For nearly four years, if you lived in Martis Valley and wanted to catch the Friday music at Northstar Village, you had two options: drive, or ride most of the way on pavement and finish the last stretch on the shoulder of Highway 267 alongside passing traffic. The trail got you almost everywhere. It just didn't get you all the way there.
That changed on June 3, 2026, when Placer County and the Northstar Community Services District cut the ribbon on Segment 3F, a 1.23-mile stretch of paved trail that closes the final gap between Northstar's Castle Peak parking lots and Northstar Village itself. It's a small number on paper. In practice, it's the difference between a bike ride and a compromise.
The Mile That Was Missing
The first 4.6 miles of the Martis Valley Trail opened in August 2022, linking the Town of Truckee to Northstar Drive. It was a real trail, built for real use, but it stopped short of the actual destination. Anyone heading into the Village for dinner or the Rink Stage lineup had to either park and walk in or ride the remaining mile on the road.
Segment 3F closes that mile. Built by the Northstar Community Services District and contractor C&D Contractors, the new stretch added four bridges, more than half a mile of rock walls, and a 50-foot boardwalk, and it's paved to Class 1 Americans with Disabilities Act standards, meaning it's usable by wheelchairs, strollers, and anyone who doesn't want to negotiate a dirt shoulder.
Eric Martin, public works director for the Northstar Community Services District, put it plainly at the ribbon-cutting:
"The opening of the Martis Valley Trail is much more than the completion of a new recreation amenity. It represents decades of vision, persistence, partnership and community investment."
That's not just ceremonial language. The math backs it up.
Twelve Years of Construction, One Season for the Last Mile
Construction on the Martis Valley Trail began in September 2014 at the Truckee town boundary. By the time Segment 3F opened this June, nearly twelve years later, the project had produced just under six miles of trail at a cost of roughly $19 million. The first 4.6-mile stretch, from Truckee to Northstar Drive, opened in August 2022. Former NCSD Board President Nancy Ives, who first discussed the concept with her husband and then-General Manager Paul Rouser back in the 1990s, described the pace bluntly: "The progress seemed to move at a snail's pace. There were lots of roadblocks, but everybody kept at it."
Segment 3F broke that pattern. Placer County Parks Administrator Erica Seward called finishing a trail section of this scale within a single construction season "a rare accomplishment," noting that previous phases of similar size had taken multiple years.
Here's the timeline side by side:
| Segment | Length | Completed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truckee to Northstar Drive | 4.6 miles | August 2022 | Part of the 12-year build |
| Segment 3F, Castle Peak to Northstar Village | 1.23 miles | June 2026 | Built in a single construction season |
| Full corridor into the Tahoe Basin | 10.2 miles (planned) | Not yet complete | Ongoing |
Of that $19 million, roughly $10 million came from transient occupancy tax funding, meaning it was collected from overnight visitors and short-term rental stays, not from resident property taxes. The pavement you're riding on most nights was largely paid for by people staying somewhere else.
What the Route Actually Looks Like Now
The practical upshot: you can now ride from Truckee through Martis Valley to Northstar Village on a paved, car-free path the entire way, separated from Highway 267 rather than running alongside it. That's worth repeating, because it wasn't always the plan. When the first segment was being designed, there was real concern the trail would end up hugging the highway shoulder. It didn't, and this final connection follows the same principle.
Northstar Village itself is leaning into its summer season this year with weekly live music at the Rink Stage, a free-to-access skate rink running daily through September 7, and dining options that include Rubicon Pizza Company and Wild Pine, with drinks and nightly music at the Rink Bar. None of that is new. What's new is being able to get there without a car.
The Valley's Other Car-Free Habit: Waddle Ranch
If Segment 3F is the paved, social side of getting around Martis Valley without driving, Waddle Ranch Preserve is the quieter version. Managed jointly by the Truckee Donner Land Trust and the Truckee Tahoe Airport District, the preserve sits just off State Route 267 via Martis Dam Road, about four miles south of Interstate 80.
The main route is Matt's Trail, which starts by crossing Martis Creek Dam, where you can often spot osprey and bald eagles fishing the reservoir below. From there the trail turns to dirt and splits: stay on Matt's Trail toward Lake Ella, or take the right fork and climb Erika's Trail past Linker Family Meadow, a good picnic stop with a table and benches, up to Beacon Meadow for open views across the valley. The full loop back to the trailhead runs about six miles round trip and takes roughly four hours at a moderate pace.
A few things to know before you go:
- Martis Dam Road is only drivable from May through the first snowfall. A gate blocks vehicle access in winter, though you can still walk or ski in.
- Dogs are welcome but must stay leashed, since the preserve borders sensitive wildlife habitat.
- No fires, camp stoves, or smoking anywhere on the property, and no hunting or fishing.
- Wildlife sightings include mule deer, black bear, coyote, and, less often, mountain lion, along with migratory waterfowl on Lake Ella.
The Truckee Donner Land Trust has put nearly $2 million into forest thinning and restoration work at Waddle Ranch, and disease-resistant sugar pines are now being planted to restore a species that had thinned out of the forest composition there.
The Rest of the Loop Is Still Coming
Segment 3F isn't the finish line. The full Martis Valley Trail is designed to eventually stretch 10.2 miles into the Lake Tahoe Basin, and it's meant to become one piece of the larger Resort Triangle Trail, a planned 62-mile paved loop connecting Kings Beach, Tahoe City, Olympic Valley, Truckee, Martis Valley, and Northstar without a single stretch on a state highway. That loop doesn't exist yet. What exists right now is the connection between Truckee and Northstar Village, and that's the one most residents will actually use on a Tuesday or a Friday night this summer.
It took twelve years to get from the town boundary to Northstar Village. The next stretch toward the lake is still on the drawing board. For now, the win is a smaller one: you can leave the car in the driveway and still make it to dinner.
Martis Valley keeps handing residents small, specific reasons to know the place better, whether that's a new trail segment or a preserve trail most visitors never find. The Brassie Group spends its time tracking exactly this kind of local detail across Incline Village, Tahoe City, Truckee, and Martis Valley. If you're weighing what life here actually looks like day to day, or thinking ahead to a move, let's talk about your highest possible return.
