Permanent Open Space
The historic 157-acre Black Swan Ranch is a gem, located just minutes off Highway 20. Near the confluence of Deer Creek and the Yuba River, the Black Swan holds a wildlife-rich lake and the looming escarpments of the Deer Creek hydraulic mine. An old stage coach road is flanked by stone walls and overgrown foundations, and leads to the site of an old dairy, overlooking Englebright Reservoir and the Yuba River
In 2013 the Black Swan Ranch was purchased for public open space by a collaboration which included the Bear Yuba Land Trust and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. A parking lot and trailhead, off of Mooney Flat Road, was completed in 2014 in collaboration with 49er Breakfast Rotary of Nevada City, opening up miles of extraordinary trails to the public. In 2016 15 more acres of ponds and wetlands was added to the Reserve, making it one of the region’s premier open space destinations. For more information check it out at www.bylt.org/land/black-swan-preserve.
Next Stop: Deer Creek
