51 miles of brand-new bike-legal singletrack are under construction near Truckee, California. The project is known as the “East Zone Connectivity Project,” and it “aims to eventually connect Truckee with Loyalton, Sierraville, Verdi, and Reno in Nevada, helping to boost rural economies through recreation,” according to the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS), which is leading the project.
The current 51-mile trail development is a major part of the SBTS’s Connected Communities Project. The Connected Communities Project is an ambitious regional effort to breathe new life into former mining and timber towns in the Sierra Nevada by leveraging mountain bike and multi-use trails as economic engines. The plan calls for over 300 miles of new trail linking 15 rural communities, as part of a broader $10 million initiative to create local jobs in planning, construction, and the service sector while promoting outdoor recreation and watershed stewardship.
The East Zone trail development is well underway
The ambitious East Zone project has already gone through environmental review, and work is underway. The SBTS has built over 13 miles of singletrack in the Boca and Verdi Ridge section of the network, thanks to California OHV funding and a grant from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. As you may have guessed, these trails will also be open to motorcycles and e-bikes in addition to non-motorized bikes. Equestrians, hikers, and trail runners are welcome on the trails as well.
This area of California is majestically beautiful and wildly remote in places, and according to Kurt Gensheimer, Program Manager for SBTS, the views from these new trails will be incredible. “This trail has an amazing amount of views, both of the Sierra Crest and Mount Rose Wilderness, and also Reno,” said Gensheimer. “East, west, north, and south, you get all these vistas once you get up on the ridge.”…