Pines to Mines Regional Trail

At Trust for Public Land, we’re dedicated to protecting the places that bring us all outside, which is why we partnered with the U.S. Forest Service, Truckee Donner Land Trust, and Bear Yuba Land Trust to add nearly 3,500 acres to Tahoe National Forest and unlock a critical 22-mile trail connection in the Pines to Mines Regional Trail.

Planned to span 72 miles from Truckee to Nevada City, CA, the Pines to Mines Regional Trail aims to connect eastern and western Sierra Nevada communities and provide trail access to popular places like Trout Creek, Donner Lake Rim, Lake Spaulding, and the Pioneer Trail. By closing a missing gap, we’re helping enhance public access to some of the most beautiful areas in the region for activities hiking, horseback riding, fishing, camping, backcountry skiing, and hunting—and ultimately, it brings us one step closer to completing this landmark trail.

Our work along the Pines to Mines Regional Trail is part of our Sierra Checkerboard Initiative, an ongoing effort aimed at mitigating the effects of checkerboard ownership within the Sierra region. This checkerboard ownership started in the 19th century when the federal government looked to accelerate railway construction in the undeveloped west. The government struck a unique deal with railroad companies, allowing them to take ownership of every other square mile of land, while the government retained ownership of the squares in between, thus creating a checkerboard pattern.

This pattern still exists in the Sierra Nevada mountains today, which is a significant threat to public recreational access, wildlife habitat, migration corridors, and water quality. Large forests in California also play an important role in mitigating the effects of climate change through carbon storage, and projects like this help eliminate this checkerboard model for a greener future for all.