The Truckee Trails Foundation and U.S. Forest Service, Truckee Ranger District teamed up to create new trail options in the Sawtooth Ridge area over the summer, according to the foundation’s website.
The nonprofit overhauled the existing Happy Face trail up Bald Mountain, building a new 4-mile loop taking a more sustainable approach to the top of Bald Mountain, where users are rewarded with views of Martis Valley.
Its trail crew also built a 0.6-mile, downhill (one direction), flowy jump trail that is open to intermediate and advanced mountain bikers. Officially named Wood Splitter Jump Trail, this new offering is loaded with features including berms, table top jumps, hip jumps, tree gaps and rock drops. This trail is also open to Class 1 e-bikes.
As well, the new 1.4-mile accessible trail reported in the previous edition of Tahoe Weekly has been named the Ridgeline Nature Loop. This trail was designed for wheelchair, stroller and strider bike use.
Work will also start this season, if weather permits, on an additional 1-mile trail that will parallel the 06 road to the west from the lower Sawtooth Trailhead to the middle Sawtooth Trailhead. This new non-motorized path to be named Gentle Jeffrey will offer pedestrians a new option that allows them to avoid the dust of vehicle traffic on the 06. In 2020, trail crews built the motorized Timber Cruise trail on the opposite side of the road.
Additional work in this area is slated for 2022, including a potential mountain bike skills loop for beginners and enhanced connections to local neighborhoods. | truckeetrails.org
