The Carson Valley Trails Association invites you to join their 2010 Hike for Health Challenge!
2010 Hike for Health Trails Challenge
The Carson Valley Trails Association is kicking off a month long Hike-for-Health Challenge. It’s a fundraiser that will help build the 24 mile trail system that begins in Genoa and connect to the Tahoe Rim Trail. It runs from April 22nd – May 23rd.
The silent auction, live auction & raffle kicks off tonight from 5-8pm at the Genoa Town Hall. Spread the word!
Posted on Bike Carson by Jeff Potter:
Please consider attending the Open Space Committee meeting this Monday, April 19th if you would like to show your support for existing and future mountain bike trails. The meeting is in the Sierra Room at the Carson City Community Center and starts at 6:00 p.m.
We will present our Kings Canyon to Ash Canyon Trail plan, and ask for approval to start construction on the section of the trail which is managed by Carson City. By attending this meeting you will demonstrate to the Open Space Committee that building new mountain bike trails should be a priority for Carson City.
I hope to see you there.
Chas Macquarie provided this update on the potential freeway bicycle trail.
As most people familiar with the Freeway Trail saga know, NDOT was forced to design and construct a multiuse trail on Phase 1 of the freeway from Silver Oak Dr. (formerly Broadleaf) to Hwy 50. However, there are sections that are bike lanes on two streets – Retail Court and Russell Way adjacent to the new Boys and Girls Club. As part of the deal the City cut with NDOT, NDOT is not required to construct a trail on subsequent phases of the freeway, though they did construct the east-west link that connects the linear ditch trail to Butti Way where it joins up with the trail the City paved on the south side of 5th Street. So there is now a good east-west trail across Carson City east of Roop Street. NDOT also agreed to design the freeway so that it did not preclude the future addition of a trail “to the extent practicable”.
On June 13th, 2009, the Mexican Ditch Trail bridges became official. Mayor Bob Crowell and members of the Open Space Committee were on hand to cut the ribbon and dedicate the new bridges and plaque.
Mayor Bob Crowell and members of the Open Space Committee
The two new Mexican Ditch Trail bridges connect the Riverview Park/Mexican Ditch Trail system to the Silver Saddle Ranch trail system. And soon, you will be able to ride west from here through the Moffat Open Space and along the Linear Park trail all the way to Governor’s Field on Roop Street!
The new plaque was unveiled
The new plaque that was unveiled shows the teamwork and partnerships that must be made to accomplish great projects. These bridges would not exist without the hard work from each separate entity.
Chas and Anne Macquarie
Many people showed up to show their support for trails in Carson City, and most stayed to participate in the Fleet Feet Sports walk and run event. Equestrians, walkers, and cyclists were all represented in the crowd.
The Fleet Feet Sports run and walk about to begin
Trails are great, but the real magic happens when you start connecting them. My son and I were able to get to the bridge ceremony all on bike paths, bike lanes, and quiet side streets. Each section we rode was not significant in itself, but all were magnificent in their entirety. Carson City is coming along in its construction of bikeways and footpaths, but much more must be done to connect the places we live, work, go to school, shop, and play. Thank you all for showing up and showing your support!
Bike Path near Rattlesnake Mountain
The official Ribbon Cutting for the Mexican Ditch Trail Bridges is this Saturday, June 13th. Mayor Bob Crowell will be there to cut the ribbon, and celebrate the connection of two trail networks, the Mexican Ditch Trail and the Silver Saddle Ranch.
Mexican Ditch Trail Bridge – Photo by Jeff Potter
Muscle Powered is asking that you attend the ceremony to show your support for trails in Carson City. Many of us will be riding our bikes to the ceremony. If you’d like to ride with us, let me know!
The ceremony is at the southernmost bridge at 9:00 AM. You can either drive or ride to Buzzy’s Ranch Road. From the road, there is access the Mexican Ditch Trail between addresses 1561 and 1631. Ride or walk south along the Mexican Ditch Trail about 800 feet, beyond the horse corrals to the new bridge.
