On a sunny fall afternoon I sat on a flat piece of granite and gazed past a few ancient junipers and Jeffrey pines down into the Truckee River canyon far below. Up until a few weeks ago, there had been no trail to this glorious spot. Now the recently completed reroute of the Tahoe Rim Trail north of Tahoe City provides four new miles of awesome terrain.
Since 2001 when the Tahoe Rim Trail was completed, the Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA) has been busy planning ways to improve it and add connectors and loops for better access. A few years ago the TRTA constructed a two-and-a-half mile section of trail from the top of the Mt. Rose Highway past Galena Falls to the Mt. Rose Trail. This trail has an easy grade, eliminates the need to walk on a dirt road, and has quickly become one of the most popular trails in the area. For several years the TRTA has been working on designing and flagging a section of trail near Kingsbury Grade that would eliminate over three miles of walking on pavement between the Kingsbury North and South Trailheads near Heavenly Valley. Crews from the Nevada Conservation Corps and the TRTA have pulled off a minor miracle with the completion of this new trail section this summer.
The first few miles heading north out of Tahoe City have always been one of the least interesting sections of the Tahoe Rim Trail. While there are some nice specimens of cedar and sugar pine and a few lakeviews, the trail mostly a challenging walk over steep rocky terrain through a thick forest of fir trees: More effort than reward for most hikers. TRTA trail construction crew leader Jim Backhus says, ‘Some bird habitat issues on the upper part of the old trail and a desire to make the trail more user friendly by lowering the gradient,’ were the impetus for relocating the trail to the west. Now after the first half-mile, the TRT heads directly to the brink of the Truckee River canyon, with spectacular views of a wide swath of Lake Tahoe in one direction and a fascinating glimpse into the deep canyon carved out by the Truckee River in the other. With the exception of several forays into the trees to keep the trail from getting too steep, for the next four miles the new trail follows a smooth ridge along the top of the Truckee River canyon, highlighted by frequent glimpses of the Truckee River, Twin Peaks, Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley. Many sections are lightly treed with just the occasional Jeffrey and Sugar pine or juniper.
Eventually the new trail rejoins the old again just before a major viewpoint looking into Squaw Valley. Shortly after the new trail was opened in late September, the old trail section was decommissioned.
This new section is a marvel of trail alignment. While the route is now a mile longer, it feels shorter when you walk it, and the views are incredible. If you’re short on time or energy, you could just walk a mile or two and reach some of the best lake and canyon views. With the lack of tree cover along much of the trail, snow will melt sooner in the spring than on the old section of trail.
When I finished hiking the new section, I stopped to imagine a Truckee River Canyon trail connecting Truckee and the Tahoe Rim Trail along the edge of the Truckee canyon. On the Truckee end, the primarily mountain biking Sawtooth Trail already follows the river for a mile or two heading south from Truckee. Now with this new section, it is easy to envision it. As my daughter often says, ‘Hey, it could happen!’
As is usually the case with getting anything done at Tahoe, the new trail was completed due to the effort of a variety of agencies and the Tahoe Rim Trail Association. The Forest Service provided funding to the Nevada Conservation Corps, whose crews spent several months on the trail and completed the majority of the work. The TRTA sent 75 volunteers onto the project on National Trails Day in early June, and continued with smaller crews working several days a week for the balance of the summer. Former board president Backhus sums it up: ‘The new trail alignment substantially improves the trail by lowering the gradient, adding multiple scenic vistas, and avoiding sensitive wildlife issues.’
Clay Grubb, TRTA crew leader, who spent a good portion of his summer working on the project, says designers of the new section also took bikes into consideration in the layout and construction, creating a route for expert riders.
While trail building and maintenance is hard work, the folks who do it live for the opportunity to forge new trail, especially when it is located in this incredible location.
~ Tim Hauserman wrote ‘Tahoe Rim Trail: The official guide for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians,’ published by Wilderness Press in 2002. His TRT guidebook was updated this summer.
