bike trails

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A planned road reconfiguration and bike lane project on Lake Tahoe Boulevard from the Y to Viking Way (South Tahoe High School) had its first steps this week, much to the surprise of many.

Beautiful weather and a case of cabin fever from shelter in place directives have many of us yearning to get outside. Being in nature provides many wellness benefits. When we leave home to enjoy the bounty of outdoor activities, parks, and trails around us, we can honor those working on the front-line of the coronavirus pandemic by doing our part to stay healthy and keep each other safe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After three years of a major highway project through South Lake Tahoe from the Y to Trout Creek, a 2021 planned project will further address needs in South Lake Tahoe from Emerald Bay Road at the Y to Viking Road, the entrance to South Tahoe High School.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The annual Lake Tahoe Marathon is October 12-14, 2018 with 1,800 athletes headed to town for the race. Over 20 events will take place around Lake Tahoe during the three days of fun and festivities this year, the 23rd year of the Marathon. Over 2,500 family members and friends are also expected to travel to the lake to watch and enjoy the town.

We've all most likely had an experience hailing or calling for a cab, but how many have tried that doing that on Lake Tahoe? There are no stop signs or stop lights, it's worry free, no traffic, no parking madness, just you and the crystal blue water underneath your water taxi as it glides from marina to marina at a steady 10 knots.

On Monday I boarded the South Shore Water Shuttle at Lakeside Marina for a round trip to all four of its regular stops, Timber Cove Marina, Camp Richardson Resort & Marina and Round Hill Pines Beach Resort & Marina, and then back to Lakeside.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Your chariot has arrived!

The League to Save Lake Tahoe has teamed with Chariot to bring a new microtransit service to the South Shore starting on Monday, July 9. They will use the busy summer traffic-congested tourist area to test a solution for transportation issues around the lake.

There are four people running for El Dorado County Supervisor for the 5th District on June 5: Incumbent Sue Novasel and challengers Kenny Curtzwiler, Norma Santiago and Jeffrey Spencer. The 5th District covers Pollock Pines to South Lake Tahoe and Tahoma.

South Tahoe Now asked each candidate the same questions, and here are all of their answers, exactly as they were presented to us.

Sue Novasel
Occupation: El Dorado County Supervisor – District V
Past political history:
2015 – Present: County Supervisor, District V

he Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) on Wednesday recognized 15 exceptional projects completed in 2016 with Best in Basin awards.

Now in its 27th year, TRPA’s Best in Basin awards program each year showcases projects around the lake that demonstrate exceptional planning, implementation, and compatibility with Tahoe’s natural environment and communities.

The city received some good news this week. We were successfully awarded $2.9 million in federal funds to complete all of the funding for the Sierra Blvd. Streetscape project-we are now 100% funded through construction. Kudos to Stan Hill with the City for his excellent grant application. Per Jim Marino, Asst.

A new Lake Tahoe bike map has been released by the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition that details the latest trails and points of interest all around the lake with separated bike trails, on-road bike lanes and designated bicycle routes.

The paper map will be available for free at Lake Tahoe area visitor centers and bike shops or can be viewed and downloaded on line www.tahoebike.org/where-to-ride/bike-map/.

Volunteers can meet at one of three locations throughout South Tahoe to pick up litter from the areas around our bike paths. Then we’ll get together at the League to Save Lake Tahoe office for a free lunch and celebration. All ages are welcome and all supplies will be provided.

We encourage volunteers to ride their bike, which also makes you eligible to enter a free raffle for a chance to win prizes!

Learn more and sign up for a location at clean-tahoe.org/bike-path-cleanup/.

With the warm spell of late, at lake level it looks like the big snow storms never happened. However, go up above 8,000 feet and you see a much different picture. Atop Heavenly’s Dipper Chair there is an information shack that is between 8-10 feet high. Next to it is 10 foot high signage indicating where the runs are. As of today, you can’t see either of these. Over 50 feet of snow fell up there and even with the melt and the settling, there is still a ton of white stuff. I expect our streams will be flowing into August and our mountains might stay white throughout the summer.

Four years ago this month, TRPA approved the 2012 Regional Plan. The landmark plan charts a course to restore Lake Tahoe’s environment and revitalize our communities and it was forged through Herculean work by California, Nevada, local governments, the public, and dozens of other partners.

