Carson Valley Trails Association

Connecting people to the outdoors through a system of trails

68 miles of trails and counting. 6 unique trail systems. Year-round access to outdoor recreation.

(Click on a trail marker for more information about that trail)  

What to expect through the four seasons.
Help us build, maintain, raise funds, etc.

Support Our Trails

As a non-profit group run by volunteers, we rely on your generosity. 100% of your donation goes toward our valley’s trails.

Join our group of benefactors by becoming a CVTA Member.

Continue your membership to provide us with ongoing support.

Make a one-time financial contribution.
Honor someone by making a donation in their name.

News and Events

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May 2023

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Our community lost a wonderful friend, mentor and advocate for all things outdoors and more with the sudden passing of Carlo Luri this past December.  He was an active member on the Carson Valley Trails Association board of directors for many years, in addition to participation in many other local activities.  Please join the community in honoring Carlo and his family at the following event. 

Let’s celebrate Carlo’s love for biking and hiking, and his involvement in community groups. We would love for you to join in on a bike / hike on the Clear Creek trails on Saturday June 17.

Please gather around 8am at the Jacks Valley Elementary School trailhead. We’ll have informal groups heading in all directions from there.

Our intention is to have pictures of Carlo for everyone to pin to their shirt or backpack, so we’ll all feel like we have him along, and know who else is there for him. If possible, bring some baking to share after the hike / bike.

Please come and enjoy!

The James Lee Loops trail project was recently approved by the USFS in February. At roughly 3.7 miles in length, these loops will provide several flat loop opportunities in the vicinity of Jacks Valley Elementary School and James Lee Park. Hikers, dog walkers, bikers and equestrians will be able to choose variable trail loops as short as 1.5 miles, or longer loops of 3 or more miles. When used in combination with the Jacks Valley Loop and Clear Creek Trail, over 10 miles can be traversed with almost no overlap in this area of Jacks Valley. Trail work will begin as the snow retreats this spring. If you would like to help with this project and ongoing maintenance on all of our trails in Carson Valley, contact us at Contact CVTA – Carson Valley Trails Association

For other trails in Nevada, see the Nevada Trail Finder.

A MESSAGE FROM CVTA PRESIDENT NEAL FALK
FEBRUARY 10, 2022
 

 
The photo above was one of the first I had taken early one morning along the River Fork Ranch Trail shortly following our move to the valley from South Florida. Although I have returned to that exact spot countless times, I have not been able to recapture that image. It’s a vivid example of why taking a moment to get out and explore our Carson Valley trails is so special to me. 
 
This year is my second as Carson Valley Trails Association (CVTA) President. Volunteering my time and service has been and continues to be a pleasure. CVTA’s mission is Connecting People to the Outdoors Through a System of Trails. We’re proud to say that our trails now total more than 54 miles. Is our mission fulfilled? We think not. Just as our community in the Carson Valley is expanding, so must we.
 
CVTA has begun an expansion project for the Clear Creek trail system. The effort is spearheaded by our VP of Trails Operations Jeremy Vlcan and our amazing team of volunteers. When complete, their efforts will yield an additional eight (8) miles of scenic, sustainable, and fun to walk/ride trail! This trail system, like most other CVTA trails, is built and maintained on public lands managed by governmental agencies such as the United States Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. For the Clear Creek Trail expansion, it has taken 8 years to achieve final government approval.
 
If our Carson Valley community desires more open spaces, more access to public land, and more trails for hiking, biking and equestrian riding, then our organization must continue to grow. This requires us to expand upon our CVTA donor, membership and volunteer base as well as collaboration with other like-minded organizations and businesses. If we merely maintain the status quo while the community around us grows, our voice may not necessarily be representative for the community, and we run the risk of perhaps being misconstrued as just a very nice club.
 
This past year, I have spent substantial time collaborating with many of our not-for-profit community peers. Jan Vandermade, Executive Director of the Carson Valley Visitors Authority; Jen Nalder, Executive Director of Main Street Gardnerville; Morgan Steel, Executive Director of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA); Lynda McDowell, the very first Executive Director of TRTA; and Duane Petite, former Project Director of The Nature Conservancy have all volunteered countless hours of their time while sharing ideas, past experiences and guidance. Similarly, several of our CVTA board members regularly attend other organizations’ meetings and activities such as the Eastern Sierra Trails Coalition with the purpose of fostering collaboration and advancing CVTA’s mission.
 
Our CVTA board recently formed an Emeritus Program to honor and celebrate exceptional past board members for their high achievements and years of service. I am pleased to announce that Mary Bennington, Lorilyn Chitwood, and Barbara Slade are our first inductees into the program. Each of them played a critical role in the development of CVTA’s earlier trails. I look forward to meeting with them and discussing CVTA’s future.
 
CVTA has taken large strides this past year to lay the foundation for future growth. I thank you all for your continuing support!  

“There must be places for human beings to satisfy their souls – food and drink is not all.”
– John Muir

CVTA is on Facebook

Be sure to click “like” if you want to stay up-to-date on project developments, trail building opportunities, hiking events, and many other exciting happenings with the CVTA!

Did you know our volunteers do a ton of outreach at our local schools? We had a great time teaching the students at Carson Valley Middle School all about our trails last week! See MoreSee Less
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Come visit our booth at the Bike Fest to learn about membership and our bike friendly trails. Bring your family and your bicycles! See MoreSee Less
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We love seeing the community getting out there with their four-legged friends this time of year! Our trails have varying dog policies to ensure the safety and protection of all users and the environment. On our Fay Luther trails dogs are allowed everywhere but must be leashed year-round on the first 1.5 miles from the Jobs Peak Ranch Trailhead because this portion of trail is within a Douglas County trail easement on private property. Dogs must also be leashed November 15 through March 30 everywhere else to reduce stress on deer during the winter season…so that means leash free is OK now, yay!There is a high volume of trail users with dogs on this trail system.And remember to always have verbal control of your favorite pup whenever he or she is enjoying off-leash time! We look forward to seeing you on the trails! See MoreSee Less
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A very, um vivid, reminder to PLEASE scoop your poop on all of our trails! Did you know that we actually have a dog poop task force that goes out on the trails solely to pick up poop left by trail users?! We do!And we really don’t want them to have to do that!Please help us keep our trails clean and enjoyable for all users by scooping your poop! See MoreSee Less
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All of our trails are multi-use, shared by hikers, equestrians and bikers. Do you know how to safely approach and interact with our equestrian neighbors? Check out this great infographic to learn how.The warm weather is an invitation for EVERYONE to get outside and enjoy our gorgeous valley! See MoreSee Less
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Wildflowers and ideal conditions on Pinyon Trail today! Go explore and enjoy! If you haven’t visited the trail before, there is little shade so you may want to hike or ride in the morning or evening. Don’t forget a hat, lots of water, sunglasses and sunscreen. See MoreSee Less
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We all love hiking with our beloved family dogs. But in some areas we ask that dogs stay on leash for specific time periods to protect all users. Right now Carson is holding it’s annual fuel reduction program with grazing sheep, and they request that dogs remain on leash while the sheep (and their own protective dogs) are around the grazing areas: See MoreSee Less
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