This Easy California Trail Is A Best-Kept Secret To Enjoy A Scenic Pond And Crowd-Free Bird Watching

For hikers looking to really get away from the hustle and bustle of civilization, there's nothing like the buzz of discovering a lesser-known trail that's low on crowds and high on outdoorsy goodness. It's what makes discovering Californian gems like the Black Swan Trail, situated near Smartsville in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, so appealing to anyone who likes traveling with their most rugged footwear close at hand.

Found just under 2 miles from the aforementioned historic Gold Rush town, which itself is just over 50 miles from Sacramento International Airport, this simple 2.5-mile hike packs a pleasing punch that belies its small size. To reach the trail, turn down Mooney Flat Road off of Highway 20, drive about ¼ mile, and keep an eye out for a parking lot.

Serving up a soul-soothing mix of flora, fauna, and history, be sure to add this trail to that California road trip itinerary you're currently putting together in your spare time. In a place with as many hectic urban environments as the Golden State, hikes like the Black Swan Trail represent a healthy pocket of tranquility. In short, neat little walks such as these can be the punctuation that elevates an adventure to the next level.

Cast your mind back to the summer of 2014. You might not have realized it at the time, but it's when this dreamy route in Western Nevada County was being completed. Shaped with the help of volunteers and community-minded locals, as well as a partnership between the Bear-Yuba Land Trust and California Fish and Wildlife, Black Swan Trail bobs and weaves through some of the most glorious blue oak and gray pine woodlands imaginable.

When you set foot on the Black Swan Preserve and start putting one shoe in front of the other, you're not just having a nice stroll outdoors. You're actually getting in touch with the past and connecting with this area's sense of history in a way that can be incredibly eye-opening. Formerly the site of an intense industrial approach, where — over the course of 31 years in the 19th century — gold was mined and fortunes were made, nature has since gone on to reclaim its place at the top of the pile in these parts. Although it can be pretty difficult to imagine now, once upon a time, the noisy hydraulic system used in the mining process here would have provided Black Swan with a very different ambience.

The rounded gravel? Put that down to a gold-bearing stream system from 60 million years ago. The very ridge the looped trail now sits on? The result of powerful water cannons being used in the hunt for gold. Those hardrock tunnels and eroded bluffs? More evidence of how wealth-chasing humans altered what was once here. Get yourself up on a hydraulic cliff escarpment while you're casually circling the water's edge, and you'll be treated to a nice lay of the land in addition to a unique perspective of Black Swan Pond.

You don't need to spend long on the Black Swan Trail to realize what a rich tapestry it is on the flora and fauna front. Even a hydraulic pit here, that was once home to a drain tunnel, is now a shallow lake that's teeming with plant and animal life. Walking the trail will, if you're lucky, provide you with a golden opportunity to spot and photograph one of the endangered western pond turtles that reside in the wetland. Rare species bird watchers will want to keep an eye out for include the black rail and the western burrowing owl. The valley elderberry longhorn beetle is another endangered resident, so mind where you tread.

Going about their business in Black Swan Preserve, there are also bass and waterfowl, such as the American dipper and belted kingfisher. Add into the mix some beautiful wildflowers, as well as grassland pastures and idyllic meadows where bears roam, bald eagles soar, mountain lions roar, and deer do whatever deer do, and it soon becomes clear what a little patch of paradise this particular region is for nature enthusiasts. 

Excitingly, this hike will eventually become part of a larger network of trails. What will this mean for you? More ways to explore an epic environment, home to Gold Rush-era town sites and Native American fishing pools, for one thing. Once you've finished exploring here, why not head up higher into the Sierra Nevada mountains? There you will find the rejuvenative Travertine Hot Springs, where you can soak in some ethereal beauty, and even a secret California town of endless outdoor adventures.