Empire Mine SP-Hard rock loop
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 2.98 mi
- Elevation gain
- 285 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Easy
- Elevation loss
- 230 ft
- Max elevation
- 2,678 ft
- TrailRank
- 19
- Min elevation
- 2,467 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- one hour 19 minutes
- Coordinates
- 267
- Uploaded
- April 29, 2009
- Recorded
- April 2009
near Grass Valley, California (United States)
Viewed 2461 times, downloaded 8 times
Itinerary description
Hard rock loop enjoys deciduous oaks and big leaf maples. In spring the forest is full of bleeding hearts. This loop uses Empire street trail, little wolf creek road and part of the hard rock trail.
Many people park at the Penn Gate to walk their dogs or to ride their horses. (Plenty of room to park the horse trailer.) The Penn Gate entrance to the park is free. If you only want an out and back hike on the south side of this loop, you can park at the Penn gate and hike for free. If you park at the main park entrance or if you do this loop trail in a clockwise direction, you will need to pay to go through the mine yard. If you have not been through the mine yard that is an interesting half day or day's visit in itself: mine equip, mine entrance and the headframe, blacksmith shop, 3D maps of the mine drillings, stamp mills, small mineral museum, victorian home and gardens. See http://www.empiremine.org/ for tours, maps and other information.
Many of the old trails are closed. There is a middle section of this park that is close due to toxic waste. In the process of extracting gold from quartz, several toxic chemicals were used. the fenced off area has lead, arsenic, and mercury. So stay on the trail and don't jump any fences.
Many people park at the Penn Gate to walk their dogs or to ride their horses. (Plenty of room to park the horse trailer.) The Penn Gate entrance to the park is free. If you only want an out and back hike on the south side of this loop, you can park at the Penn gate and hike for free. If you park at the main park entrance or if you do this loop trail in a clockwise direction, you will need to pay to go through the mine yard. If you have not been through the mine yard that is an interesting half day or day's visit in itself: mine equip, mine entrance and the headframe, blacksmith shop, 3D maps of the mine drillings, stamp mills, small mineral museum, victorian home and gardens. See http://www.empiremine.org/ for tours, maps and other information.
Many of the old trails are closed. There is a middle section of this park that is close due to toxic waste. In the process of extracting gold from quartz, several toxic chemicals were used. the fenced off area has lead, arsenic, and mercury. So stay on the trail and don't jump any fences.
Waypoints
Car park
2,458 ft
Penn Prk
Parking at Penn gate
Hiking
2,478 ft
Closed
Woodland loop closed at this point. Here is where the toxic fenced in area starts. Do not use the woodland trail
Car park
2,651 ft
EMSP Prk
Parking at the Empire Mine State Park headquarters
Hiking
2,468 ft
TJ WLL
Trail Junction for Woodland loop. It is ok to take this trail junction. However avoid the trail to the "CLOSED" waypoint.
You can add a comment or review this trail
Comments