The art and agriculture communities of Plumas and Sierra Counties invite the public to spend an autumn day, enjoying the history, culture and bounty of the Sierra Valley. Visitors travel the Sierra Valley Art & Ag Trail at their own pace; enjoying Sierra Valley Barn Quilts, farmers markets, working ranches, historic buildings and local artists of every medium – wood, paint, glass, ceramic, metal, fiber and more. The event offers a window into the past, when Sierra Valley was home to a large number of family-run dairies that supplied milk, cream and butter to the Comstock Lode miners in Virginia City. Guests will visit privately owned 100+ year-old dairy barns, many built with hand-hewn timbers and wooden pegs, still serving today’s working ranches. Inside and around the barns, farms and other historic sites, talented local artists showcase their wares inspired by the valley. Visitors can also register for private tours of some working ranch sites and learn about the history and current uses and operations. The Sierra Valley Art & Ag Trail is a family friendly event with children’s activities, artist demonstrations, and food and fiber education. This entire event is complete free to the public and exhibitors due to the beloved prize drawing featuring donations from the event artist. Also, a commemorative passport is encouraged for purchase to deepen your experience by collecting stamps of local cattle brand insignia, artist’s logos and more.
Sierra Valley is a stunning alpine valley the size of Lake Tahoe nestled between the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range and the Great Basin. The Valley is host to many historic cattle ranches, beautiful old dairy barns, market farms and talented artisans of widely varied media. At the headwaters of the wild & scenic Middle Fork of the Feather River, the Valley’s freshwater marshes, grass meadows and sage steppes provide varied habitats that support a wide array of wildlife, including growing herds of pronghorn antelope, mule deer and the occasional elk. It's also a nationally designated Important Bird Area, with over 260 bird species visiting during the course of a year.
The Sierra Valley Art & Ag Trail is an event of the Sierra County Arts Council, produced by Musica Sierra with major funding from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and Plumas Arts. The event was developed through the cooperative efforts of residents, local organizations, our sponsors, funders and many individual artists and family-owned farms and ranches.