Audrey Payne from Boulder, Colo., and Julianne Mahoney from Durango, Colo., were announced as the winners of the Carson City to Canada Quest contest, which was put on by Visit Carson City. Starting in June, they plan to hike the 1,600-mile journey from our state’s capital city to the Canadian border, via the Pacific Crest Trail.
What wasn’t mentioned in the news coverage, however, was the impressive Unified Pathways Master Plan (UPMP) that set the framework for the Capital to Tahoe trail, the 9.8 mile, single-track, multi-use trail that opened in 2023 that will connect the hikers from Carson City to the Pacific Crest Trail.
The UPMP outlines desired pathways within the city—everything from hiking trails to street crossings and river corridors. Its goal is to define access to Carson City’s schools, parks, neighborhoods, commercial areas and open space without the use of motor vehicles. Without a regional trails plan, trails could face major delays, a lack of funding or setbacks—or they could be blocked completely. The Capital to Tahoe trail, for example, took eight years to complete, even with the backing of the UPMP.
“The advantage of having the plan is so that there is a clear path forward,” said Gregg Berggren, trails coordinator for Carson City Parks, Recreation, and Open Space. “So when we go to talk to other agencies like the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management or state parks, and we propose a trail that may cross those public lands, we can show that our Board of Supervisors has approved this.”
In Reno/Sparks, public space is managed by the two cities, a county, two federal agencies and a handful of private owners. Also, partner groups like Biggest Little Trail Stewardship (BLTS), Tahoe-Pyramid Trail and the Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation help plan, build and maintain trails.
One group, the Truckee Meadows Trails Initiative (TMT), brings together each of these agencies and partners for greater cohesion, cooperation and communication.
“Everybody was an island, so to speak, working on their own things,” said TMT trails program manager Jay Howard.
Said Berggren: “When the community came out to tell us what they wanted, trails and connectivity were among the most important things.” Both the UPMP and TMT aim to build new trails within their respective communities, and create trails linking adjacent ones.
Howard spoke to the importance of connecting the trails on Peavine Mountain with the North Valleys and Sun Valley. “We can make a loop all the way around the region of trail connectivity,” he said. “It’s very, very doable.”
He said that TMT partners also envision connecting with trail networks within Carson City and Sierra Buttes in Sierra County, Calif.
These plans are important as advocates fight for access to public lands as our communities expand. Howard explained that he is pushing to get the TMT presented to city, county and state planning commissions.
“We would like to be a part of these new developments that come along, and have an opportunity to comment on these applications so that we can make sure trails are always incorporated properly into these proposed developments,” he said.
The UPMP and TMT have accomplished great things in our communities. Since the UPMP’s adoption in 2006, many notable trails and projects in Carson City have been completed, including the Prison Hill Trail East, the forthcoming Prison Hill Trail West (with a grand opening on June 14) and Buzzy’s Ranch Trail along the Carson River. Berggren looks forward to the Centennial Trails Project, a series of 22 miles of trails outlined in the UPMP that will connect northern Carson City to Washoe Lake State Park, with the potential to reach Virginia City.
We can thank the TMT plan for the Sierra Front Trail, which currently connects Ballardini Ranch to Thomas Creek, with plans to connect from the Truckee River through to Galena—“and maybe even someday down all the way down to Mammoth,” Berggren said.
Howard is excited about two future projects the TMT plan outlines—the Virginia Range Regional Trail Corridor plan, connecting the Hidden Valley trail system to Geiger Grade, and the Los Altos Loops, which outlines an upper and lower loop system in the Los Altos Parkway area that will connect to adjacent open space.
Both of those are outlined under the TMT plan, which was formally adopted by the city of Reno in October 2024, but is still awaiting adoption by the city of Sparks and Washoe County, Howard said. Adoption by all would add more legitimacy to the plan, which would help when planners speak with developers and apply for grants, he said.
Neither the Capital to Tahoe Trail nor a number of other valuable regional trails could be possible without regional trail plans. Perhaps the most exciting part is that trails and pathways outlined on both the UPMP and TMT were created in huge part by public involvement. These plans take into consideration our desires and needs in how to shape our future in this region.
“Anybody can go to these meetings at the planning commission level or the city council level or the county commission level and make a public comment,” Howard said.
You can also show your support through donations to the TMT through the Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation, or to the regional partners who help plan, build and manage trails such as Muscle Powered—a Carson City group that advocates for pedestrian-friendly, bike-friendly streets and trails—the Biggest Little Trail Stewardship or the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.