Second phase of the Carson River Trail moves ahead

An idea proposed two decades ago will come to fruition next year with construction of the second phase of the Carson River Trail.

The 3-mile trail when built will start at the 5th Street trailhead parking lot and parallel Carson River Road to Silver Saddle Ranch where it will lead to a ranch road and existing trails and start up again alongside the river running north to connect with trails in Riverview Park.

“What I find really exciting about this project is part of the trail goes through the desert, the sagebrush steppe, then through Silver Saddle Ranch, and a third segment goes through the wetland environment in the Carson River,” said Gregg Berggren, trails coordinator.

On Monday, Parks, Recreation and Open Space held a well-attended open house to display the plans and answer questions. Berggren said comments were mostly positive with a few concerns from homeowners on Carson River Road. Previous public comment resulted in tweaks to the design, including moving the trail farther west of the river to avoid private property.

Early next year a request for proposal will be issued to build the 10-12 foot wide multiuse path suitable for hikers, runners, bicyclists and equestrians.

The trail was made possible by the acquisition of several pieces of property: the land transfer of property on the east side of Prison Hill from the Bureau of Land Management in 2001, which prevented residential development there; the purchase of 369 acres known as Old Buzzy’s Ranch in 2010; and the conveyance of the Prison Hill Recreation Area and Silver Saddle Ranch from the BLM in 2015. It is funded by a $1.8 million Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act grant.

“It is the culmination of a vision started 20 years ago with the Carson River master plan,” said Berggren. “A lot of people from the community and city departments have worked to create this vision and bring it where it is.”