Archive for the ‘mountain biking’ Tag
The community of Tahoe Donner is located on over 7000 acres of land, with 6500 homes and 25,000 members. It has a downhill and cross-country ski area, golf course, several restaurants, fitness center, swimming pool, tennis courts, sledding hill, and thousands of acres of open space for hiking and mountain biking, including a connection to the Donner Lake Rim Trail. How did this immense development, one of the largest in the country, come to be just a few miles outside of little old Truckee, California? It all started with Jack Kirby.
In his 2006 book, “Jack Kirby: Autobiography of a California entrepreneur,” Kirby talks about selling newspapers as a kid before becoming a pilot for the Navy during World War II. After the war he became a football star for USC before going on to play in the National Football League. After his career in the NFL, Kirby purchased 4000 acres of land north of Truckee in 1968.
Although the land which would become Tahoe Donner had recently been the victim of a major forest fire, Kirby was impressed by it’s potential for development. He thought it was rare to find this large a parcel of land in the middle of the beauty of the Sierra that had gentle enough contours to create a development. Kirby also purchased a five acre parcel on the shore of Donner Lake, which could be used to provide access to the lake for Tahoe Donner homeowners. He hired a ski development expert to determine if a ski area could be built on the burned out slopes of the current ski hill, and by 1971 people began buying Tahoe Donner lots for $8000. Kirby said, “I figured if I could develop a resort that was completely different-that offered something to homebuyers, second homeowners and retired people-it would be saleable.”
Looking towards Tahoe Donner ski hill
After developing Tahoe Donner, Kirby went on to develop the Alta Sierra community near Grass Valley, before turning his entrepreneurial mind to the manufacture of golf clubs. In 2006, he told the Sierra Sun about Tahoe Donner that he was “very proud of what we’ve done here. I think it’s turned out to be a great community development.”
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Emerald Bay with Mt Tallac in the distance.
Like it or not, the snow appears to be melting, which means that you will soon be seeing freshly popped snowflowers along the hiking trails, and our beloved Truckee area mountain biking trails will be dry. The deep layers of winter sand will soon be removed from our favorite road biking routes and the temperatures will warm up enough to make kayaking on the lake seem like an attractive alternative. Of course it is spring, which also means it might snow like crazy and puts the kibosh on all that good stuff. Anything can happen in April and May, and probably will. Next week could bring daffodils or a fresh dumping of snow.
So just for fun, let’s assume this warm, snow melting weather continues. What do we do?
Kayak/Paddleboard-On a calm, sunny day in the spring you really can have the lake to yourself. At Donner Lake you can put in just about anywhere along Donner Pass Road. At Tahoe, the Common’s Beach in Tahoe City, or Hurricane Bay on the West Shore are easily accessible put ins. But don’t forget, that water is cold in April, so stay out of it.
Springtime Hikes-The first trails to emerge from the snow are south facing, lower elevation trails. The trail to the Vikingsholm and along the south facing side of Emerald Bay is one of the best, and the time to hike it is now, before the summer crowds arrive. Another good springtime hiking choice is the low-lying Tahoe Rim Trail heading north from Fairway Drive out of Tahoe City.
Truckee Trails-One of the first mountain biking (or hiking) trails to melt out is the Emigrant Trail between Prosser and Stampede Reservoirs. This is always a great ride, but especially in the spring when it is the only real game in town. It can get a bit busy on the weekends, so try to find time to get there mid-week if you can.
Sierra Valley-Now is the time to head to Sierraville with your road bike to ride the circuit around the Sierra Valley. A variety of routes in the 20-50 mile range are available on lightly used roads which travel over mostly level terrain. In the spring the valley is wet which means lots of wildflowers and an incredible variety of birds.
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
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