Mary Bennington’s relationship with the Tahoe Rim Trail began more than four decades ago, when much of the trail was still only an idea taking shape on the landscape.
In the early 1980s, Mary and her husband were hiking near Kingsbury North when they encountered a volunteer crew building a section of the new Tahoe Rim Trail. Mary had moved to Tahoe in 1981, the same year construction of the TRT began, and over the years, she explored many of the trail’s eastern, southern, and western sections.
She could not have known it during that early encounter, but the trail would eventually become a defining part of her professional life, her volunteer service, and her connection to the Tahoe community.
Mary went on to serve as Executive Director of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association from 2010 through 2016, a role she still describes as “the best job ever.” During that time, she also completed the entire Tahoe Rim Trail twice as a guide, leading thru-hikes in 2011 and 2012.
After retiring, Mary never really left the TRTA. She continued volunteering through office support, guide training, events, and assistance with the Association’s guided thru-hike program. In April 2026, she began a new chapter of service by joining the TRTA Board of Directors.
A Lifetime of Trail Stewardship
Mary’s work supporting trails began even before she became the TRTA’s Executive Director.
In the early 1990s, she helped the Carson Valley Trails Association establish itself as a nonprofit and protect the easement that became the Jobs Peak Ranch Trail. She served on the organization’s board for seven years, during which the CVTA partnered with the TRTA to train volunteers and share experienced crew leaders between the two trail systems.
Her broader career has also been rooted in conservation, nonprofit leadership, community engagement, and public service. Mary’s experience includes work with The Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Nevada Alliance, and the Washoe Tribe. She has served on several boards, was twice elected as a Douglas County School Board trustee, and helped advance trail planning and public-land access in Douglas County.
Through each of those roles, Mary has seen how trails can bring people together and inspire them to care for the places they enjoy.
“I love how the Tahoe Rim Trail provides a place for users to connect with nature, enjoy inspiring views, disconnect from the stresses of life, challenge themselves, and find joy,” Mary said.
A Quiet Moment at Tahoe Meadows
Of the countless moments Mary has experienced along the Tahoe Rim Trail, one of her most meaningful occurred during a short hike at Tahoe Meadows.
It was the first anniversary of her mother’s passing. On her way to work, Mary stopped to hike the loop and spend some time reflecting.
She paused along the trail to take in the changing colors of the foliage and trees, thinking about her mother and how much she would have appreciated the scene.
Then Mary heard a rustling behind her.
When she turned, she saw a large buck standing only about 15 feet away. She remained still, and for what felt like half a minute, the two simply stood looking at one another before the buck bounded away.
The quiet encounter captured something Mary values deeply about the Tahoe Rim Trail: its ability to give people space to reflect, reconnect, and find moments of peace amid life’s challenges.
Inspiring the Next Generation of Stewards
Mary has also witnessed the trail inspire many different forms of stewardship.
She has watched young people develop a deeper relationship with the outdoors through the TRTA’s Youth Backcountry Camps. She has seen participants in guided programs gain new skills and confidence. She has watched experienced volunteer crew leaders teach newcomers how to build and maintain sustainable trails.
“I have seen how this trail can inspire stewardship of all kinds,” Mary said.
Those experiences demonstrate that the Tahoe Rim Trail is more than a recreational route. It is also an outdoor classroom, a training ground for future leaders, and a place where people learn how their actions can help protect the natural world.
That work is central to the TRTA’s mission to maintain and enhance the Tahoe Rim Trail system, inspire stewardship, and preserve access to the natural beauty of the Lake Tahoe region.
The Work Trail Users Don’t Always See
The first sections of the Tahoe Rim Trail were built by volunteers beginning in 1981. It took approximately two decades of planning, collaboration, and physical labor to complete the 165-mile loop.
But finishing the trail did not finish the work.
Each year, volunteers and staff must clear fallen trees, remove overgrown vegetation, repair erosion, stabilize tread, improve drainage, replace signs, and respond to rockfall and damage caused by severe weather.
“Without their work, the TRT would be impassable within a year due to hundreds of downed trees blocking the trail, rockfalls, overgrowth of shrubs, and erosion from heavy runoff,” Mary said.
TRTA staff, trained volunteer crew leaders, and community volunteers work together each season to maintain existing routes, construct trail improvements, and repair environmental damage throughout the Tahoe Rim Trail system.
For someone walking along a clear, well-marked section of trail, much of that effort can be invisible. But the quality of the experience is a direct result of the people who donate their time and the members and donors who provide the resources needed to support them.
Continuing a 45-Year Legacy
Mary has watched the Tahoe Rim Trail Association grow from a humble, all-volunteer organization founded in 1981 into a thriving nonprofit supported by a dedicated staff, a strong membership community, and hundreds of volunteers.
That support has allowed the organization not only to maintain the trail but also to improve it, expand public programming, educate trail users, and introduce new generations to Tahoe’s public lands.
“Your support will go directly to the work of the TRTA and the programs that maintain the trail and support youth programs, guided hikes, and educational programs,” Mary said.
The trail’s reputation as one of the country’s most scenic and well-maintained long-distance routes is not an accident. It is the result of decades of commitment from people who believed the Tahoe Rim Trail was worth building and from those who continue to believe it is worth protecting.
Mary has experienced nearly every chapter of that story: discovering the trail while volunteers were still building it, strengthening partnerships with neighboring trail organizations, leading the TRTA as its Executive Director, supporting programs as a volunteer, and now helping guide its future as a member of the Board.
Her hope is that today’s supporters will make it possible for future generations to find the same inspiration, challenge, tranquility, and joy that she has found along the trail.
“This is only possible through the generous support of our members and donors,” Mary said. “Thank you!”
By becoming a member, making a donation, or volunteering with the Tahoe Rim Trail Association, you become part of the community that has built, maintained, and protected this remarkable trail for 45 years and help ensure it remains ready to inspire generations still to come.
