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View Full Version : Tahoe City - MTB Routes and Rentals Recommendations

type2sam
08-30-2018, 05:29 PM
Folks,

Heading out for a guy's long weekend in Tahoe City in late September. Hearing great things about the Flume Trail, but open to other recommendations and best places to rent. If I had my way, I'd ride for 3 days straight, but need to limit things to 1 day to fit in all the beer consumption, kayaking and general tomfoolery.

Thanks!

Scott
donevwil
08-30-2018, 05:35 PM
The Flume Trail is beautiful and absolutely worth doing. Although not very technically challenging the view and altitude often make up for it.

Also look at Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. More challenging and awesome in it's own right.
type2sam
08-30-2018, 05:47 PM
Thanks - should have mentioned that not looking for anything super technical...nothing that requires pads and such.
Hindmost
08-30-2018, 05:53 PM
(It has been awhile since I did but) You can ride up and out of Tahoe City on trails and dirt roads that go to Northstar, Mount Watson, Truckee and elsewhere. A person could get lost for a few hours.
Ken Robb
08-30-2018, 05:57 PM
I suppose snow is possible so bring warm cycling duds just to be safe. It is gorgeous and the area should be pretty quiet as it's between seasons. We had some posts about rentals a few weeks ago.
type2sam
08-30-2018, 06:01 PM
The Flume Trail is beautiful and absolutely worth doing. Although not very technically challenging the view and altitude often make up for it.

Also look at Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. More challenging and awesome in it's own right.

Just watched some videos of Toad's. Awesome.
donevwil
08-30-2018, 06:03 PM
(It has been awhile since I did but) You can ride up and out of Tahoe City on trails and dirt roads that go to Northstar, Mount Wilson, Truckee and elsewhere. A person could get lost for a few hours.

This does bring up a good point, you'll spend a lot of time in the car driving from Tahoe City to Spooner Lake, or wherever you choose to start the Flume trail, and back. Traffic sucks around the lake especially through King's Beach. There is TONS of riding more local to Tahoe City, maybe not as stunningly beautiful as the Flume descent, but awesome never the less. Getting lost for hours as Hindmost mentioned is exactly the MTB riding my wife and I enjoy nowadays.

The last few years we've been riding from Northstar, eventually, when my wife is confident enough (we have 15-20 year old hard tails and much older bodies) I'll take her on the Flume Trail. I'm too old for Mt. Toad's.
type2sam
08-30-2018, 06:45 PM
The guys I'm going with seem to be locked into the Flume trail...just a question of how to stretch that to 4-6 hours. Again, as a New England guy forced to ride rooty and rocky trails all year, the promise of flowy west-coast gnar has me wanting to ride non-stop (except for occasional taco and beer intake)
Ken Robb
08-30-2018, 07:28 PM
Smoky's BBQ just off I-80 on the west end of Truckee has good Q, salads, and beer. I haven't tried their pizza but some local friends like that too. It's very near Paco's Bikes and a Paceliner had a good rental experience with them for a road bike.
dem
08-30-2018, 08:39 PM
The guys I'm going with seem to be locked into the Flume trail...just a question of how to stretch that to 4-6 hours. Again, as a New England guy forced to ride rooty and rocky trails all year, the promise of flowy west-coast gnar has me wanting to ride non-stop (except for occasional taco and beer intake)

If you can add the Tahoe Rim trail, that is pretty damn awesome, here's a loop I did including the flume trail:
https://www.strava.com/activities/178698867
pdmtong
08-31-2018, 12:19 AM
forget pedaling. you want an all day S Eating Grin ?
Lift-assisted Northstar for the win
Here's ... daughter shredding double black.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180831/d85f18b1c64f2c8cb6ec8f6025c36c20.jpg
type2sam
08-31-2018, 04:21 AM
Love to, however we tried that 7 years ago in Vermont. Given the broken collarbones that resulted, such things are considered "too extreme" for this crowd
type2sam
08-31-2018, 04:21 AM
Thanks all for the great suggestions. I think Rim Trail + Flume is the ticket.
pdmtong
09-01-2018, 02:00 AM
Love to, however we tried that 7 years ago in Vermont. Given the broken collarbones that resulted, such things are considered "too extreme" for this crowd

I get that. But, consider. you can rent a 8"+ bike...once you ride something like that it quickly becomes apparent why DH bikes look the way they do AND why a mere mortal can roll off a 3' drop no issues...even the intermediates are super fun...in the recent years they have sanitized the park...most of the rocked out boulders are gone, at least on all the trails we can ride (can't do the ones that require air skills to connect (dont have a bmx background and I don't want t break bones trying to be a hero)) We are able to have a blast well within our modest abilities....of course wearing armor (comes with rental) helps a lot.
zacstanley
09-01-2018, 10:20 AM
Yogi Bear Trail is awesome! It's close to Tahoe City - just south of I-80 on Hwy 89. It has some really fun purpose built berms and rock rock rolls.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/yogi-bear-and-jellystone-jump-trail-loop

Emigrant Trail is rad as well. Very much an XC trail. A bit north of Truckee on Hwy 89.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/commemorative-emigrant-trail

Cheers!