Trail Building Volunteers Needed

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Jeff Moser

I’m often asked by the local mountain bikers, how can I get involved in building the trails? Well here you go. Here are two upcoming opportunities advertised in the latest news release from Muscle Powered.

Max adding the finishing touch to a switchback on the HLT

COME JOIN US IN BUILDING NEW TRAILS

No previous trail building experience needed. Work for all or part of the day. Volunteers must wear long pants, long-sleeved shirt, sturdy hiking shoes or boots and glasses or sunglasses. Hard hats and tools are provided. Bring water and lunch.

Muscle Powered Trail Building

Friday, Sept 2nd – Hobart Link Trail Workday

From Bill the Ranger: This trail will be a beautiful and fun multi-use but mostly mountain biking alternative to the steep, hot, dusty Sunflower Hill Rd. The trail is close to half done and we are excited to be building the first trail in the park primarily designed for biking so please join us!

Meet at: Lakeview Gate in Lakeview subdivision just north of Carson City – follow Hobart road uphill to gate. We will gather here and caravan up to the work site.
Time: 8am – 3pm
Clothing/misc: long pants, work shirt, hat, water, lunch, sun lotion, boots
Tools/supervision: Parks will provide
Transportation: you may drive your 4×4 or team up with another volunteer
Exit time: we should be finishing up at roughly 3-3:30pm and then caravanning out.

Carson Valley Trails Association:

Help build the Sierra Canyon Trail that connects to the Tahoe Rim Trail and Carson Valley Discovery Trail!

Saturday, September 3rd -Sierra Canyon Trail

From Jeremy Vlcan: Park at the junction of Centennial Drive and Snowshoe Lane by 8 a.m. and walk up Snowshoe Lane to the kiosk and trail. Centennial Drive is 1/2 mile north of Genoa. If you’re late, follow the trail behind the kiosk and walk almost one mile up to the end of the trail where we are working.

No experience needed. Work as long as you like. Cold drinks provided. Bring a lunch.
Required work wear are long pants, long-sleeved shirts, sunglasses for eye protection, hiking shoes and work gloves.
Tools and hard hats are provided.
Work days through September are posted at http://www.carsonvalleytrails.org/Programs-Calendar.html

If you plan on helping with the Hobart Trail Link please contact Jeff Potter. For the Sierra Canyon Trail just show up.

Jeff Potter: jeffpotter@musclepowered.org

Thanks,

Jeff Potter

IMBA Trail Care Crew to Visit the Area

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Jeff Moser

If you’ve ever been interested in the effort that goes into constructing the trails that we frequently enjoy, from working with land managers to working in the field, then this trail building class is for you.

The International Mountain Bike Association Trail Care Crew, with assistance from the Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association, Carson Valley Trails Association, and the USFS, is coming to our area to offer a trail building weekend that is open to the public. This is a great opportunity to learn from the pros:

Subaru/International Mountain Bicycling Association Trail Care Crew Coming to South Lake Tahoe, California

Expert team will join TAMBA to teach sustainable trail building

South Lake Tahoe, CA: April 8-10 – The International Mountain Bicycling Association’s (IMBA) Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew will be in South Lake Tahoe, from April 8th through the 10th to talk trails, how to work more effectively with your area land managers, and how to improve the overall economic and social health of our community by creating more riding opportunities. The visit is one of about 70 stops on the 2011 schedule. Everyone is invited to attend the weekend’s events.

The award-winning Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program includes two full-time, professional teams of trail experts who travel North America year-round, leading IMBA Trail building Schools, meeting with government officials and land managers and working with IMBA-affiliated groups to improve local mountain biking opportunities. IMBA’s crews have led more than 1,000 trail projects since the program debuted in 1997.

With the abundance of spring snow, the crew will spend the first day in the classroom on Friday. In collaboration with the Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association (TAMBA), topics will include Land Manager Training, Better Living Though Trails, and Club Care Advocacy. These presentations will teach and advocate the health, economic, and social benefits of trails within our community. Weather permitting, Saturday’s session will culminate in a trip to the Carson Valley to break ground on a new trail that will ultimately connect the Tahoe Rim Trail with the town of Genoa. The crew will spend the morning teaching attendees about the proper techniques of trail building with actual hands-on trail work in the afternoon.

