Fallen Leaf trail and improvement plan continues to stir concerns

Questions continue regarding a U.S. Forest Service plan to make trail and other improvements in the Fallen Leaf Lake area. With a comment deadline now past, the project entails improvements to 12,960 acres and includes nearly 42 miles of existing trail from Pope to Baldwin beaches on the north end to the south and west ends of Fallen Leaf Lake.
Some residents question the idea of improvements, saying what is being proposed raises more questions than answers. Among the concerns, South Shore resident Brenda Wyneken questions why an emergency access road is planned instead of making improvements to the existing Fallen Leaf Lake Road, why there are plans to build more parking spaces, and the prospect of closing 14 miles of decommissioned trails.
“Why are more parking lots needed when we have existing parking lots at Pope, Baldwin and Kiva beaches as well as the Tallac Estates, which could be opened during the winter and set up as additional snow parking areas?” asks Wyneken.

According to Jacob Quinn, trails coordinator for the U.S. Forest Service, additional parking will be needed because Caltrans has environmental improvement plans in the works that would eliminate up to 450 parking spaces and roadside parking along Highway 89, from Spring Creek into the city limits.
“Clearly there will be a need to offset the parking and that is what we are looking at,” he said.
Wyneken said the Cathedral Snow Park area and the empty Mikasa parking lot at the “Y” can be used more fully for summer parking. She also said the Forest Service should reconsider paving over the historic Pope Estate Polo grounds, closing off parking at Valhalla and issuing special use permits if parking is going to be a problem in the future.
Jacob said the Forest Service is taking into consideration the cultural concerns of the area and will minimize the impact of the parking lots. Regarding the polo fields, both the Tahoe Tallac Association and the Tahoe Heritage group are not opposed to the parking measures being proposed, he said.
Regarding building an emergency access area instead of making improvements to the existing road, Quinn said the Forest Service’s hands are tied because Fallen Leaf Lake Road is a county maintained road. An emergency access “sprout” – or 40-foot cutout – is needed because the road only allows for one-way traffic in and out. In the event of a fire, as it stands now, there would be access problems. The proposed “sprout” would be accessed through a gate and allow for smoother emergency entrance and access, he said.
Wyneken also questions the motivation behind trail improvements in the area. “How can closing 14-plus miles of some of the most popular trails lead to fewer user conflicts between hikers, bikers and horses,” she asks.
Trails in the project area would be improved to provide more consistent and effective route destinations, while reducing congestion and conflict among users, according to the Forest Service. Many trails would receive BMP upgrades in order to meet current Forest Service standards, while others are proposed to be decommissioned including the Taylor Creek Trail. The existing bridge over Fallen Leaf Lake dam would be removed and replaced with an accessible bridge designed to accommodate bicycle and equestrian use.
The Forest Service proposes to expand and improve public parking and access, and install Best Management Practices (BMPs) at existing and proposed parking areas. The access road to Glen Alpine Trailhead would be upgraded and an emergency access road would be constructed at the northeast corner of Fallen Leaf Campground.
“The goal is not to eliminate public access but to provide sustainable access in an interconnected trail system,” Quinn said. “We are proposing new trails in areas that would be decommissioned.”
Part-time resident Sara Connolly urges the Forest Service to leave the Taylor Creek trail as it is.
“It is a very unique part of Fallen Leaf Lake and after so many years of enjoyment it would be a shame to decommission this trail,” she wrote in a letter to Quinn. Horses haven’t been part of this particular trail for good reason, she said, because the road is too narrow and horses erode trails.
“I am not against the 80-year-old Camp Richardson corral and horses, but they have many, many other trails to use as they have in the past,” she wrote.
Once comments are gathered and changes recommended or the plan amended, a summary will be released and then put out for comment again with a decision slated for this fall. The hope is to put the project into motion by early summer 2013, with a finished timeline of fall 2016.
For more information on the proposal, contact Jacob Quinn at (530) 543-2609 or email jmquinn@fs.fed.us.