Settled shortly after Major William Downie’s arrival in “The Forks” – the original name of Downieville – The Lure property was known as Breyfogle Flat, with the upper Slate Castle Ranch property known as Hardy Ranch. Since the early 1850s, The Lure property has had multiple sawmills and multiple gold prospecting operations, and starting in the 1940s, the establishment of recreation in the form of vacation cabins. The Lure name was born sometime in the 1960s, and for multiple generations has been welcoming guests to get “a bridge away” from the busy world, spending time healing the soul along the North Yuba River.
Reunification
For the first time since the 1950s, The Lure property and the upper property, Slate Castle Ranch, are under the same ownership. Reuniting these two properties is crucial to the health of the property itself as well as the community of Downieville. For our return guests who’ve stayed at The Lure in the past, you’ll notice that all the fencing and No Trespassing signs have been removed. Guests are now free to roam the trails and roads to the meadow above, with more space to explore. There’s beauty and history around every corner of this 70-acre property, and we welcome our guests to discover it all.

Clear mountain water Lure trails along the river The Emerald Pool swimming hole The Emerald Pool color Sunset reflections Early evening in the clouds Fog on the river Light through the trees Reflecting Exploring the river Upper property after a storm Clouds rising Fall colors Emerald Pool First Divide trail near Downieville
Lost Sierra Development, LLC
The Lure is the first acquisition by Lost Sierra Development, LLC, a new, local organization formed by the same folks who built the recreation economy in Downieville through the Yuba Expeditions bike shop and the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship. LSD exists to not only to help bolster the local economy, but also to provide affordable, long-term rental housing for working folks and families who want to live in Sierra County. Your support of The Lure helps LSD’s mission of acquiring more long-term, affordable housing units for employed folks who want to keep the mountain way of living alive.
Where is The Lure?
The Lure Resort resides next to the North Yuba River nestled deep in the canyons of the Sierra Nevada mountains, on Highway 49, one mile upstream from Downieville, CA.
100 Lure Bridge Ln, Downieville, CA 95936
60 Miles from Truckee, 71 Miles from Auburn and 48 Miles from Grass Valley, The Lure truly gets away from it all.