New Trails Pop'n Up at Sawtooth
Notable trail improvements in the Sawtooth Recreation Area are worth exploring.
Have you been to the Sawtooth Recreation area lately? The forest has been manicured by a deforestation effort and a few new trails of all shapes and sizes have recently been added to the area. USFS and Truckee Trails Foundation have been busy recently making this area a go-to outdoor playground. There are four new trails in place in addition to the original Sawtooth and Big Chief Trail making this area more accessible to a variety of outdoor activities including OHV, ADA, pedestrian, and biking access.
The beloved Happy Face trail has taken a turn for the good. This trail now has dedicated directions for upward travel and downward smiles. The complete five mile loop tops out on Bald Mountain and descends down through the forest in a friendly roller coaster of twists and turns that are sure to make you smile.
John’s Revenge, named after John Groom, a long-time US Forest Service employee who worked on this project, is a trail section that interacts with the Happy Face trail and the middle of Sawtooth’s lolly-pop-stem. This is a half mile jump trail with over 30 features including berms, table tops, hip jumps and the one section we call the flying “V” sending riders through two leaning trees. This half mile will get you fired up to climb back up for another downhill lap.
Another new singletrack you will find out there is one that parallels the 0-6 fire road, currently referred to as the Parallel trail. With increased vehicle traffic on the 0-6 fireroad, this route was created as an alternative to riding on the road and was designed with motorbikes in-mind but it is open to all user groups and even makes for a nice running return lap. There are plans to grow this trail in the coming years to continue further up.
Starting back at the parking lot and looping through the woods is a 36” wide path that is composed of a natural based material that will harden like concrete. The loop is a 1.3 mile pedestrian trail. The grade is less than 5% to favor users with strollers, wheelchairs, or for a mellow walk or run. This is a beautiful trail with a high point looking out over the HWY 89 Mouse Hole to Castle Peak.
The plan is to put the final touches on all of these trails by the time the snow falls. Leslie Loveland of Truckee Trails Foundation says, “It’s a goal, we’ll get it done.”
Thank you to all of our community trail builders, volunteers, and users for helping to make our trails better.