In addition to the ceremony, Fleet Feet Sports will be hosting a 5k and 1-mile walk/kid’s run. More information can be found on the Fleet Feet Sports website.
On April 4th, Muscle Powered board members got together to hike the Ash Canyon trail network. A few friends came along too, including Kerstin Wolle, president of the Carson Valley Trails Association.
At the Trailhead
Earlier in the year, Muscle Powered attended the CVTA annual meeting, a presentation showcasing the wonderful trail network they have built in the Jobs Peak area. We were inspired at the number of attendees at the meeting. It was standing room only, the building full of enthusiastic supporters for trails in the Carson Valley. On the way home we decided we needed to do something like this in Carson City, and wondered if Muscle Powered would be the ones to do it.
Climbing the 7 Steps Trail
After much discussion between the Muscle Powered board members, we had a meeting with Carson City Parks and Recreation and Mark Kimbrough from the Tahoe Rim Trail Association. We explored the possibilities of Muscle Powered branching out to become a trails organization. Mark shared his trail building wisdom, and Parks and Recreation was excited about the idea of forming a trails partnership with Muscle Powered. The plan would be to start off simple; adopt an existing trail and maintain it. The sites are currently set on portions of the Ash Canyon trails that are on city land.
Ash Canyon
Saturday’s hike was a great opportunity to present the trail to all the Muscle Powered board members, and meet a few new friends. The blue sky offered great views of the snow capped mountains, and signs of spring were everywhere. Green grass, flowers, new buds on the trees, and a swift running Ash Canyon Creek. Normally I ride this loop on my bicycle, but it was nice to walk the trail for a change. My son came along, and he had a great time. The loop trail we did was the perfect length for a family outing.
Much still needs to be done, and many things would need to fall into place for Muscle Powered to adopt a trail, but we’re off to a good start. Stay tuned for further developments.
More pictures from the hike can be found HERE.
Here are some pictures of the Mexican Ditch bridge installation today. This is the northern bridge. I have a picture of Chas and Cindy because they’re the engineers who designed the bridge abutments and they were pleased to see that the bridge actually fit on them. Muscle Powered wrote grants to get funding for the bridges from Recreational Trails and NV Question 1 , Lumos and the local branch of the the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) designed the bridges.
New Bridge on the Mexican Ditch Trail
After the section of trail by the new freeway is finished next summer, there will be a continuous, off-street bike path (unpaved in some parts so you’ll need a mountain bike) between Roop Street and Mexican Dam – these new bridges allow you to get from the River Park at the end of 5th St. to Silver Saddle Ranch on a trail that goes along the Mexican ditch.
Chas and Cindy
An update on the Mexican Ditch Trail Bridges from Ann Bollinger, Open Space Coordinator:
The two new pedestrian bridges for the Mexican Ditch Trail will be arriving on
Wednesday morning, February 4, approximately 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m, possibly a
little later.If you’d like to drive out and watch the progress, please park on
Buzzy’s Ranch Road. You can access the Mexican Ditch Trail between addresses
1561 and 1631. At that point, walk either direction – depending on your arrival
time and which bridge is in progress.Finally, there will be large equipment during this process. Please be mindful
and keep a safe distance.
Here’s a look at some of the recent meetings and happenings.
A couple weeks ago, a few of us from Muscle Powered attended the Carson Valley Trails Association Annual Meeting. I was expecting a dozen people in a conference room, but when we arrived, we entered a packed gazebo with 100 people or more! We were on time, but did not even get a seat. The CVTA had an impressive display of all the trail work they’ve done on Carson Valley’s west side, notably the Jobs Peak Ranch and Fay Luther Canyon trail network. Having lived in the Carson Valley for over a decade, I am grateful for all the work they’ve done. Before these trails came along, it was next to impossible to gain access to the mountains without sneaking through barbed wire and no trespassing signs.
