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County says construction underway on sections of Memorial Overland Immigrant Trail; partners and funding in place
Summary
Placer County staff reported construction has begun on roughly 10 miles of the Memorial Overland Immigrant Trail (also called the Immigrant Trail), with multi-agency partners and about $1.26 million in transient occupancy tax funds reported as project support alongside county matching and private contributions.
Placer County planners told the Parks Commission on Sept. 18 that construction has started on a roughly 10-mile phase of the Memorial Overland Immigrant Trail, a long-range route that the county and partners hope will eventually connect to Auburn.
“It's been a real collaboration between a lot of entities,” senior planner Alisa Carnahan said, describing work from Donner State Memorial Park west toward Kingville. She said contractor crews began work “about three weeks ago” on Shellenberger Ridge and are progressing at roughly a few hundred feet per day depending on terrain.
Carnahan outlined partners on the project that include the U.S. Forest Service, California State Parks, the Truckee Donner Land Trust, Sugar Bowl and private landowners. She reported that the county, together with the Truckee Donner Land Trust, has received about $1.26 million in transient occupancy tax (TOT) funds, combined with Park Dedication Fund (PDF) and general-fund match and a land-trust match, to carry the current construction and to prepare for the next phase.
The project’s goals include trail segments that are multi-use natural-surface routes for hikers, runners, bicyclists and equestrians, and connections to existing trails such as the Donner Lake Rim Trail and regional trail networks. Carnahan said design work and environmental permitting, including tribal and consultant reviews, preceded construction and that parking, phased access and cooperative agreements with Sugar Bowl are part of the implementation plan.
Commissioners asked about the trail’s long-range alignment; Carnahan said the aspiration is to extend the route down to Auburn and to tie together multiple county and neighboring-county trail systems. She also noted that the trail will offer “360-degree views” from Shellenberger Ridge and that several parking points and constructed trailheads will allow users to complete segments rather than the entire corridor.
The county said additional funding rounds will likely be required for later phases and that staff will seek further TOT or other sources as design and permitting progress.
