volunteers are expected to start blazing a trail extension to link Downieville, a mecca for mountain bikers, to the existing North Yuba Trail at Goodyear's Bar.

When complete, the no-motors path would allow bikers to ride from Downieville almost to Bullards Bar Reservoir.

On Saturday, the volunteers probably only will get a short section of trail constructed, maybe a quarter mile, said Bill Haire, recreation and lands officer for the Downieville Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest.

"We want to get it started," Haire said. "This is a beginning. We're just going to do a piece. This year, we may only build a few hundred feet."

Volunteers will meet in downtown Downieville at the old Forest Service ranger station near the Sierra County courthouse. They'll take a 20-minute hike up the Slug Canyon Trail to the spot where work will begin.

Between 60 and 80 volunteers already have signed up at the REI store in Sacramento. The cooperatively owned store, part of a national chain, is sponsoring the event as part of National Trail Day, which is Saturday.

Downieville is a very popular destination for Sacramento-area mountain bikers, said David Neal of REI.

Volunteers also are coming from BONC, or Bicyclists of Nevada County, and FATRAC, the Folsom Auburn Trail Riders Action Coalition.

People who want to volunteer can simply show up Saturday at 10 a.m. at the old Forest Service office in Downieville, Haire said.

Volunteers can eat afterwards at a free barbecue put on by REI, Neal said. Participants also can camp for free at the Ramshorn Campground, courtesy of High Sierra Campgrounds, the campground concessionaire, Haire said.

Volunteers should bring water and gloves and wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, Haire said.

What: N. Yuba Trail workday

When: 10 a.m. 2 p.m., Saturday Where: Downieville.