Day hiker: Hirschman Trail – moss-covered boulders, mining artifacts and large oaks

Just outside Nevada City off Highway 49 on Cement Hill Road is another exquisite trail brought to you by the Bear Yuba Land Trust. Hirschman Trail is highlighted by a pond with easy access (Hirschman Pond). Beyond the pond is a meandering 2-mile trek through the woods. I was impressed by the size of the trees, including one of the largest oaks I have ever seen. A few mining artifacts are found near the pond. If you like moss-covered boulders, you will love this hike. You find ample parking at 115 Cement Hill Road. Don't mind the trail work underway just beyond the first bridge. Without this trail maintenance work, the underbrush crowds out the native trees and the competition for water and nutrients creates undue stress on the trees, making them vulnerable to beetle attack, fungus and death. The 4-mile round-trip trail, in and out, follows Highway 49. You can hear the traffic on the highway on several parts of the hike. If you take your K9 companion, make sure they are leashed. The trail runs very close to the highway in a couple spots. The 2-mile marker is near the Indian Creek intersection with Highway 49. This is your turnaround. Woods Ravine was a very nice area. It was there I spotted the massive oak tree. Large pines also dot this trail. The sunlight pierced through the canopy, lighting the trail here, making for great pictures. This trail is popular with locals, but if you are in the area of the Nevada County Government Center, you may as well check out this little gem of a trail. To get to Hirschman Trail from Grass Valley, take Highway 49 north to Nevada City. Just above Nevada City, turn left to stay on Highway 49 toward Downieville. The second road to the right, just past the Rood Center, is Cement Hill Road. Drive up Cement Hill Road to the parking lot on the left. Mary West is author of the book series Day Hiker – Gold Country Trail Guide I, II and III (available on Amazon). The books are a collection of the Day Hiker columns where West shares her longtime love of the outdoors, favorite hikes in Northern California's Gold Country and beyond. West received the 2017 and 2019 CRAFT Award for Best Outdoor Column and the 2020 Craft Award for her second book in the series – Day Hiker Gold Country Trail Guide – by the Outdoor Writers of California. Follow West on Facebook and Instagram.