Many Tahoe Basin stakeholders once questioned if we could work together, but the Regional Plan ushered in an era of collaboration. Today, the answer is how can we work together more efficiently. By building and strengthening partnerships we have made remarkable progress. This year was no different.

South Lake Tahoe is once again on the list of "Bicycle Friendly Communities," (BFC) this time receiving the silver level.

In August, the City of South Lake Tahoe applied to become a BFC and reached out to the community to participate in a survey, the results of which are part of the judging process.

You may have noticed the bulldozer and tree removal activity adjacent to the Community Playfield on Al Tahoe Blvd this week.

Work has begun on the Community Playfields Expansion Project, one by the City of South Lake Tahoe to bring two new playfields to the area next to the current soccer field at Lake Tahoe Community College.

Another section of what is becoming the premier bikeway circling Lake Tahoe was dedicated in a ceremony behind Lakeside Inn on Wednesday. This new shared-use trail connects to Rabe Meadow with access to Nevada Beach and Round Hill Pines Resort.

"The TTD (Tahoe Transportation District) is pleased to have been part of this project," said Carl Hasty, District Manager of TTD. "Bike trails are thought of as a 'nice to do' project in many areas, but in Lake Tahoe they are important."

The City of South Lake Tahoe has released a "Flash Vote," looking for community input on ideas for both locals and tourists in the community. But, people only have two days to vote as "the flash" is over on May 13 at 1:15 p.m.

What small projects would you like the City of South Lake Tahoe add that would cost $10,000 or less? Would it be new lines on the soccer fields, or shelter around bus stops? Or, would you like to spend $10,000 on something new along the bike trails or city parks? The ballot also asks for other opinions and ideas and takes just a few minutes to complete.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency presented Lake Spirit Awards to four people who possess a strong personal commitment to preserving Lake Tahoe at today’s Governing Board meeting.

The Lake Spirit Awards honor people making real progress at restoring Lake Tahoe. Created in 2011, the awards are a way to recognize those individuals whose passion for Tahoe results in progress and environmental improvements.

Visitors to Lake Tahoe’s east shore could soon have a new bike path linking upscale Incline Village to Nevada’s Sand Harbor State Park, but the price tag might induce sticker shock: $12.5 million for the 3-mile project.

Yes, that is more than $4 million a mile in taxpayer dollars for a 10-foot-wide bike path traveling just about 16,000 feet along the picturesque mountain lake.

Not to mention another $7 million to $9 million that the Nevada Transportation Department plans to spend in state gas taxes in conjunction with the project on related environmental and safety needs.

The South Shore of Lake Tahoe is divided by lines. These state, county, and city lines work well on a map, but they do not define the day-to-day reality of the people who live and work in this community. In the last decade we have seen definitive projects reshape South Shore – Heavenly Village, Lakeview Commons, Harrison Avenue Streetscape. We have seen new bike trails and the opening of a bi-state park.

The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2015, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Wednesday.

The legislation, created alongside senators Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Harry Reid, D-Nevada and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., provides federal, state, and local partners important tools to reduce wildfire threats, improve water clarity, jumpstart innovative infrastructure projects, and combat invasive species.

Sometime in the future, one will be able to hop on a bike at Van Sickle Bi-State Park and travel on Class 1 trails to Sierra Tract, and hopefully beyond.

The concept for the trail where people would walk and bike safely off the main roads actually began in 1985. Caltrans owned land through the middle of neighborhoods where a highway was proposed, but when it was apparent that would never be built, the California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) joined Caltrans in discussions to obtain the land.

The final portion of the Class 1 bike trail network between Meyers and South Lake Tahoe was formally opened Wednesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Members of the El Dorado County project team were on hand along with current Area 5 Supervisor Sue Novasel and former Supervisor Norma Santiago. Partner agency staff were also there to celebrate the completion.

Douglas County was awarded $106,000 for the construction of a trailhead on Buckeye Road to serve the proposed Martin Slough Bike Path. The Douglas County project was one of twelve selected out of twenty two applicants to receive grants from the Nevada State Parks Recreational Trail Program. When complete, the Martin Slough Bike Path will connect Jakes Wetland in Minden to the Gilman Ponds in Gardnerville. The path will be 2.61 miles long and consist of a 10-foot wide paved section. Funding for the path is from the Nevada Department of Transportation’s Local Technical Assistance Program.