The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program has inspired great volunteer trail work across the U.S. and abroad – a big help to government agencies and land managers who have limited funding for trail construction and upkeep. As a direct result, there are now thousands of new and improved trails in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico and several European countries.

The Trail Care Crews teach “sustainable” trail building, which means building lasting trails that require minimal maintenance. This helps reduce trail damage, protects the environment and enhances visitor enjoyment.

The Crews travel in new Subaru Outbacks provided by Subaru of America. The company has been IMBA’s leading sponsor since 1997.

All are welcome to join the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew leaders when they come to town. Below is a schedule of events that are open to the public:

Friday, April 8: 12:30 – 5:00 pm; USFS conference room, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe

-TAMBA presentation – “Who we are and what we’ll do”

-Land Manager training.

-Better Living Through Trails

-Club Care presentation (time allowing)

6:00pm -Social event at the Divided Sky in Meyers

Saturday, April 9: 9:00am – 12:00 pm; USFS, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe

-Trail Building classroom session.

1:00 – 4:00 pm – trail construction on the Carson Valley trail outside of Genoa.

Sunday, April 10

-Group mountain bike ride in the Carson Valley. Specifics TBA.

To register for the work day visit https://www.imba.com/civicrm/event/info?id=111&reset=1

For more information contact: bfish@designworkshop.com

Ash Canyon Trail Report

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Jeff Moser

The Ash Canyon Trails are in fantastic condition right now! There is plenty of traction and no mud. There is high visibility on the Creek Trail, as the leaves have mostly fallen from the trees, and the grass has started to die back. With little sun reaching the bottom of the canyon though, it’s chilly down there, and the ground is frozen in parts.

Jesse and Cortney headed towards the Creek Trail

Don’t wait too long to enjoy the great trail conditions though! Looks like we got a “significant winter storm” headed towards us this weekend. You never know when your last ride on the Creek Trail for the season is going to be, so get out there.

Ash Canyon Night Ride

There is also a night ride scheduled for Thursday, November 18th at 6:30 PM. Denis at the Bike Habitat wants to help get you out on the trails, and has a great selection of lights available. Call the Bike Habitat at 267-5053 if you’d like to reserve a demo light for tonight’s ride.

A map to the Foothill Road Trailhead off Winnie Lane can be found HERE.

Sabotage! on the Ash Canyon Trails

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Jeff Moser

Be Alert! Someone has sabotaged the trails in Ash Canyon by digging deep holes in the middle of the trail. The holes are located in high speed sections or in places where you wouldn’t see them until too late. Hitting one of these holes at speed would cause serious injury or even death! We weren’t able to repair them at lunch, but tried to block off the trail with downed brush. We’ll get trail crews up there ASAP to repair the damage. Until this issue is resolved, it is advisable to ride up any trail first at a slow speed before bombing back down it. The four holes we discovered were on the lower trails just west of the V&T bike path (Jackrabbit and Postal Route). No holes were found higher up, but this could change at any time. Trail map here: http://www.bikecarson.com/trails-and-rides/

1st Hole on the Jackrabbit Trail (Depth indication provided by Robin)

2nd Hole on the Jackrabbit Trail

3rd Hole on the Jackrabbit Trail

Beginning of the Postal Trail

Ash Canyon Trail Map for Google Earth

Posted on July 30, 2010 by Jesse

Jesse Richardson has created us a new Ash Canyon Trail Map! The 2-D image is great, but it’s even more fun to download the 3-D Google Earth version. Here’s his map and what he has to say about it. – Jeff

Ash Canyon Trail Map for Google Earth – by Jesse Richardson

Have you ever been sitting on a particular piece of single track in Ash Canyon and wondered where you were? The last time you coordinated a meeting spot up on the mountain with a few friends for some laps around the canyon, did you stumble to find the words to describe the location? Did you even know that these trails all had a bunch of wacky names?

Since the dawn of civilization man has struggled to take in his surroundings and hastily jot down the location of the nearest prospect to provide to his comrades. Early seafaring adventurers developed complex tools and techniques to properly document strange new continents and great divides. All of that toil is over with thanks to a great invention, the Geostationary Satellite. Thanks to Google Earth and a simple bike-mounted GPS, what would have taken me weeks on an Etch-a-Sktech and days to draw out by hand can be achieved in just a few hours.

