Van Sickle Bi-State Park is a public recreation area straddling the border of
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
and
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
(
Western United States
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau.
As American settlement i ...
), that overlooks
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe (; Washo language, Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest a ...
(shared by both states) and preserves the memory of
Henry Van Sickle, a key member in the founding of the town of
Genoa, Nevada and the surrounding area. The
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...
features trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. It is managed by the
Nevada Division of State Parks in partnership with the
California Tahoe Conservancy.
[
]
History
Henry Van Sickle came to the Carson Valley in 1852, where he erected a hotel, restaurant, blacksmith shop, and bar while also being the first toll officer of the Kingsbury grade toll road. Jack Van Sickle, Henry's grandson, purchased a large portion of the Van Sickle Bi-State Park property at Lake Tahoe from Cora B. Harding in the late 1940s. Jack and his wife, Beth Van Sickle, harvested thousands of Christmas trees while operating the popular Stateline Stables. The property was also the home to the area's only rodeo grounds, where a local horse trader hosted events. From the 1950s until 1993, the equestrian stable for tourists, Stateline Stables, operated on the site with 40 to 60 horses taking riders on trails throughout the scenic area. The Lake Tahoe property was owned by Jack Van Sickle when, in 1988, 542 acres (219 ha) of the land was donated to the Nevada Division of State Parks. In 2001, the California Tahoe Conservancy purchased his adjacent California property. The park opened to the public in 2011. The pre-1870 historic barn, which originally sat alongside Highway 50, was relocated around 1960 to its present location near the Van Sickle homesite and is now included and to be preserved in the Van Sickle Bi-State Park system.
While the California Department of Parks and Recreation
California State Parks is the state park system for the U.S. state of California. The system is administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, a department under the California Natural Resources Agency. The California State ...
was initially involved, the organization dropped out due to continued funding woes.[ Although part of the park is in California, it is not considered a California state park.
]
Park
The park encompasses within Nevada and in California. The main entrance as well as most of the historical buildings are on the California side.[ The Heavenly Ski Resort ]gondola
The gondola (, ; , ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, in a scul ...
runs over the park grounds near the barn and stables. Features of the park include the historic 1870 Van Sickle farm barn, a 1917-era log cabin, and hiking trails with access to the Tahoe Rim Trail.[
]
References
External links
Van Sickle Bi-State Park
Nevada State Parks
Van Sickle Bi-State Park Trails Map
Nevada State Parks
Van Sickle Bi-State Park
California Tahoe Conservancy
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Lake Tahoe
State parks of Nevada
Parks in El Dorado County, California
Protected areas of Douglas County, Nevada
Protected areas established in 2011
2011 establishments in Nevada