At Ride Carson City, we enjoy volunteering and believe that "it takes a village" to make good things happen - and to keep them going. We appreciate the many wonderful people in this community and region who volunteer to help make the trails around Carson City world-class!
With that said, a few months back, Carson Valley Trails Association (CVTA) posted a need for volunteer "Trail Guardians." The basic idea is to visit a designated trailhead/trail as often as possible and help CVTA look for things that might need attention before they become a bigger problem. If you find a minor issue, you can also handle it yourself. Below is a link to a handout I received after Jeremy and I decided which trails Ride Carson City would be responsible for. Ride CC took on Jacks Valley Loop and the lower section of Clear Creek Trail (Jacks Valley Road Trailhead to James Lee Park Trailhead).
The primary things to look for as a trail guardian are
-Fallen trees
-Dangerous rocks/branches/excessive pine cones on trail
-Vegetation/branches/brush impacting the trail
-Water/drainage issues
-Trash
-Sign damage or removal
-Check that Trailhead information kiosks are in good shape
-Look for shortcutting of trails
-Illegal campfires
-Checking the safety of any bridges/structures on the trail
- Check creek crossings for any issues,
-Graffiti.
Today, I went and did my rounds. I parked at Jacks Valley School and did the route clockwise. The dirt was primo, and the trail was in good shape. Some minor water is on the trail in the shaded north-facing sections above James Lee Park. It was doable as long as a rider stays on the trail and does not widen it.
I did find some minor fence damage at the main Clear Creek parking lot on the north side of Jacks Valley Road. On the westernmost end of the parking area, someone has been going under the wire fence and caused fence damage. Installing an additional t-stake and some fence work should fix the problem.
Anyway, I wanted people to be aware of all the different aspects of maintaining trails and consider volunteering to help our local trail organizations.
It takes a village!
Dan T.
***ps- we are at 390 Carson City Bike Park Surveys. I have another sweet Ride Carson City hat to give away when we hit 400!
#LetsBuildABikePark #CarsonCityBikePark #RideCarsonCity #CarsonValleyTrailsAssociation #MusclePowered #ItTakesAVillage
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