The Flume Trail
When we asked Erik Johnson of Johnson Trails out to look at the possibility of building trails on the Ranch, we knew one thing — Erik builds great single track running and mountain biking trails. We have used Erik’s trails up in the North Tahoe and Donner Summit area for years. They are some of the best trails we’ve been on for great flow while maintaining the natural features and topography of the landscape.
Erik and Jason came out in September and walked the property for hours. One of the first things we stumbled on was an old flume line just up from Battle Creek. It is a nice level section that runs parallel with the river and has an inordinate amount of big rocks alongside.
A few hours of research later, we realized that this was likely an old section of the Blue Ridge Flume used for logging in the 1870s.
From Dottie Smith of the Redding Record:
Construction on the flume began in 1872. It was built to provide fast and cheap rough-cut lumber transportation from the mountain sawmills to the valley floor. It traveled one way - downhill, and passed through both Shasta and Tehama counties on its way to the Sacramento River.
It's starting point was at the Clipper Mill, once located near the head of the south fork of Digger Creek. Feeder lines were connected to the Sugar Pine, Eureka, Defiance, Hazelton, and Moscow Mills, which all merged into one flume.
It's original end of the line was at the mouth of Inks Creek at the Sacramento River in Tehama County. In 1876, the flume was extended from Inks Creek farther south to a lumber yard and planing mill at Red Bluff, extending its length to 42 miles long.
It was an awesome looking structure and in some places stood to the staggering height of 150 feet (at South Battle Creek). It was a V-flume, so named for the "V" shape of its trough, and was built with clear sugar pine wood. The sugar pine was cut into 2-foot-wide boards to form the sides. To prevent water leakage, a six-inch-wide board was nailed at the bottom of the trough to form a floor and conserve water.
It didn't have a long lifespan. It was built in 1872, and in 1876, only four short years later, the last lumber company to own it went bankrupt and abandoned the flume.
Soon after that, settlers began dismantling the flume and helped themselves to timbers, boards and nails to build houses, barns and chicken coops. Some of those "flume" buildings are still standing today.
As an aside, we learned a ton about the history of the property right here. The boards used in the Red Barn match the description of “Flume Boards” — which would date the Red Barn back to the late 1870s or early 1880s.
Right away, Erik suggested we used the old flume line as a single track mountain biking trail — just like “Rails to Trails” program turned old railroad right of ways into hiking trails. Call it “Flume to Zoom.”
Five months later, we are starting to see the Flume Trail take shape. It cuts just above Battle Creek and weaves in between piles of rock.
Erik and Jason work hard to maintain the nature look. They have kept the mossy rocks and as many of the trees as possible. Along the way, the Live Oak, California Nutmeg, Cypress, and Ponderosa Pine provide ample cover.
Señor is a big fan of the Flume Trail. He shoots down the trail like a big log of dog.
When the Flume Trail is done, there will be more than half a mile along Battle Creek.
— KLM