Dirt Bike Trails
Near Downieville, California

A challenging drive that passes through two historic gold mining towns: Poker Flat and Howland Flat. The trail can be used as a shortcut between Downieville and La Porte. Trip to Saddleback Mountain Lookout Tower has rewarding views. Green-sticker vehicles can stage on the La Porte side at the large...
Learn more about Poker Flat

This trail is more like a fire road and features a few climbs and tight turns. It has a couple of areas designated for dispersed camping and offers some views of the canyon. The trail has been recently recut and cleared in certain sections. Additionally, there are some areas that are single-wide wit...
Learn more about Red Ant

Second Divide is a fun, but extremely exposed, moto route near Downieville with several technical sections. This area is popular with mountain bikers, but this trail specifically may have fewer mountain bikers on the trail because it’s not part of the main “Downieville Downhill” route from Packer La...
Learn more about Second Divide

First Divide is a fun moto route near Downieville that is also popular with downhill mountain bikers, and is part of the 15-mile-long “Downieville Downhill” that goes from Packer Lake Saddle to Downieville. It drops over 1,200 feet in 3.3 miles from north to south. This trail is very exposed and she...
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Third Divide is a fun 2 mile long moto route near Downieville that is also popular with downhill mountain bikers, and is part of the 15 mile long “Downieville Downhill” that goes from Packer Lake Saddle to the town of Downieville. The majority of Third Divide is pretty easy, as it is smooth and flow...
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Big Boulder is a fun and moderately easy singletrack near Downieville that is also popular for downhill mountain bikers. It drops over 1,500 feet in 3 miles from north to south. The trail has several wide and smooth switchbacks, including right away on the north end, and later on in the middle of th...
Learn more about Big Boulder

This is a mostly dirt and rocky trail that takes you up to Saddleback Lookout. The trail is kind of steep, and some sections are a shelf road. The trail does start to have quite a bit of rock and is a little more like shale rock the closer you get to the lookout. You can go up to the lookout, it is ...
Learn more about Saddleback Lookout - FS 25

Pauley Creek starts at a three-way intersection with Butcher Ranch at a wide intersection that is a good place to take a break. It crosses a wide bridge over the creek, then enters a forested path full of embedded rock features. It has tight turns winding through the trees, with a few bigger hairpin...
Learn more about Pauley Creek

Butcher Ranch is a long trail near Downieville – 6.6 miles long, and is part of the “Downieville Downhill” route from Packer Lake Saddle to Downieville – very popular with mountain bikers. There is a big bridge crossing early on over Pauley Creek. The west half of the trail is shelfy and narrow, wit...
Learn more about Butcher Ranch

This is a short connector trail from the Sierra Buttes parking area to the Packer Lake Saddle. It weaves along the hilltop with open views, including a fantastic view towards the Sierra Butte and fire tower and surrounding mountains. The trail is generally pretty easy, just gradually cutting across ...
Learn more about Gold Valley Connector

This is a short singletrack, half a mile long, that drops down from the road (FS 93-002) near the Sierra Buttes Trailhead. It curves down the hillside through a series of easy and wide switchbacks as it weaves through tall mossy pine trees. The trail is clear of any logs and didn’t have much rock. I...
Learn more about Pack Saddle Drop

This is a short 0.6 mile segment of trail near the Packer Lake Saddle that is easy and beginner-friendly. It starts and ends off of the Sunrise trail, which is similar in easy difficulty. It cuts across the hillsides on a gradual and smooth path, winding through pine trees with open views out over t...
Learn more about Pack Saddle Loop

Sunrise is a 1.4-mile-long connecting route between Butcher Ranch Trail and the Sierra Buttes Trailhead. This trail is generally easy, being smooth and flowy, with big banked corners, wide gradual switchbacks, and minor embedded rock. One of the switchbacks has a big root on the inside of the turn, ...
Learn more about Sunrise

