Capitol to Capitol Trail map details route

A 200-mile trail through wilderness along the American River west of Lake Tahoe is being spearheaded by Placer County officials.

The Capitol to Capitol Trail would climb thousands of feet from Sacramento to Carson City, using a portion of the Tahoe Rim Trail as it circles the North Shore.

Nearly $2 million in state and county funds are earmarked for the project. Officials are guessing the trail will take about 10 years and $30 million to complete.

Planning has begun for the first phase, which would involve linking old trails and building new ones from Auburn to just southwest of Colfax at the Ponderosa Bridge. Officials aim to have the trail's environmental review finished for the first phase by next year.

Once construction begins, planning would start for the second phase of the project, said Vance Kimbrell, parks planner at Placer County.

The project will involve about 20 agencies, including the Tahoe Rim Trail Association.

"I think it's wonderful," said Mark Kimbrough, TRT executive director. "There's history that says the trail has been ridden for years. They held equestrian events from Sacramento to Carson City."

Kimbrough said the project is part of recent focus on trail improvements in the Lake Tahoe region called the Sierra Front Recreation Coalition.

The coalition, led by the Bureau of Land Management, is in the process of mapping every trail in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin.