Olympic Trails Day

In honor of the history of hosting the 1960 Olympic Nordic events at, what is now, Sugar Pine Point State Park, the Sierra State Parks Foundation is hosting an Olympic Trails Day at Sugar Pine Point State Park on February 20th. The Foundation will be proving free day-use parking passes to encourage snow sports experiences to all. The first 50 registrants will have their State Park parking pass paid for by the Foundation. The park is open from sunrise to sunset. This free park day is in celebration of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Olympic Heritage Trails, located on the campground side of the park, follows the trails used for cross-country ski events for the 1960 Winter Olympics. Olympic history buffs can come to see exhibits of the park’s Olympic experience and be reminded of the international goodwill that took place half a century ago. Competitors raced over 35.4 miles of trail through the General and McKinney Creek areas. The men’s competition and the biathlon were located primarily in the General Creek area. The women’s competitions were held in the McKinney Creek area, a mile to the west. The stadium was located in between. Since all the facilities were temporary and were removed soon after the games ended, the land was restored back to its natural state. Now, Parks maintains the trail with a toboggan-plow hybrid. Snowshoeing and snow play are appropriate for the trail’s conditions too.

Join this historian-led snowshoe hike to learn about how Lake Tahoe was formed, its history with the Olympics, its relationship with wildfire, and the local flora and fauna.

Date: February 20, 1 pm-3:30 pm, please have snowshoes on and be ready to hit the trail by 1 pm.

1:00-1:15 pm Intro and last-minute snowshoe fitting
1:15 pm-2:15 pm Hike to Bridge, 15 min. of padding for Interpretive talk
2:15pm-2:30pm Photos and snacks
2:30 pm-3:30 pm Hike back to parking lot, 15 min. of padding for Interpretive talk

Cost: Free

Meeting location: Blue Trailhead at Overflow Parking lot (go past kiosk and follow orange cross country skiing signs)

Please bring: Snowshoes, Trekking Poles (optional but recommended), at least 2 liters of water, snacks, warm clothes

Distance of hike: 3 mi. We’ll take the blue trail to the red trail, turn around at the bridge after some photo opportunities.