Hikers, bikers worry about access

Lifelong Carson City resident Mike Longero said it would be a shame to block access up Old Clear Creek Road as homeowners there are planning to do.

"I understand the property owners up there have their reasons. They probably have a lot of stories to tell," he said. "I would just like to see everyone come to the table and try to work this out. It would sure be nice if they could see our perspective, too."

The narrow, bumpy road that winds through two counties, tribal land and leads to a popular recreation site has a complicated history.

It was at one time Highway 50, connecting Carson City to Lake Tahoe.

However, when the new route was constructed over Spooner Summit, the state gave the old highway - Old Clear Creek Road - to the residents living along it.

Although there was an effort in 2007 for Carson City and Douglas County to develop an agreement to take over maintenance of the road, residents ultimately decided against it after they were asked to foot the hefty bill to first bring it up to standards.

Instead, a recently formed homeowners group, Clear Creek, LLC, plans to close public access to Old Clear Creek Road about three miles up from Highway 395, according to a managing member of the board.

Mike Arnold said residents there are concerned about liability on the road, popular with hikers and cyclists, that leads to a Forest Service easement at the top of the canyon.

City Manager Larry Werner said residents are within their rights to erect the gate.

"It would be like any other gated community across the country," he said. "It truly is theirs."

Arnold said homeowners agreed it was a good time to close the road since a new ramp was opened off of Highway 50, which also leads to the popular Forest Service trailhead.

However, Scott Magruder, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation, said the exit ramp is state owned, but the interchange is not.

The road there was paid for by the private development company, Clear Creek Tahoe.

Although the company hasn't expressed any plans to block public access, Magruder said, it could.

"It's a private road owned by a private developer," Magruder said. "They can do what they want with it."

Longero said he grew up fishing in Clear Creek, but as private development progressed, access to the creek has been cut off.

He said he continues to ride his mountain bike up the road to the trails at the top. He and his wife also take the dogs up there to go for a run, he said.

"Half of the beauty of going up to the Forest Service easement is going through the canyon," he said. "Especially in the fall. The colors are so beautiful. It's a shame if the next generation can't experience what we experienced."

Warner said a possible solution would be for the city and Douglas County to once again enter into a negotiation with homeowners to take over the road.

"Citizens could petition the board to do that to allow public access," he said.