Plumas-Eureka State Park
Encyclopedia
Plumas-Eureka State Park is an California state park
located in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range
in Plumas County
, California
.
The park, as a mining museum, shows and protects the history of the active mid-19th century California Gold Rush
mining period. As a large natural area it shows and protects the serenity of the mountain's meadow
s, forest
s, lakes, and granite
peaks. Camping, picnicking, biking, fishing, and hiking are offered.
of the Temperate Coniferous Forests
Biome
. The park's animals include black bear, deer, weasel, mink, marten, mountain lion, bobcat, fox, and many others. The park encompasses some of the Feather Headwaters
and Yuba River
headwaters basins of the Feather River
.
in Northern California
. It is five miles west of Blairsden
on County Road A-14.
as part of a deficit reduction program since rescinded following public outcry. Plumas-Eureka State Park, except during the winter season, is open to the public.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
located in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
in Plumas County
Plumas County, California
Plumas County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. The county gets its name from the Spanish words for the Feather River , which flows through the county. As of the 2010 census, the population 20,007, down from 20,824 at the 2000 census...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
The park, as a mining museum, shows and protects the history of the active mid-19th century California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
mining period. As a large natural area it shows and protects the serenity of the mountain's meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
s, forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s, lakes, and granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
peaks. Camping, picnicking, biking, fishing, and hiking are offered.
Mining history
The historic mining area includes a museum in the miner's bunkhouse, the Mohawk Stamp Mill, Bushman five-stamp mill, stables, a blacksmith shop, the mine office, and a miner’s home "Moriarity House."Natural history
Plumas-Eureka State Park is in the Sierra Nevada Coniferous Forests ecoregionEcoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of the Temperate Coniferous Forests
Temperate coniferous forests
Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome found in temperate regions of the world with warm summers and cool winters and adequate rainfall to sustain a forest. In most temperate coniferous forests, evergreen conifers predominate, while some are a mix of conifers and broadleaf evergreen...
Biome
Biome
Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...
. The park's animals include black bear, deer, weasel, mink, marten, mountain lion, bobcat, fox, and many others. The park encompasses some of the Feather Headwaters
Feather Headwaters
The Feather Headwaters are 3 watersheds totaling and which drain to Lake Oroville. The is —including the West Branch drainage of about . The is , and the is —including the South Fork drainage of about...
and Yuba River
Yuba River
The Yuba River is a tributary of the Feather River in the Sacramento Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is one of the Feather's most important branches, providing about a third of its flow. The main stem of the river is about long, and its headwaters are split into North, Middle and South...
headwaters basins of the Feather River
Feather River
The Feather River is the principal tributary of the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. The river's main stem is about long. Its length to its most distant headwater tributary is about . Its drainage basin is about...
.
Access
Plumas-Eureka State Park is located about 60 miles north of Lake TahoeLake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
. It is five miles west of Blairsden
Blairsden, California
Blairsden is a census-designated place in Plumas County, California, United States. Blairsden is located east-southeast of Quincy. The population was 39 at the 2010 census, down from 50 at the 2000 census.-History:...
on County Road A-14.
Proposed closure
This is one of the 48 California state parks proposed for closure in January 2008 by California's Governor Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
as part of a deficit reduction program since rescinded following public outcry. Plumas-Eureka State Park, except during the winter season, is open to the public.
See also
- List of California state parks
- Protected areas of the Sierra Nevada