Ash Canyon Trails

Ash Canyon Trail Map Download for Google Earth

I took months of GPS data and hand drew each trail based off of my saved routes. When you open up the .kmz file in Google Earth move it from Temporary Places over to your My Places area to save it. Then once you expand it you’ll notice it’s broken down by Singletrack, Fire Roads, Trail Access Points and Waypoints. You can customize your view at any time by turning certain trail features on and off. Download the file and become more familiar with your trails and plan more efficiently with this trail map. Enjoy!

Evidence Trail Log Skinny

Posted on June 4, 2010 by Jeff Moser

For those looking to test their skills, there’s a new challenge available on the Evidence Trail. Near the high point of the trail, there is now an alternate route that takes you across a log skinny. What’s a log skinny? Well, basically, it’s a log that has been trimmed down with a flat surface that allows you to ride across it.

Jeff Potter shows me how it’s done.

I first got up to the completed log skinny last weekend. The log itself has been sculpted for a while now, but the completed on and off ramps were new to me. The on ramp is sturdy and well constructed, made from treated lumber and heavy duty bolts. The transition onto the ramp is further enhanced with smooth and well placed rocks. The exit is made of large, closely spaced boulders, and resembles a cobblestone path. The entrance and exit looked safe to me, and the log itself is wider than the trail I just rode up on. Would this day be the day I tried it? Nope. I chickened out.

Log Skinny Entrance

Jeff Potter suggested that I might want to get more familiar with my new bike before attempting the stunt. Yeah, he was right! Did I really want to damage myself or my new bike on its maiden voyage? No way! Instead I got the camera out and watched Potter do the log skinny a couple times.

Giving the Log Skinny a try

A few days went by, and I started thinking of the Log Skinny story I would write for Bike Carson. For the sake of good journalism, I knew that I’d have to ride the log to write a decent story. I was starting to feel pretty good on the new bike, so I knew it was time to get it done.

The Exit

So how does it ride? While the entrance is smooth and well constructed, there is still a bit of a bump as you transition from dirt trail, to ramp, to log. In effect, there are three obstacles to think about, the two ramps and the log. At least at first. I think once you get more familiar with riding it, it will be easier to think of the whole thing as one unit.

Once I got on the log, it seemed a lot easier. It’s nice and wide, and you just need to look at the very end of the log to keep yourself riding straight. You always look where you want to go. I did have a strange sensation that my tire pressure was low, and after a couple days thinking about it, it may have just been my knees shaking!

The exit is pretty easy. It’s gnarly to look at, but is actually very smooth. Even with a rigid fork! Walking my bike down the exit before attempting to ride it helped me visualize the line better, and gave me confidence that it would be easy to roll on out.

A nice smooth roll out from the log skinny

To be honest with you, I did have to put a foot down at the top of the on ramp before riding on down the log. I tried it a second time, but was still too nervous to ride the whole thing. This gives me something to improve on for next time.

While the ramps are well constructed, the log wide and stable, you should still use caution when attempting this stunt. Have a buddy with you for assistance should something go wrong or to capture your heroics on film. Although the log isn’t huge and is near the ground, it’s still a pretty good drop to the ground on the downhill side. I’ve already heard more than one story of people falling off the log and utilizing their helmets, so be careful!

Have you ridden the log yet? How’d you do?

Carson City Bicycle News

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Jeff Moser

Sheep, Bicycle Friendly Community Update, and the future of Carson City Trails!

SHEEP

The sheep are now officially on the trails! We rode through the flock yesterday just above the V&T bike path. At climbing speeds, the sheep just went about their business chomping grass as we slowly rode by. Although we slowed considerably coming down the mountain, the slightly higher speed of the descent spooked a couple of the sheep. Take your time to be safe and prevent them from scattering, and enjoy the many unique, almost human-like voices coming from the flock. The other flock is over on C-Hill and have been encountered while riding the Longview Trail.

Sheep in Ash Canyon

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

Muscle Powered and other members of the bicycle community attended the Carson City Regional Transportation Commission meeting on April 14th to present the Bicycle Friendly Community plan. Mark Kimbrough, Executive Director of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association and member of the State Bicycle Advisory Board, presented the BFC plan to the commission, and Ty Polastri, president of the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition, shared his insight of how South Lake Tahoe made its entry into the Bicycle Friendly community. Ty was instrumental in South Lake Tahoe receiving a Bronze award from the League of American Bicyclists, and he has been helping Carson City along on our path to becoming the first Bicycle Friendly Community in Nevada.