The Jeff’s with Kerstin, President of the CVTA
It was refreshing to see how much support this organization is receiving in the form of volunteer trail work, and tens of thousands of dollars in donations and grant money! We left the meeting inspired, and talked all the way home about how we could bring some of the CVTA’s ideas and energy to Carson City’s west side. We envision a sustainable, protected, multi-use trail system that spans Kings Canyon, Ash Canyon, Vicee Canyon, and Combs Canyon.
Interesting fact: CVTA volunteers pick up 100lbs of dog poop off the trail network per week! Anyone who has been to “Pooh Corner” in Ash Canyon knows how fast this stuff piles up.
Bike Month Kick-Off Meeting the Feisty Goat Pub
Last Thursday was the kick-off meeting for May’s Bike Month. Six of us showed up at the Feisty Goat Pub for a beer and brainstorming session. We came up with a lot of good ideas, and plan to have another meeting soon. Hopefully next time we’ll pick up the many people that expressed interest, but missed this first meeting. Check the Calendar Tab at the top for upcoming meetings and events.
Bike Carson in the Nevada Appeal
If you read the Nevada Appeal, you may have noticed Bike Carson in the Recreation section. For the past few weeks, a snippet from one of the posts here has appeared in the paper. This has been a great way to reach more people, and I’m starting to get feedback from people that don’t normally read the blog. It does make me a little nervous though, because I’m always afraid I’m going to sound stupid outside the little world of this blog.
Carson City Land Acquisition
Did anyone catch the Carson City Land Acquisition story on NewsCarsonCity.com? Carson City is acquiring large portions of land in the Ash Canyon Area. This is great news for trail users. With the city owning a bigger, contiguous block of the land on the west side, we will see greater public access, and hopefully better stewardship of the land. Watch the video and see the details HERE.
OHV Damage in Ash Canyon
A concerned mountain biker recently contacted me to see what can be done about all the recent OHV (motorized off highway vehicles) activity in the “NO MOTOR VEHICLES” area of Ash Canyon. Jeff Potter and I rode up to survey the damage, and here are a few photos I took:
Clearly Marked Sign
New lines being cut right next to existing trail
Free For All
New Roads
And a few more pictures HERE.
While there are signs posted in some areas, other entrances to the canyon do not have signs posted. In fact, the sign in the picture above is posted on the bike path, not next to an access road where a vehicle will most likely enter. As Carson’s west side becomes more popular, it is apparent that better management of the area is needed. Just in the last few weeks, there has been two roll overs in the canyon, the 1st a couple kids, the 2nd a high speed p4x4 police chase! It is my hope that the city’s purchase of the property in the Ash Canyon area will lead to better preservation of the lands. I think that ideally, hikers and bikers should have their own low impact trail system, and motorized vehicles should stay on the existing roads that allow access to Hobart Reservoir. The area is just too small to be an OHV playground. The vast expanses of BLM land east of town are much better suited for this activity. What are your thoughts on this issue?
Carson Valley Trails Association
Last weekend we had the Muscle Powered Annual Meeting, and in attendance was the President of the Carson Valley Trails Association, Kerstin Wolle. Kerstin gave an impressive talk on all they’ve done in the Carson Valley, and invited Carson City residents to attend their CVTA Annual Meeting coming up this Monday, January 19th. If you’ve ever hiked the Faye Luther Trail or Job’s Peak Ranch Trail, you have seen the beautiful work these people do. A few of us plan to attend this meeting to see how we can bring what they’ve done in the Carson Valley to Carson City. Hope to see you there!
CVTA Annual Meeting
Monday January 19, 2009
At the Gazebo at David Walley’s
2001 Foothill Road, Genoa
6 p.m. Doors Open
social, displays, refreshments and no-host bar
6:30 p.m. Meeting
Genoa Foothill Trail System Project Presentation, CVTA grants information, current CVTA volunteer opportunities, 2009 “Hike for Health” Hike-a-thon Preview, Winter Hiking and Snowshoeing on the Trails, and More!
Please come and bring a friend!!!
Jobs Peak – Carson Valley
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