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.”
“Verdi Ridge is a long running ridge, about 20 miles long,” he continued. “So you get a lot of different, amazing views of Boca Stampede, Castle Peak, Mount Rose Wilderness — it’s amazing.”
SBTS has been working in conjunction with the Truckee Dirt Riders, Patagonia Reno, and local contractors, including Johnson Trails and Momentum Trail Concepts, on the ongoing builds. To date, they’ve finished over seven miles on Boca Ridge and six miles on Verdi Ridge.
But there’s a problem…
During the builds, the crews have encountered extremely rocky and challenging terrain, especially a half-mile section north of Verdi Peak. There’s “this cross slope, super steep, and it’s got […] a quarter mile of house-sized boulders that are […] embedded into the ground,” said Gensheimer. “So it’s gonna require extensive blasting and rock work. So that’s a section that it’s gonna be expensive to build.”
While the SBTS normally budgets about $5 per foot for trail construction, this section of trail will cost as much as $45 per foot to complete. Due to the increased construction cost, the SBTS estimates that they have a $125,000 funding gap that they need to close. The funding challenges are compounded by “this year’s federal budget and staffing cuts, which have left SBTS as the only crew maintaining some 300 miles of trails across four counties and nine ranger districts, along with working on new builds in several locations across the Lost Sierra,” according to the SBTS.
That’s where you come in.
The SBTS has launched their annual “5 Bucks a Foot” trail building fundraiser/raffle, with a brand-new, custom Santa Cruz Hightower build as the reward. Click here for more information on the fundraiser and to donate to help these trails get built. But act fast: the raffle closes on August 12th!
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