A sampling of attendees at the Bicycle Friendly Community Presentation

Not only would becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community lead us in the direction of having a nice and safe city to walk and bike in, Ty and Mark both conveyed how BFC status relates to bicycle tourism and economic prosperity. Not only is it a quality of life issue, it’s a public relations campaign. Your city may be a cycling Mecca, but if you don’t advertise it, who will know? An official BFC status will put Carson City on the national map, and has the potential to attract tourism and people and businesses looking to relocate. The Carson City Regional Transportation Commission voted to adopt the action plan for a Bicycle Friendly Community, and Mayor Bob Crowell had great things to share about his experience while visiting the Bicycle Friendly Community of Tempe, AZ. The next step is to move on to the Board of Supervisors and begin the long application process with the League of American Bicyclists.

CARSON CITY TRAILS PRESENTATION

Complimenting the Bicycle Friendly Community project is the Ash Canyon to Kings Canyon trail project. Mountain Biking and hiking on the west side of Carson City is growing in popularity. Not only are we seeing more locals hit the trails, people from the Carson Valley, Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Truckee are making the trip down to Carson City to experience what Carson City has to offer. As good as our trails are though, we’re going to need more miles of trail before we can attract visitors from further away.

Trails presentation at the Open Space Meeting

On April 19th, Muscle Powered’s Chas Macquarie and Jeff Potter presented the Kings Canyon to Ash Canyon trail plan to the Open Space Advisory Committee. The proposed trail will connect the top of the Creek Trail to the switch back area of Kings Canyon road, traverse the the scenic high ridges above the Kings Canyon waterfall area, and add an addition 5 miles of trail. This trail would provide connection to future trails in the Borda Meadows area, including the already existing Longview Trail. And going beyond this area, the goal is to tie into the Carson Valley trail network, the Tahoe Rim Trail, and Marlette lake Flume Trail. As you can imagine, we would then have a trail system to brag about.

Walking the proposed trail alignment in Ash Canyon

Jeff Potter had presented his trail plan to the Forest Service a couple years ago, but with little city or community backing, the plan never made it onto the Forest Service program list. This meeting with the Open Space Committee, however, was much different. Using the momentum we gained with progress in the Bicycle Friendly Community area, Chas Macquarie made a compelling presentation of our master trail plan to the committee. Backing Chas and Jeff up was a room full of trail users. Almost every seat was filled! Selling the plan to the committee was not a challenge, since many of them use these same trails themselves.

The biggest hurdle to get the project going is an environmental assessment of the proposed area. These are not cheap at around $60K-70K. The committee was not opposed to funding this though, and will put this item to vote at the next meeting. There are also grants available to reimburse these fees down the road. In the end, the Open Space Advisory Committee voted and approved the efforts of Muscle Powered to pursue this trail project. If everything falls into place, trail construction would most likely begin on the north end of the trail in Ash Canyon, since the city currently owns this property. A strong community and city government backing will bring us much more influence now when we go back to the U.S. Forest Service and ask to build trail on their portion of the land.

Carson City. Future Mountain Bike Mecca?

A big part of the reason this project is being allowed to move forward is that much of the work to construct and maintain this trail will be provided by the volunteer work of Muscle Powered, an advocacy group of citizens for a walkable and bikeable Carson City. In this economy, volunteer work is a powerful tool, since many government agencies and departments have no money left in their budgets to take on anything new. In fact, many are scaling back. It’s very uplifting to see that bicycle advocacy issues are now bringing more people to city meetings, and believe me, this participation is making a huge difference, but to have an even greater influence with city, state, and federal goverment, we need to grow the Muscle Powered membership.

Annual dues to join Muscle Powered are only $10 for student/senior, $15 for an individual, or $20 for a family. Not only does membership with Muscle Powered allow you to participate in Muscle Powered exclusive events like walks and bicycle rides, memberships and donations provide the primary source of funding for Muscle Powered projects.

Muscle Powered has a downloadable membership form on the website, http://musclepowered.org. Very soon we’ll have our Paypal service available on the website as well, so you can make easy and secure electronic payments. You will also notice you can now subscribe to the Muscle Powered newsletter using the links at the top right sidebars of BikeCarson.com and MusclePowerd.org.

Thank you for your continued support!

Bike Carson

Bicycle News, Culture, and Lifestyle in Carson City, Nevada

Tag Archives: Trails