North Tahoe Recreation Access Plan

• Trailhead Alternatives Overview Map
• Trailhead Alternatives State Route 89 Corridor
• Trailhead Alternatives North Shore Lake Tahoe/State Route 267 Corridor
• Trailhead Alternatives West Shore Lake Tahoe/Alpine Meadows

Related Links

• Placer County seeking public input for North Tahoe Recreation Access Plan

Public Drafts of the Placer County Parks & Trails Master Plan

• Volume 1
• Volume 2

USFS - Basin Wide Trails Analysis Project

The North Lake Tahoe and Truckee region is a world class, year-round recreation destination. Its many recreational uses include snowmobiling, skiing, snowshoeing, snow biking, and sledding in the winter; and off-road vehicles, mountain biking, equestrian, trail running, and hiking in the summer. Eastern Placer County is seeing the growth of permanent and part-time residents as well as year-round tourism. The growth has increased demand for recreational access to public lands substantially. Access points and trailhead locations are increasingly overcrowded beyond capacity causing parking conflicts, maintenance issues and traffic related safety concerns. 

In response to overcrowding, maintenance, public safety and the desire to improve the recreational experience for all user groups, the County successfully applied for and obtained a California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Grant to help fund the development of the North Lake Tahoe Recreation Access Plan (Plan). The OHV grants program funds the improvement and conservation of recreational trails, trailheads, and related facilities. Additional funding is also provided by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) water quality mitigation funds. 

As recreational activities increase, the need to manage and improve access points to public lands becomes more important. The plan will provide local public agencies with a valuable resource for planning, maintaining, and developing existing and future year-round public recreational access areas for a wide range of user groups in the North Lake Tahoe and Truckee regions. It is intended to help balance user needs, interests, and demands while meeting the community’s goals and values; and promoting sustainable benefits to the environment and the local economy. 

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

• Identify existing and new recreation access points for enhancement and development 
• Perform background research on infrastructure and maintenance activities at existing access points 
• Perform background research on existing and future proposed recreational plans and programs   
• Collect user data via manual counts, surveys, and other data sources
• Identify stakeholders and provide opportunities for them to review and comment on the Plan 
• Provide opportunities for the public to review and comment on the Plan
• Identify existing conflicts between user groups and property owners  
• Identify funding strategies for current and long-range recreation access planning and maintenance 
• Develop an electronic database to organize and store information on access locations, user demand levels, and improvement opportunities and constraints 
• Develop a community-based strategic plan for improved recreational access to public lands