TRUCKEE, Calif. – With over 34 miles of new trail constructed in the last 7 years, Truckee Trails Foundation (TTF) has brought new and varied trail-based recreation to the Truckee region. Building largely on public land, TTF has been working especially hard to create diverse trail opportunities for the diverse recreational interests within our community. 

“Accommodating the range of user types and abilities is at the core of our mission,” said Allison Pedley, Executive Director of Truckee Trails Foundation. “Even within a single user group such as mountain biking, there are vastly different preferences from flowy to technical to long-distance. We wouldn’t be serving the public properly if we weren’t working towards something for everyone.” 

Work in Sawtooth 

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Since 2019, the bulk of TTF’s projects have involved working with Tahoe National Forest (TNF) to actively plan and build new trails in the Sawtooth Recreation Area. This work was made possible in the wake of the Big Jack East fuels reduction project conducted by the Tahoe National Forest (TNF) in that same area, creating a new slate for trail construction. 

In conversations with the TNF about trail possibilities in this area, TTF highlighted the importance of trail diversification. As such, TTF’s work in the Sawtooth area ranges from the one-mile Ridgeline Nature Loop that accommodates wheelchairs, to the beginner-level mountain bike Compass Skills Loop, to the more advanced Wood Splitter Jump Trail. Additional trails over the past four years have included Gentle Jeffrey, Crosscut, Sawyer, and Back-cut trails – all open to non-motorized uses. The new trails are also being built with an eye for accommodating adaptive mountain bikes, as a result of TTF’s collaboration with the High Fives Foundation and Reno Adaptive. 

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“After riding with the High Fives Foundation, it was clear how capable the adaptive bikers are,” said Larry Lehman, TTF’s Trail Engineer. “It has become our goal to build sustainable trails with the adaptive bikers in mind, too. A few of our latest builds, such as Stump Shot, Splinter, Dutchman, Sawyer and Crosscut are examples of this.” 

TTF’s incredible trail crew did not disappoint in 2024 either, with an additional four miles of new trail in the Sawtooth Recreation Area. These trails were planned and designed primarily for cross-country travel (with occasional mountain bike flair). Overall, these new trails (Dutchman, Stump Shot, and Splinter), when added to the existing network, allow users to create different routes each time they run, ride, or hike in this zone, and helps spread people out so the trails feel less crowded. 

Trail work in the Sawtooth area this summer was funded by Placer County TOT dollars and generous grants from the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation and Vail Resorts Epic Promise. “We rely almost exclusively on local grants and private donations for all of our trail work,” said Jack Macy, TTF Board President. “Without this funding, our trails and the trail user experience would suffer.” 

Maintenance 

Keeping trails sustainable is also the job of TTF’s trail crew, who typically maintains between 50 and 100 miles of trail in a given season – removing trees that have fallen across trails, clearing drains, brushing back shrubbery, and fixing tread. “If a trail goes without maintenance for even a year, the cost of maintaining it the following year goes up,” said Fil Grgic, TTF’s Field Director. “We really try hard to avoid deferring maintenance.” 

Besides routine maintenance, TTF’s crew joined the Pacific Crest Trail Association this year to work on over-due maintenance, which included replacing an existing bridge near Peter Grubb Hut, and building a stone staircase near the westbound I-80 rest stop. 

The crew also spent considerable time on the popular Big Chief Trail, where they enjoyed adding a couple new trail features, re-vamping existing features, and generally giving the trail some extra love. TTF received generous funding from Vail Resorts Epic Promise to complete this work. 

Pines to Mines Update 

Trails often take years to go from concept to reality, and the Pines to Mines Trail project, aiming to connect Truckee with Nevada City, is no exception. The trail effort involves many partners including Bear Yuba Land Trust, Bicyclists of Nevada County, County of Nevada, Gold Country Trails Council, Tahoe National Forest, and Truckee Donner Land Trust. The project team is promising a stunning long-distance back-country trail that, unlike the Pacific Crest Trail, will be open to bicyclists. 

“This is the first long distance trail construction project TTF has been involved in,” said Pedley. “It is another example of our desire to bring different experiences to our broad and diverse community of trail users.” 

The trail will incorporate several existing trails and only require about 22 miles of new construction. The Tahoe National Forest formally approved the project earlier this year, and now project partners are actively seeking $1.5 to $2 million in funding to begin construction of this “missing link.” 

“It’s going to be an incredible trail – our crew cannot wait to get started,” said Pedley. 

But until then, TTF’s crew will be taking a much-needed rest, knowing the internal goal for 2025 is at least 5 miles of new trail, including some work in Sawtooth and Pines to Mines, and something for everyone to enjoy.