Two popular Truckee trails closed for forest restoration work

Release Date: 

Contact(s): Lauren Faulkenberry


Residents and visitors to the Truckee area can expect to see heavy equipment performing fuels reduction work along Highway 89 this summer. The Donkey Town and El Burro (previously known as Jackass and A1) mountain bike trails are closed starting June 25, 2024 to allow for implementation of a 1,950-acre forest restoration project. Forest Service roads and the areas within the project footprint are also closed to the public. Closures are necessary for public safety due to heavy equipment that will be used to remove dense vegetation along trails and trailheads. Flying debris, falling trees and large trucks can be expected in the area.  

This project, known as Cabin Creek, is expected to take three years and is the first of three phases in the Tahoe National Forest’s 6,000-acre Five Creeks Project. Planned treatments include forest thinning, meadow enhancement, aspen restoration, biomass mastication and prescribed burning. The project will reduce the risk of wildfire in the area, improve forest health and enhance the ecosystem. Project implementation is being led by Tahoe National Forest’s partner, National Forest Foundation. 

“The implementation timeline is being prioritized to reduce impact to recreationists, residents and visitors as much as possible,” said National Forest Foundation Tahoe-area Program Manager Dan Alvey. “While implementing this project is critical to both community protection and forest health, our goal is to minimize impacts to traffic flow on Highway 89 and limit closures in the Donkey Town trail network to only the 2024 season.” 

Implementation around the Donkey Town and El Burro trail will be prioritized to limit the duration of the trail closure to the greatest extent possible. Once the fuel reduction work surrounding the trail network is completed and the trails are safe to ride, they will be reopened. The current estimated timeline for reopening is spring 2025. 

The Five Creeks Project is within the landscape being restored by the Middle Truckee River Watershed Forest Partnership (MTRWFP). The partnership aims to improve and protect the resilience of the Middle Truckee River Watershed through forest health initiatives. The MTRWFP is comprised of Truckee River Watershed Council, Truckee Meadows Water Authority, The Nature Conservancy, National Forest Foundation and Tahoe National Forest. Together, partners are working to restore the health of Truckee-area forests. 

Cabin Creek is one of several wildfire risk reduction projects being implemented this season in the Truckee area of the Tahoe National Forest. View detailed closure information and closure map here: www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/tahoe/alerts-notices/?aid=88324