History
The Kingsbury to Keller (K to K) trail is getting a serious upgrade! The Tahoe Rim Trail Association is leading the charge to reroute and improve the existing connection between Keller Road and Kingsbury Grade, and TAMBA is helping out. The TRTA rerouted the upper section of the trail near Keller Road when they built Van Sickle Bi-State Park trail system, and now it’s time to reroute the lower section.
The Lower Kingsbury to Keller Trail is an unofficial trail that links Van Sickle Bi-State Park to Lower Kingsbury residential neighborhoods, traveling through Nevada State Parks land, U.S. Forest Service land, and private property. The existing connection is not maintained and does not meet recognized trail standards, with pitches exceeding 18% for extended distances. Steep grades increase the chance for erosion and sediment production and reduce water quality in nearby streams.
Project
The upgraded trail design will mitigate erosion, reduce the impact at stream crossings, and enhance trail-user safety. The construction will take place in phases, and new sections of the trail will be open when they are completed. This trail will take approximately two to three years to complete, but we’re pleased to share that the first phase is already complete.
In the summer of 2020, TAMBA worked with the TRTA on the south side of the trail in Nevada State Parks, creating an alternate route from the K to K – Van Sickle Trail junction to the Lower Van Sickle Trail where it intersects the administrative road. This route is designed to disperse trail users and limit conflict on the popular Van Sickle Trail and opened on September 1st, 2020. For more information about this connection, check out our blog post. Tahoe Rim Trail volunteers, with the help of TAMBA, worked hard to finish the remaining section of the trail this fall, connecting the new trail to the existing K to K trail on Nevada State Parks land in Van Sickle State Park. The amount of new trail added to the State Park trail system is about 3/4 of a mile. This section of trail bypasses the steep, sandy, eroded trail, making the ride much more enjoyable!
The construction included about 1/3 of a mile of rock wall built to stabilize the trail, with 24 linear feet of immovable rock cut, 52 linear feet of rock armored tread, and the addition of a bridge at the creek crossing.
Our work is finished for now, but we’ll need your help in the future! Work on the north end of the trail will be complete in upcoming years.
