Winter Travel Planning

Tahoe National Forest

Tahoe National Forest issued a final decision on an Over Snow Vehicle (OSV) Use Designation project in May 2024. The plan designates 414,721 acres as open to OSV travel, representing 47.6% of the forest. This is less than the 86.3% of the forest previously open to snowmobiles. However, most of the reduction is due to the plan not designating as open all of the forest land below 5,000 feet in elevation.

In addition to the cross-country travel areas, the new plan includes 373 miles of designated OSV routes, of which 247 miles are available for grooming. The number of miles actually groomed during upcoming seasons will depend upon available funds, which are usually limited to those provided by the State of California as part of the Green Sticker program for off-highway vehicle recreation.

OSVUM RELEASED

Tahoe NF has now released an Over Snow Vehicle Use Map (OSVUM), which shows where on the forest snowmobiles are allowed to go. With the publication of the OSVUM, the new plan goes into effect immediately. However, it will be awhile before most of the public is aware of the plan. Currently, the OSVUM is only available on the Forest Service website or in the Avenza smart phone app. There are no signs at trailheads or paper copies of the map to distribute. While those are coming, until they are available most visitors will not know there is a new plan in effect, so do not expect every snowmobiler to immediately comply with all of the closures imposed by the new plan. The QR code at the right is a link to the Avenza smart phone app version of the OSVUM.

The OSVUM is available as a PDF file (35.5 MB) here:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1218296.pdf

DETAILS

There were no surprises in the final OSV map, as it was similar to Alternative 2 of the Preliminary Final Environmental Impact Statement that was issued in February 2019. All of the existing areas closed to OSV use previously remained closed -- some with some adjustments. A number of newly closed areas were introduced into the plan. A number of closed areas, new and old, have designated OSV routes running through an otherwise closed area.

Existing Closed Areas

Areas that were closed to snowmobiles before the new plan was adopted continue to be closed, although some have been modified as described below.

Castle Valley

Castle Valley and Round Valley to its north at Donner Summit will remain closed to OSV use. In addition, the closed area west of Andesite Peak has been expanded and now extends about one and a half miles to the north, just past the peak. The designated OSV route running north from the trailhead through the otherwise closed area remains to give vehicles access to the open areas to the north. Also, the chutes above Coon Canyon located in the north slope of the ridge between Castle Peak and Frog Lake are now closed to motor vehicles. This is a small, isolated area, but its closure will prevent potentially serious encounters between downhill skiers and high-marking machines.

Pole Creek

The area around Pole Creek will remain closed to OSV use. The closed area has been extended to include Tinker Knob and Anderson Peak. There is an area designated for OSV use just to the east of the ridge containing those two peaks, but snowmobiles must stay off of the top of the ridge to avoid trespassing onto the Pacific Crest Trail.

Steephollow

All of the national forest land north of Highway 20 west of Interstate 80 at Emigrant Gap is closed to OSV use.

Yuba Pass

The closed area north of Highway 49 at Yuba Pass has been extended slightly to the east. The designated OSV route running from Yuba Pass through Beartrap Meadow and leading to the large OSV area between Haskell Peak and Gold Lake and Plumas National Forest to the north remains open. Snowmobiles are restricted to the groomed trail in this area.

Sagehen Experimental Forest

About one third of the Sagehen Experimental Forest will now be open to OSV use. A designated OSV route was created through a small part of the closed area. The Forest Service hopes that having part of the experimental forest open and part closed, the potential for performing studies on the impact of OSV use may be carried out.

Independence Lake

The area around to the west of Independence Lake is closed to OSV use because of wildlife habitat protection.

Kyburz Flat

The small closed area at Kyburz Flat remains closed. The area contains sensitive waterfowl nesting areas. Skiers are asked to stay on the trail system to avoid the nesting sites.

New Closure Areas

In addition to all land below 5,000 feet elevation, a number of small areas are now closed to snowmobiles.

Loch Leven Lakes

The area around Loch Leven Lakes is now closed to snowmobiles. Unfortunately, this area is almost off-limits to the public as there is a strip of private land between Interstate 80 and the national forest land south of the railroad tracks. For the past several years the landowner at Troy Crossing has prohibited anyone from crossing his land, making it difficult to access this area.

Boca Reservoir

Boca Reservoir and the land adjacent to the southern part of the reservoir are now closed. This includes the area between Boca Reservoir and Boca Hill, about one mile to the southwest of the reservoir. A snowmobile route is designated on Forest Road 73 that connects County Road 894 and County Road 890. Snowmobiling is allowed on the county roads and is not controlled by the Forest Service. The designated route allows snowmobiles to stage at the reservoir and travel to County Road 890 on the west side of the reservoir and access the open area to the north. Snowmobiles are restricted to the road when traveling through this area. The closure of this area is in response to the need for non-motorized areas close to public access.

Hybrid Areas

Two additional areas are now closed to snowmobile travel but contain one or more designated OSV routes. Neither gets much non-motorized recreation traffic.

Calpine

The area between Calpine and Beckwourth Peak is now closed to cross-country OSV travel but contains about 15 miles of designated, ungroomed OSV routes on Forest Road 71 and Money Road. This area is fairly low in elevation, just above 5,000 feet at its lowest.

Bear Valley

A large area east of Sierraville that contains the Babbitt Peak Research Natural Area and the Smithneck Creek State Wildlife Area is now closed to OSV use except for the designated OSV route on Bear Valley Road (Forest Road 04). The area ranges from 5,400 to 6,800 feet in elevation.

Pacific Crest Trail

The new plan creates a buffer zone of variable width around the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) for much of its length within the Tahoe NF. As allowed by PCT regulations, 41 crossings of the PCT are identified, and snowmobiles will only be able to cross the trail at these points. Nine crossings are on existing roads, and the width of the crossing is the road width or about 14 feet. Thirty-two crossings are not on roads and will be up to 0.25 miles in width, with the exception that three are wider, up to 0.34 miles in width. The crossings are generally farther apart than 0.5 miles, with two exceptions. Snowmobiles are required to cross the PCT at 90 degrees whenever it is safe to do so.

COMMENTS

If you have any comments or observations on the Tahoe OSV plan that you would like to share with us, please let us know via email at comments@snowlands.org. If you experience conflicts with snowmobiles or observe snowmobile misuse or infractions of the regulations, please report these using our online reporting form. Monitoring compliance with the new regulations will be important as the implementation and enforcement of the new plan is rolled out. Using your conflict and misused reports, we can recommend to the Forest Service where public education and enforcement will be most useful.