Old Tahoe Pines Campground restoration to include picnic area, parking and trails

MEYERS, Calif. - An old campground at the base of Echo Summit in Meyers is undergoing a major transformation that will not only create new wetlands and restore habitat along the Upper Truckee River, it will also create public access.

Work gets underway this week at the old Tahoe Pines Campground on a $1.63M project that will include new accessible-to-all trails, bridge and parking lot, and other features along the river which is Lake Tahoe's largest tributary.

In 2007 the California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) acquired the campground which hugged the west bank of the river and suffered frequent damage from flooding during years with high river flows.

“The Tahoe Pines property is such a special place, with its confluence of creeks, its groves of cottonwood trees, and its prime location for the Meyers community and visitors to Tahoe,” said El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel, the Conservancy Board Chair. “When this project is complete, community members will gain a whole new way to experience the Upper Truckee River.”

The Upper Truckee River collects runoff from a third of the land in the Lake Tahoe Basin and supports the largest wetland in the Sierra Nevada. Historical logging, grazing, and urban development have degraded the river. Along with the 8.1-acre Tahoe Pines property, the Conservancy and its partner agencies and organizations have now protected most of the lower nine miles of the river. This spring the CTC launched the $11.5M Upper Truckee Marsh Restoration Project, which will enhance and restore 250 acres of wetlands where the river meets Lake Tahoe.

CTC will reconstruct the parking area and build a pathway, pedestrian bridge, and stream overlook pad that meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

The CTC will also remove fill from the floodplain to create approximately half an acre of wetlands along the river. This will enhance wildlife and native fish habitat, help prevent soil from eroding into the river, and make the site more resilient to climate change impacts.

Access to the construction area will be closed during the summer to ensure public safety as crews working the area. They expect these restrictions to end in October.

Restoration work this year builds on successful steps taken in the fall of 2019, when the Conservancy removed much of the defunct campground’s remaining infrastructure, such as concrete walls, large steel pipes, and pavement.

Funding sources to date include a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for $207,492 and California Tahoe Conservancy for $278,852.