Welcome to the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT), a 170-mile long-distance hiking trail that forms a loop around the Lake Tahoe Basin. Kingsbury North Tralhead is one of the major access points to the TRT, as you can follow a .6 mile access spur that will lead you to the Rim Trail itself making its way around Tahoe. Here you can also connect with two other notable trails: The ever-popular Castle Rock Trail, with its eponymous outcrop and stunning vista over Lake Tahoe and the Daggett Loop Trail, built in 2010 by the Tahoe Rim Trail Association on the east side of the ridge with views down into Carson Valley, making a simple loop at the top of Kingsbury Grade.
Back in 1981, Tahoe Rim Trail founder Glen Hampton, a USFS Recreation Officer, envisioned a 150 Mile Loop following the ridge tops of Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe Rim Trail Fund was founded the following year and the first dirt was turned on the project in 1984 at Luther Pass. in 2001, after 17 years of work, the then 150 mile trail system was officially opened as the Tahoe Rim Trail. In 2003, 96 miles of the TRT was designated a National Recreational Trail.
In 2018 the TRTA worked with the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, the Kingsbury Grade Improvement District, and Douglas County Parks and Recreation to give the Kingsbury North Trailhead a facelift. Starting in 2019, the TRTA began planning the replacement of the 10-30 year old kiosks many of which have bent roofs from heavy snow loads, critter-chewed supports, and brochure holders which are too small for the number of users seeking the information included. The finishing touches of that project included the installation of this very trailhead kiosk!
In 2025, seven new kiosks were put in at Nevada trailheads. These new kiosks are made of steel rather than wood and intend to: reduce barriers to accessing the outdoors by having one side in English, the other in Spanish, and a QR code which can be scanned to provide information in several other languages. In addition, the new kiosks intend to promote a sense of environmental stewardship, provide a better map, acknowledge the history and legacy of the trail, utilize QR codes for information that was previously supplied in paper brochures, and provide trail accessibility information so users will know what kind slope, elevation change, tread, and difficulty level.
In the spirit of exploration, we're working on a full orbital series following the Tahoe Rim Trail with a cache roughly every half-mile (or less) all the way around the Basin. For the sake of standardization, we're using the official Tahoe Rim Trail Mile Marker system (not posted on the trails, but visible on their official maps), which has Mile 0/170 in Tahoe City and counts up in a clockwise direction. For quick reference, the Kingsbury North Trailhead access spur connecs you to the TRT between mile markers 74 and 75. There's no need to go in order, though. You can tackle any part of the series at any time, in any direction! All containers should look the same (or at least very similar)... Stay tuned as the series grows!