Malakoff Diggins State Park RV & Campground Guide

If you enjoy fishing, you can catch rainbow and brown trout in the South Yuba River or cast for black bass, bluegill, and rainbow trout at Blair Lake. All anglers over 16 years of age will need to possess a valid California fishing license. Check with the California Fish and Game Commission for information about bag limits and current restrictions.

Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park has an EarthCache in the park. If you have a smartphone or a hand-held GPS (Global Positioning System), you can find the hidden treasure and leave something behind for the next adventurer.

Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park provides you with an opportunity to see how man has shaped nature and how a wilderness can recover from that intervention. While you’re in the park, you can discover lakes, streams, meadows, and tunnels as you make your way to the cliffs. The striking and beautiful canyon face features colorful white and rust-colored layers of sediment, granite, and metamorphic and volcanic rock, fine-grained clays, and iron-stained siltstones. The mining pit at the bottom of the rocks is about 6,800 feet long and 1,000 to 3,800 feet wide. Over time, soil deposits on the pit floor have created a habitat for new trees and vegetation, so you will be able to see a beautiful diversity of plants and local wildlife whenever you venture outside.

If you love to watch the birds fly from tree to tree and soar up into the air, Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park is for you. You can spot hawks and eagles flying high, or look out for bluebirds and finches. The park is home to well-known and less common bird species like black-capped chickadees, warblers, red-tailed hawks, northern pygmy-owls, and pileated woodpeckers.

With its high elevation, the park can be a nice place to stargaze. Although the skies are not the darkest in the region, you should have no problem spotting the constellations.

The park is situated at an elevation of 2,500 to 4,000 feet. It’s covered by a second-growth forest populated with ponderosa pine, sugar pine, white fir, incense cedar, and black oak on its upper slopes. Whiteleaf manzanita and ceanothus cover the hillsides, and beautiful wildflowers like purple milkweed, columbine, calandrinia, yellow star tulip, California pitcher plant, and many more bloom in the spring. Many of the park’s animals, like mountain lions, bobcats, black bears, and coyotes, are most active at night. You may also see black-tailed deer and jackrabbits during the day as you listen to birds sing.

If you bring your own kayak or paddleboat, you may take it out on Blair Lake.

Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park has over 20 miles of trails for beginning to expert hikers that provide forested vistas and spectacular views of the mining canyon. This trail network also connects to the famed South Yuba Trail. If you want to start with a challenging hike, the three-mile-long Rim Trail will take you through the forest and provide views of the diggings. The 1.6-mile-long Missouri Bar Trail is another moderately difficult and very old trail that may have been used by miners long ago. The 6-mile-out-and-back Humbug Creek Trail will have you climbing out of the canyon and is one of the most scenic routes in the park. You’ll have the chance to swim in the Yuba River and see waterfalls and mine shafts along the way. This path also connects with the South Yuba Trail. For an easier and more relaxing walk, the half-mile-long Blair Trail loop will fit the bill. You’ll pass through stands of pine and cedar trees as you make your way to Blair Pond, which has existed since the miners were on site.

While you’re at the park, you can swim in the Yuba River or the swimming area at Blair Lake. There are no lifeguards on duty, so you’ll be swimming at your own risk.

The park’s Blair Trail, Missouri Bar Trail, and Rim Trail are open to mountain bikers. Check with park officials for current conditions and more details.