Truckee, Calif. – The U.S. Forest has recently approved the East Zone Connectivity Project authorizing construction of marquee additions to the Truckee trail network. New trail construction will occur on the west slope of the Verdi Range adjacent to Boca and Stampede Reservoirs near Truckee, Calif.

Specifically, the Connectivity Project approves:

• The construction of seventy miles of motorcycle single-track, including key connections to the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and the community of Verdi, Nev.
• The restoration of forty-one miles of user created OHV trail through sensitive areas.
• The construction of several new staging areas and trailheads.

In addition, the Connectivity Project designates thirty-five miles of existing non-motorized trail as open to Class 1 eBikes, including the Sawtooth Trail, the Jackass Ridge trail system, Emigrant Trail, and the Big Chief Trail. This is the first major addition of authorized, Class 1 eBike use on National Forest System trails within the surrounding area.

“From the historic paths of the Washoe, the Emigrant Trail and the Transcontinental Railroad,” said Jonathan Cook-Fisher, Truckee District Ranger, “to the more recent additions of Interstate 80 and the Airport District, the Truckee area has often found itself at the center of a trail and transportation network. We hope that the opportunities afforded by the East Zone Connectivity Project, along with other regional trail projects, honors this history. Our community continues to provide an excellent example of collaborative planning and recreation access that others can emulate.”

“Specifically, the addition of single-track motorcycle trails to our recreation network was a missing piece, as was the additional opportunities for Class 1 eBikes,” Cook-Fisher continued. “In the future, we envision multiple routes to travel on between the communities of Lake Tahoe’s North Shore through Truckee and on to Verdi or Reno, or west over the Sierra to points beyond.”

For more information about the Tahoe National Forest, go to www.fs.usda.gov/tahoe.

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