"We're now less than a half-mile to the finish line of connecting the lollipop loop!" Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship posted that update on Sept. 21. It came after several days when fire danger and rain kept the crew working on Beckwourth Peak's bedrock with hand tools only. Two weeks later, on Oct. 4, the Western Pacific Railroad Museum closed its regular 2026 public season.
Those two dates frame Portola's fall. The museum's public calendar is now down to a few special-event weekends. Meanwhile, the town's two newest public spaces are both downtown, both free, and both open every day. One is a 13-mile trail that starts at City Park. The other is a meditation garden on the Riverwalk, where trains still roll past after the museum gates close.
The Trail That Starts at Third and Gulling
The City of Portola calls it the Beckwourth Peak Trail. It's a 13-mile lollipop loop with access from City Park at Third Avenue and South Gulling Avenue. It climbs straight out of downtown. The design targeted a grade of no more than 10%, with short pitches up to 15%. You go from 4,885 feet to 6,425 feet, a net gain of 1,540 feet, and the whole route stays at a blue, intermediate rating. Nicole Formosa, marketing and communications manager for Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, described it to Singletracks as "some rock, some techy stuff, but not crazy," with no major drops.
The trail took a long time. SBTS dates the idea to 2009, with the City of Portola, Plumas National Forest and volunteers as partners. The Forest Service signed its decision on Oct. 29, 2019, approving a nonmotorized trail system with the Beckwourth Ranger District as lead manager. Construction ran about four years. As of September 2025, most of the trail could be ridden as an out-and-back, and the last mile was planned for 2026. A $54,515 Sierra Nevada Conservancy grant paid for that last mile. The Plumas Sun reported the grant on Aug. 31.
The project is also part of SBTS's Connected Communities plan. A June 2026 fundraiser notice listed the last quarter-mile of Beckwourth Peak among that year's Connected Communities trail projects. The plan aims to link 15 mountain towns with multiuse singletrack, and it lists the City of Portola and the Plumas County Board of Supervisors as regional partners. So the loop above town is one early piece of a much bigger regional network.
Where the Loop Stands Right Now
As of Oct. 4 there has been no ribbon cutting and no opening ride announced. Here is what each source says right now.
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| SBTS update, published Sept. 21 | Crew less than half a mile from closing the loop |
| SBTS trail projects page | Still listed as nearing completion, with a 2026 finish expected |
| Trailforks entry for the final piece | Completed in September 2026, with a ride logged Oct. 3 |
| City of Portola trail page | 13-mile loop |
| SBTS fundraiser notice, June 2026 | 13.5-mile loop |
The loop looks closed, but nothing official has said so yet. E-bike rules are unclear too. Trailforks marks the new final segment as open to Class 1 e-bikes and the older sections as closed to them. The Forest Service says e-bikes need a local designation to use nonmotorized trails. Until the Beckwourth Ranger District sorts that out, assume the trail is for pedals and boots.
Trailforks shows the Lower Section as the 2.6-mile stretch from Gulling Street up to Beckwourth Peak Road North. It's listed for mountain biking, hiking and trail running. That makes it the simplest way to go up from City Park and back without committing to the whole loop. No winter schedule for the trail has been posted. Plumas National Forest points visitors to its current-conditions and alerts pages, which are worth checking once storms start.
A Quieter Stop on the Riverwalk
The second new space is at the other end of downtown, along the Feather River. The Mindful Pause Yoga and Meditation Garden officially opened in early October. It's a stamped-concrete pad ringed with boulders and plantings, set between two large pines, with a picnic table next to it. The Plumas Sun noted its views of the river and the occasional passing train. The garden is built for all ages and abilities, and you can reach it from either end of the Riverwalk. The entrances are at 197 E. Riverside Ave. and the west end of Rocky Point Road.
It's free from sunrise to sunset, with no permit or sign-up. The city has posted a few rules:
- No amplified sound, speakers or music
- No alcohol, tobacco, smoking or vaping
- No climbing or standing on the granite boulders
- Leave the surface clean
Instructors, studios and community groups can now book the space through an online calendar instead of the old paper application. Requests are due at least seven days ahead. Approved and pending bookings show up on a public calendar, so you can see what's planned. Groups running paid events need an active City of Portola business license. Free community events don't. "The calendar provides real-time visibility to the public for events that are planned at the space that may interest them," City Manager Ryan Bonk said. For help with a booking, call Kristen Schiavone at 530-832-6801 or email [email protected].
The way it was built matters for what comes next. The garden was paid for with Proposition 68, the state parks bond, and the city's share first went to two vault toilets along the Riverwalk. City public works staff did much of the construction themselves, from forming the pad to placing the boulders and planting. That saved grant money that may go toward more Riverwalk projects. The work came from a four-person department that also handles the city's water, sewer and roads. Bonk also told the council in September that the city is looking at the statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program. Its awards start at $200,000 with no matching funds required, and staff have ideas for "almost all of the parks within the city."
One closure to know about: the City Park pool, next to the trail access, is closed for the season.
The Museum's Short List
With its regular season over, the museum runs on a few set dates at 700 Western Pacific Way. The fall started with the Sept. 26 Western Pacific Celebration, which featured the recently reactivated Western Pacific locomotive 707. Portola Railroad Day, also set for Sept. 26, was canceled by the Chamber of Commerce. Here's what's left on the calendar:
- Pumpkin Patch Express, Oct. 17–18 and Oct. 24–25. The museum opens at 10 a.m., and trains run hourly from 1 to 5 p.m. to the pumpkin patch.
- Super Spooky Night Trains, Saturdays of those weekends, 7 to 9 p.m. Other listings show different dates, so go by the museum's own schedule.
- November. The museum is closed to the public except for special events.
- Tree lighting at Main Park, Dec. 4.
- Santa Trains, Dec. 5, 11, 12, 18 and 19. The museum opens at 4 p.m. and rides start at 5, with Santa and Mrs. Claus, cookies and hot drinks.
That leaves a quiet stretch in November, between the last pumpkin train and the tree lighting. Those weeks are when the trail and the Riverwalk do the most for the town.
After the Climb
For food near downtown, Box Car Taphouse at 270 Commercial St. serves local beer, wine and food. Its website lists hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. It's closed Monday and Tuesday. Owners Terry and Gia Grim opened it on Oct. 3, 2025, so it turned one this weekend. In an April profile, they called November through May the stretch when community programming matters most. That means trivia, karaoke, musical bingo and live music whenever they can book it. Sushi nights are announced on social media when they happen. Menus go up on the website on Wednesdays.
For an early start, Headwaters Bistro & Deli lists breakfast and lunch from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Monday and Thursday through Sunday. It's closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The city's dining directory also lists Blue Door Cafe, Lena's, Mountain Pizza, Nichole's Coffee Depot & Deli, Rico's Mexican Food and Trout's Cafe, among others. Winter hours shift around here, so call before you go.
To stretch a Sunday morning a little farther, Feather River Land Trust is hosting free nature walks with Ranger Jill Adams at the Sierra Valley Preserve Nature Center every Sunday in October, from 8 to 9:30 a.m.
If you've ridden the full Beckwourth loop this month, or you're trying to figure out what living near a trailhead looks like from the Portola side, The Liz Joy Team is happy to talk it through from our storefront office in town. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
