I don't have a lot of details on this ride. I was a passenger in the truck to the trailhead, and I just followed during the ride. The ride was mostly in the woods, so there wasn't a lot of landmarks to describe. I will tell you this though...it was a lot of fun!I think we started near a Nordic Ski center, just to the east of Tahoe City. There is a whole network of trails here. This lower section would be a great place to bring kids or beginning mountain bikers. Jeff F. was our guide, and we made frequent turns at the intersections. Eventually we made our way up to the Tahoe Rim Trail, somewhere between Tahoe City and Brockway Summit.
As it turned out, it was an excellent loop for single speeds. The hills were never too steep, and the terrain was pretty smooth. Kristy also let me borrow her 29er, so this was a great trail test of the bike. I was looking for rocks and other obstacles to test the bigger wheels on. It definitely did excel on clearing the challenges. I did however feel like it was slower in the turns compared to my 26er single speed. But like I said, the trail was so smooth that I think a 26er or 29er would be equally fun.
The Girls flanked by Jeff's. Jeff F. was manning the camera.
The best part of this loop is the descent down to the Truckee River. It's very twisty and full of switch backs as you descend down the mountain. Fast enough for a thrill, slow enough to be safe. Much of your speed is dictated by how good you are at turns.We ended the dirt portion of this ride near Squaw Valley, and rode the Truckee River Bike Path back to Tahoe City. This may be the most crowded spot up at Lake Tahoe. Most likely because of its proximity to interstate 80.
As we got closer to Tahoe City the river was log jammed with rafters, and the bike path was packed with riders of all sorts. You know that dream you have where everyone rides a bike? I rethought this dream after riding this section. Some people just don't belong on bikes! I think Darwin was close to selecting a few of the helmetless riders for extinction.Sorry for the lack of details on the trailhead, but I think you could probably find some better descriptions elsewhere on the internet. Not to worry though, as you can't really go wrong just exploring this area.
