Truckee River Canyon stands in way of 116-mile bike trail

RENO -- Organizers working to build a 116-mile bike trail linking Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake in Northern Nevada are facing their biggest hurdle yet, the Truckee River Canyon.

The route would follow the river and Interstate 80 west of Reno up a steep canyon to Hirschdale near Truckee, Calif.

Janet Phillips, who founded the volunteer group working on the project, said the mountain stretch is the largest missing link to completing the project.

The Truckee River Canyon requires routing the trail through sections of two states, along a federal highway and on utility land.

Phillips estimated the 10 miles of trail will cost $6.2 million. Seven miles is on the old roadbed of the Lincoln Highway, and three miles of new construction will be needed, she said.

"There's a huge transportation history in that canyon, and we are going to bring some of it back to life," Phillips told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

After two years of planning, a big obstacle was cleared Dec. 10 when the Truckee-Donner Recreation and Park District Board approved an environmental study for the project that was required by California.

Phillips said with that study completed, serious fundraising can begin. She already has applied for two grants.

The California Department of Transportation, the biggest landowner involved, also has to endorse the environmental study. Phillips said Caltrans officials have been cooperative thus far because they want to get bikes off of I-80.

The Washoe County parks department has allocated $125,000 for the canyon bikeway bistate plan from a $10 million share for the Truckee River provided by the Nevada 2002 outdoors bond issue. About $25,000 already has been spent. Funding also is being sought from sources in California, Phillips said.

Two pedestrian bridges will need to be built over I-80, accounting for the most expensive aspect of the project, Phillips said.