TRT - Segment 4b - Kingsbury North to Kingsbury South (Daggett Connector)
	Trip Date:  07/19/2015 Distance: 8.6 Miles Vertical Gain: 1600' Group Size: 2 Hike Rating:  Easy   Moderate   Hard    Strenuous	GPX for this trip
	Start Coordinates:   N 38 59.779, W 119 53.794     End Coordinates:   N 38 57.639, W 119 53.200 Car Shuttle Req'd:   Yes Parking Directions:   For parking at Kingsbury North, take Highway 207 east from Lake Tahoe Blvd for a couple miles, and then turn left on N. Benjamin Dr.  Follow this road around (it turns into Andria Dr at one point) until you reach the end of the pavement and the parking area for the Tahoe Rim Trail hike. For parking at Kingsbury South, take Highway 207 east from Lake Tahoe Blvd for a couple of miles, and then turn right on Tramway Drive (just past Benjamin Drive.)  Follow Tramway until it bends to the left, and then continue on Quaking Aspen Lane as it doubles back the way you came.  Find the TRT parking area on your right at the coordinates provided. Hazards of Note:   Crossing Highway 207 at the spot where the trail changes to the other side of the road can be dangerous.  The cars move quickly with limited sight. Crowd Factor:   Moderate.  This is a newer section of trail connecting the TRT without going on paved roads or through neighborhoods and the crowd factor is still a bit limited.  General Notes: Starting at the Kingsbury North trailhead, you have two options for the first half of this connector hike.  You can either take the TRT trailhead on the west side, hike in about 3/4 of a mile and then turn left/south on the actual TRT, or you can do what we did on this segment, which is take the new Daggett Connector trail on the east side of the parking area to enjoy the new trail which was just completed in 2012.   It was preferable to me as it bypasses some of the hiking on pavement through neighborhoods which was the downfall of this area previous to this new connector being completed. After an initial climb through the forested area, the next couple of miles levels out and heads downhill, offering a few nice vistas of Lake Tahoe to the West-North-West and even at some of the big resort casinos in South Lake Tahoe just across the border from California.  Desolation Wilderness pretty much commands your view as you look this direction as well.   About three miles in you will start to hear the sounds of the relatively busy 2-lane Highway 207 below you, which you will eventually have to cross to continue on the Tahoe Rim Trail toward Kingsbury South.  This is a tenuous crossing, with signs indicating that cars are not going to be able to give you much warning with limited sight lines at the crossing point. On the south side of the road the trail heads back into the forest again, and you will need to keep an eye out for official TRT trail indicators as there are many connector trails and branches off the main trail that lead to vista points, Van Sickle State Park and other locations you will not want to be headed if just doing the TRT.   You will also gain about 800 feet in elevation over the last mile and a half, and by the middle of summer there is not much water on the trail so make sure you have enough.   There is a junction about 1/2 a mile from the end where you will need to turn back north, and be sure to take this or you will end up continuing on the TRT past where you want to be finishing up at for this segment.
	Right from the start you will have to choose whether to take the older connector trail (sign on the left) or the new connector which was just completed in 2012.  You can also make this a loop hike by heading out one direction and finishing up in the same place via the other, a 7 mile loop.
	The first mile to a mile and a half on the Daggett Connector trail is through a forested area, skirting around some pretty impressive houses in the distance built on top of hills.
	The views along this section don't disappoint, with this one a couple of miles in overlooking the South Tahoe casinos and Desolation Wilderness far on the other side of the lake.
	In the foreground is Castle Point, which the older connector trail passes close by.
	As the new trail continues to the south, the view opened up toward Heavenly Valley's Nevada side, and even Freel Peak and Job's Sister in the far distance.
	Along this new section there were some TRT sign types I hadn't seen before, plastic circles glued to chisled out locations in the rocks along the way.
	Down at the base of Heavenly Ski area are the condos which hide the end of the trail for this section just on the other side of them.
	This is a pretty typical view of the type of trail along this section, once you emerge from the forest area early on.  Views of Lake Tahoe continue to draw you onward and are very rewarding.
	There are many interesting rock formations in this area, and this one especially stood out because of the tough tree which appears to have conquered it.  Other formations similar to this along the way actually have homes on them.
	The first road crossing on this segment is this one across North Benjamin Dr.  The side we emerged from was very well marked, but there was no indication of whether to turn left or right.  We decided to go right, away from Highway 207 and ended up choosing correctly.  The continuation is just out of the picture on the other side of the road, but is not well marked at all.  Bike tire marks on the road left from gravel were the indication where to go.  When in doubt, follow the signs toward (KB S.)
	Found these honeycomb rocks just north of Hwy 207 while looking for a cache in the area.  Evidence of water or severe wind erosion like I haven't seen around here before.
	Aside from lightning, this might be the most dangerous point along the entire TRT.  This is a crossing of a reasonably busy highway where neither direction has much sightlines for pedestrians.  Or warning that they may be crossing here.  Hmmm.
	All along the TRT there are various stairs made out of rocks, wood, and dirt, but these are definitely the nicest ones by far!  There is a little sign to the right which points bicyclists to an access point which doesn't require steps.
	Over the last two miles there are at least three trail intersections which can easily lead a casual hiker astray.  Make sure to follow the signs to KB S and look back to make sure signs you pass going the other way, like this one, indicate you are still on the TRT and not headed to one of the other spots.
	Once you get to this sign marking the trailhead for Kingsbury South, you are done and the parking area is just about 100 feet to the left.
	GPS track of the hike starting in the upper left and heading down to the bottom right. The small spur near the top is where you find the Kiwanis bench near the base of Genoa Peak.