Building Trails on Rattlesnake

Bill Haire of the Nevada County Land Trust writes:

"Do you want to get out and do some trail work Saturday morning (12/2)?

I will be helping the Rattlesnake Road residents with some trail construction this Saturday, and they can use some help. The trails they are constructing are in some of the open space in a subdivision off Rattlesnake Road, public trail easements were made a part of the subdivision process, so now some work is required to make the trails a reality.

If you are interested in helping, just show up at 9:00 a.m., Saturday morning at 14676 Highland Drive (Highland loops around with both ends connecting to Rattlesnake Rd.)

I will bring the Land Trust tools, so just show up to work 2-3 hours."

Listening for More Trails

According to the USFS: "The Forest Service and IMBA California are co-hosting a series of public listening sessions to help shape new riding opportunities in the state's 18 National Forests. These sessions, held throughout the state, will result in improved mountain biking in California National Forests, including the possibility for new trails and better management."

Go IMBA! What a great project. These meetings are very important and represent a great opportunity to improve mountain biking opportunities on USFS land in places such as Downieville, Tahoe and elsewhere. Please consider attending.

Learn about meeting times and locations for sessions you can attend.

Ghost Train Project Needs You

The Forest Service could use your help as they re-work the switch backs on the newest section of the Ghost Train Trail. This project is specifically intended to make this climb more ridable for mountain bikers, so it would be great if you could volunteer. We need to show the USFS and others that we stand behind their efforts to improve riding conditions for mountain bikers.

Meet at the Chalk Bluff staging area @ 9AM on this Sunday, 11/26. Bring plenty of water, gloves and long pants.

Ghost Train Redux

Kudos to the Tahoe National Forest and the Nevada County Woods Riders who put in a hard day of work improving the Ghost Train (Excelsior) trail near Burlington Ridge on Saturday. According to Joe Chavez of the USFS, they achieved the following:

• Created rolling dips along the entire switchback section for long-term drainage.
• Debermed portions of the switchback hill section, for drainage.
• Rerouted a 150' overly steep section.
• Enlarged and flattened (a little) 2 of the 19 switchbacks.

If the area is not under snow this Sunday, volunteers plan to work out there again. Want to help out? Show up at the Chalk Bluff staging area at 9:00 AM. We need some mountain bikers to show up and contribute!

Hallelujah Trail Extension Complete

Thanks to GCTC, BONC and the USFS, the Hallelujah Trail extension project is complete. Yes, this means you can ride or walk this non-motorized singletrack trail as of now!

The trail now extends from its current west terminus all the way to Skillman Campground (see image of older map).

Many thanks to the dedicated souls who ignored the impulse to ride on Saturday (a gorgeous day) and put in significant effort to get this done.