California Trail Interpretive Center's emergence last week from its COVID-19-induced scaled back hours has been a "top priority," the park's manager said in an April 1 news release.
The center resumed it's five-day operating schedule April 6, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management news release. The center's operating hours again will be 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. The center will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays, as well as on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's days.
“My top priority since arriving in Elko has been getting the trail center fully operational, and I would like to thank our partners and staff for their efforts in expanding programming and preparing the facility for opening,” said Paul Brownlee, park manager.
CTIC now allows expanded access to visitors, programming participants and those who want to explore the California Trail's history.
"The CTIC plans to provide the local community with robust outreach events and interpretive programs through partnerships with local museums, agencies and other partners," the news release said. "This includes a wide array of on-site programming such as the annual California Trail Days event which will take place June 18 and 19."
The California Trail operated between 1841 to 1869, running parallel to the Oregon Trail until the Transcontinental Railroad made the California Trail unnecessary, according to its website. The center opened in 2012 to provide a variety of exhibits, including pioneer wagons, encampments and exhibits, in addition to a hiking along the trail itself.
The center's full re-opening this month will include safe-operating procedures with guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as federal, state and local public health authorities' recommendations.
"CTIC staff and volunteers will sanitize the center and exhibits first thing in the morning and conduct touch up sanitation once every two hours," the news release said. "Guidelines on masks will follow Nevada Emergency Directive 052 which directs that the wearing of masks indoors is voluntary."
Anyone who would like more information may contact CTIC by calling 775-738-1849.
