Plan to add e-bikes to 100 miles of Lake Tahoe trails moves forward

By Shelby Reilly

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    SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, California (KOVR) — A plan from the U.S. Forest Service that would allow e-bikes on more than 100 miles worth of Lake Tahoe’s trails is moving forward.

“The new designation would open up class one e-bikes and that will give a lot of folks a lot more opportunity to recreate at the lake without having to drive,” Drew Bray, Executive Director of the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association, said.

Bray said the U.S Forest Service’s Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has been working to get a basin-wide assessment for all of the trails.

He said an outcome of that is identifying a use for class-one e-bikes.

“With that, the forest is going to get another motorized designation, just underneath motorbikes, class one e-bikes. And they’re going to open up access for gosh, almost 100 miles, maybe 106,” Bray said.

Class one e-bikes use a motor to assist riders while pedaling and go up to 20 MPH.

Bray said the e-bikes were prohibited in those areas because they’re motorized.

“Part of the plan, too, is to open up potentially 45 miles of trail over the next 10 years that can create stacked loops and connect trails to communities,” Bray said,

Jesse Patterson, Chief Strategy Officer for Keep Tahoe Blue, said this plan would not only help current bikers, but it could also help the lake.

“This is what this plan is hoping to balance is how do we encourage people to get out of their cars but give them a way to do it safely and isn’t impacting other things we don’t want to impact,” Patterson said.

Patterson said adding additional trails that make all of Tahoe bikeable will hopefully encourage people to find other methods of travel other than their car.

“To keep Tahoe blue, we do need to get out of our car. And any way you can do that whether it’s hiking or biking or taking transit, that helps keep Tahoe blue,” Patterson said.

The Forest Service is finalizing the environmental assessment document, which should be available next month.

Bray said they are now waiting on the objection period, and they hope to have a final answer on the plan by the end of summer.

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