* * *ALERT dated 3-11-2009: The Waldo Bridge that is key to driving to Trailheads for Shingle Falls and several other trails has been closed by Yuba County after an apparent accident damaged the center support for the bridge. See Spenceville Wildlife Area description for additional information. * * *

SLIDESHOW for Spenceville Wildlife Area.

With the amount of rain we've had here in the foothills in the Nevada City and Grass Valley, CA area, Shingle Falls at Spenceville is booming. The creek water is still murky brown and the sunshine has been very scarce over the past few weeks, but this is a great time to visit. We're programmed for a break between the waves of storms and as a retired local that prefers to schedule outings by TV weather only a day or two ahead, I intend to revisit the Wildlife Area with the best weather next week.

The beauty of Spenceville Wildlife Area is that for the hiking/biking/equestrian rider enthusiasts there are several other soul satisfying treks besides the favored one to visit the falls.

Still, it's hard to pass up bagging two great waterfalls within a tenth mile of each other. This spring I intend to get a better measurement of un-named "Lower Shingle Falls." My eyeball measurements put the lower falls about the same as Shingle Falls (aka "Fairy Falls) themselves. Bill Haire, Trails Coordinator of the Nevada County Land Trust, has agreed to come along and bring his trusty clinometer to get some good measurements. Stay tuned.

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The Spenceville Wildlife Area west of Penn Valley, California is one of my favorite winter hiking spots. And each spring it's even better.

I'm especially eager this year to leap into spring. Given my new fangled pace maker I had implanted last fall and the un-characteristically chill of my own 67th winter that followed, I hope to end my personal cold spell in a few weeks. Today I started my 2nd prescription of EECP.

Active exercise is an important component to the procedure. For celebrating the earliest rebirth of spring, there are few better places to begin a new season of hikes other than Spenceville. And to simultaneously renew yourself.

The low elevation foothills location sits on the true transition above the Central Valley above Marysville and Linda, California on the western, front door of Beale Air Force Base. Where Dry Creek scurries over the last drop before leveling into the Central Valley, at a low of only 200' elevation, the rich ecosystem of blue oak gray pine grassland stretch upland to a knob peaking at a believe-it-or-not awesome 1270' elevation. This and several viewpoints offer vistas stretching across the Central Valley where Sutter Buttes stands out against the faded blue of the Coastal Range on the far side of the Valley. These are bragging-rights statistics.

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