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blueBlack Tahoe Mountain Trail

  4.8 ( 4 ) Favorite
  1. Areas
  2. CA
  3. …High Sierra
  4. …Tahoe National Forest
  5. Fallen Leaf Lake
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Trail

5.2 mile 8.3 kilometer point to point
Singletrack
Intermediate/Difficult

Elevation

Ascent: 717' 218 m
Descent: -809' -247 m
High: 7,084' 2,159 m
Low: 6,405' 1,952 m

Grade

Avg Grade: 6% (3°)
Max Grade: 16% (9°)

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“A grand ride in either direction, it has great views overlooking Lake Tahoe, Fallen Leaf Lake, and Gardner Mountain.”

— Grant Lewis
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E-Bikes Unknown

Features -none-

Open all year. High snow years you must wait until spring melt to ride on south facing aspect.

Description

Tahoe Mountain Trail makes for a nice climb or descent from either side, though most riders climb up starting from Tahoe Mtn. Road and descend the backside to Forest Road 12N19. This trail can be used to access the top of Valley View Trail which is another excellent descent option with several fun features. Watch out for several sandy sections. Access this trail from a parking pullout area on Tahoe Mountain Rd. across from Forest Mountain Drive or park on Devron Way and take the Devron Connector. This trail is mostly non-technical with only one or two tight rock sections to get through.

North of the intersection with Tahoe-Valley View Connector the trail provides a fast descent down the north side of Tahoe Mountain. Watch out for any overgrown Whitethorn lining the lower half of the trail that can scratch your arms and legs if you're not paying attention. The lake views from this one are great!

Contacts

Local Club: Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association

Nov 12, 2018: 2018 Accomplishments

Oct 19, 2018: Trail Work Opportunities Continue

Oct 9, 2018: Corral Night Ride Saturday October 13th

Land Manager: USFS - Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Office

May 8, 2019: Forest Service continues effort to eliminate invasive plant populations from Tahoe Basin

May 7, 2019: Lake Tahoe Basin Mgmt Unit seeks Desolation Wilderness volunteers

May 6, 2019: Prescribed fire operations may continue near Tahoe City

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Check-Ins

May 11, 2019
Ana Pedrojetti
1st ride in taho3 5.2mi — 1h 50m
Jun 29, 2018
Mark Ortiz
May 26, 2018
John Channell
Jul 18, 2017
George Ty
Downhill is fast and flowing. Only a couple of switchbacks that were quite loose and had to really slow down. Not another person in sight.
Jul 9, 2017
Cory Buchanan
Jun 29, 2017
Lisa Bedker-Madsen
May 28, 2017
Constantine Krotcov
May 20, 2017
Bryan Brewskie
Sunrise ride & saw a young buck.

Stewarded By

Stewarded by Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.8 from 4 votes

#1

in Fallen Leaf Lake

#1838

Overall
  4.8 from 4 votes
5 Star
75%
4 Star
25%
3 Star
0%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Rankings

#1

in Fallen Leaf Lake

#122

in California

#1,838

Overall
156 Views Last Month
5,281 Since Jun 3, 2015
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
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Photos

Riding up the North Side of Tahoe Mountain with Lake Tahoe in the backdrop.
Riding up the North Side of Tahoe Mountain with…
 4
The climb up Tahoe Mountain from the lake side features killer Tahoe views.
The climb up Tahoe Mountain from the lake side…
 3
Coming into the only rock garden on the lower portion of trail, rock stairs to exit
Coming into the only rock garden on the lower p…
 3
Leaving the rock garden in the light
Leaving the rock garden in the light
 4
Not sure why this is described as a shuttle ride as it is just as fun as a climb. Here is part of the new reroute section.
Not sure why this is described as a shuttle rid…
 3
The climb up Tahoe Mountain from the lake side is a grind, but the views take your mind off the effort.
The climb up Tahoe Mountain from the lake side…
 4

1 Comment

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Conor Barry
Conor Barry  
This is my favorite after work ride here in Tahoe. The climb is pretty solid (just enough to be a good workout.) There is one techy switchback on the climb that's relatively easy to clean. After that there are a few sandy switchbacks. The view from the top is great. you can see most of the lake and a lot of desolation wilderness from there. The descent isn't the rowdiest but it's fast with a few optional tech sections and jumps. Most of the time, however, I prefer to descend on the burnout trail. The entire ride is a quick workout; perfect for those who don't have much time. Feb 11, 2016

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