Capital to Tahoe trail grand opening July 8

A grand opening for the Capital to Tahoe trail is planned for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 8 at Spooner Lake State Park in the Tahoe Basin.

The event is the culmination of years of planning and work to build an approximately 17-mile trail from Nevada’s capital city to the Tahoe Rim Trail, which connects to the Pacific Crest Trail.

Carson City Trails Coordinator Gregg Berggren said the trail was first conceived in 1989 but really took off in 2015 after the Ash to Kings Canyon Trail in west Carson was completed.

“I would think that anybody who celebrates trails would be interested in this one,” Berggren said Monday. “This is going to be a regionally significant trail. It offers the first single-track connection from Carson City to Lake Tahoe.”

Berggren said Snow Valley Peak Road is being used as a workaround for the last two miles of the trail near where it will connect to the Tahoe Rim Trail at Laxalt Flat, just north of Marlette Lake. The city hopes to have this last leg built out this summer as snow from a big winter continues to melt.

“There is still a whole bunch of snow up top,” said Berggren.

He said for the July 8 event, experienced mountain bikers could make the 25-mile trek from Spooner Lake to the new trail down to Carson City, but he said the goal is to have fun at Spooner. Darren Senn will be performing live music, and Carson-based Shoe Tree Brewery Co. will be unveiling a new Cap to Tahoe Pale Ale.

Berggren said the trail represents years-long partnerships that made the work possible, between Carson City, the nonprofit Muscle Powered, the U.S. Forest Service, Visit Carson City and Nevada State Parks.

“A lot of work,” he emphasized. “And there are a lot of partners.”

For information, follow Muscle Powered’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MusclePowered.