Kings Canyon to Ash Canyon Trail Update
My son and I joined the Muscle Powered Trail Crew over the weekend to work on the Kings Canyon to Ash Canyon Trail. The Bike Smith hosted this particular work day, and many of the guys from the shop were there to lend a hand. We arrived at the Kings Canyon trailhead at 9:00 AM where we received a safety talk, a hard hat, and trail tools to carry up to the work site. We worked about a mile up from the trailhead, so along our walk we got to see a lot of the completed trail work and were treated to fantastic views of the city below. Most of the trail has been cut at this point, so our teams concentrated on the finish work. Some sections had to be widened. Brush and stumps had to be cut back. There was rock work to be done to build nice wide switchbacks. Here’s a look at the trail and some of the work we did:
Arriving at the work site
A nice wooded section
A section still under construction near a waterfall
Removing small stumps and roots bordering the trail
Checking on trail progress below
Cutting back the brush
Constructing a switchback
A section of completed trail
Crossing the steep hillside
Moving lots of dirt
Heading back to the trailhead
The crew worked until about 4:00 PM. We were pretty tired and covered in dirt. We also endured some smokey conditions at times from the fires in CA. We returned home with an appreciation for all the hard work of the trail builders, and anticipation that someday we’ll get to come back and ride our bikes on this amazing trail!
A cooperative effort with Muscle Powered volunteers, Carson City, and the U.S. Forest Service, the Kings Canyon to Ash Canyon Trail will be a non-motorized multi-use mountain bike trail. Trail grade is kept at a pitch to allow riders to climb comfortably in a low gear, and descend at a controlled pace that doesn’t require the rider to be on the brakes all the time. Switchbacks, water diversions, and other trail features are designed to be ridden, so the rider doesn’t have to get off the bike. Though the trail is designed with mountain bikes in mind, it will also be suitable for runners, hikers and equestrians. When completed, the trail will be seven miles long, and will connect the Ash Canyon trail system to Kings Canyon Road. Trail crews are still completing the finish work, and two bridges must be installed to protect the creeks before the trail is officially open. It won’t be long now though. What a great asset to Carson City this will be!