Last October, Carson Valley Trails Association work crews began manual construction of the last three-quarters of a mile of the Genoa Loop Trail, a segment of the 16-mile Genoa Trail System.

Work on this trail system started in May 2011, with volunteer hand crews and a professional trail building contractor using two trail building machines. In September it was determined that the first 500 feet of elevation on the south ridge of Genoa Canyon was too narrow, rocky and steep to use the trail building machine, so that portion of the trail had to be hand built. Trail building work continued until just before Thanksgiving, leaving another 1,000 feet of trail to be completed.

Trail work in Genoa Canyon resumed in March and will be completed by the official opening of the Genoa Trail System on May 12. Widening of the trail in hardrock areas is under way, using an electric jackhammer powered by a 3,000 watt generator. The generator must be manually carried as needed for nearly a mile.

Volunteers are still needed to help with the final cleanup on the Genoa Loop Trail. No previous trail building experience is required. For more information, contact Jeremy Vlcan at (775) 722.8784 or jrvlcan@aol.com.