This is a 5.2 mile long singletrack in the Tahoe National Forest with incredible views and tons of technical rock features. The south end starts at the Packer Lake Saddle, with space for a few vehicles to park. From the south end, it curves around the edge of the open hillside with an incredible vie...
Learn more about Gold Valley Rim

This trail starts across from Packer Lake. There is a staging area at the bottom if you need to trailer your rig. The trail heads up to Tamarack Lakes. The two lakes are almost the same size and crowds at each are about the same. Once you pass the first lake going in stay to the right to head up to ...
Learn more about Tamarack Lakes 12E33

This trail starts off with just a gravel road, however, the further you go up the tougher it gets. As you progress up you will see many rigs parked off to the side and people walking to the lake. The trail ends at the dam for upper Sardine Lake where people launch small boats and paddle boards. Most...
Learn more about Sardine Lakes

Weaver Lake FS 843-043 is a trail in the Tahoe National Forest that branches off from Bowman Lake Road. The trail starts at 5600 feet, climbs to 5900 feet, and descends to 5300 feet. The trail begins with a climb up over rocks and roots and has some scenic views of Lake Bowman. The trail continues u...
Learn more about Weaver Lake

Short but beautiful hard-core trail. Great views looking down on Gold Lake and Snake Lake. Route open to green-sticker vehicles on posted routes only. Overnight camping in designated sites only. Watch for hikers and mountain bikers on Pacific Crest Hiking Trail.
Learn more about Snake Lake

Starting near Gold Lake, Church Meadow Road is a pretty easy, manageable trail suitable for all vehicles. The route features a dirt and gravel surface with occasional loose granite rocks that are easy for all skill levels to navigate. The difficulty remains consistently low throughout the entire dri...
Learn more about Church meadow road - FS 721

The trail begins just beyond the charming town of Washington, nestled among towering, lush green pine trees. Shortly after the town, the well-maintained gravel road winds through dense forests of pine and spruce trees, traversing the mountain slopes. Along the way, you will pass a few private proper...
Learn more about Washington Gaston

A challenging drive that passes through two historic gold mining towns: Poker Flat and Howland Flat. The trail can be used as a shortcut between Downieville and La Porte. Trip to Saddleback Mountain Lookout Tower has rewarding views. Green-sticker vehicles can stage on the La Porte side at the large...
Learn more about Poker Flat

This trail is more like a fire road and features a few climbs and tight turns. It has a couple of areas designated for dispersed camping and offers some views of the canyon. The trail has been recently recut and cleared in certain sections. Additionally, there are some areas that are single-wide wit...
Learn more about Red Ant

This is a mostly dirt and rocky trail that takes you up to Saddleback Lookout. The trail is kind of steep, and some sections are a shelf road. The trail does start to have quite a bit of rock and is a little more like shale rock the closer you get to the lookout. You can go up to the lookout, it is ...
Learn more about Saddleback Lookout - FS 25

This trail starts across from Packer Lake. There is a staging area at the bottom if you need to trailer your rig. The trail heads up to Tamarack Lakes. The two lakes are almost the same size and crowds at each are about the same. Once you pass the first lake going in stay to the right to head up to ...
Learn more about Tamarack Lakes 12E33

A challenging drive that passes through two historic gold mining towns: Poker Flat and Howland Flat. The trail can be used as a shortcut between Downieville and La Porte. Trip to Saddleback Mountain Lookout Tower has rewarding views. Green-sticker vehicles can stage on the La Porte side at the large...
Learn more about Poker Flat

This trail is more like a fire road and features a few climbs and tight turns. It has a couple of areas designated for dispersed camping and offers some views of the canyon. The trail has been recently recut and cleared in certain sections. Additionally, there are some areas that are single-wide wit...
Learn more about Red Ant

This is a mostly dirt and rocky trail that takes you up to Saddleback Lookout. The trail is kind of steep, and some sections are a shelf road. The trail does start to have quite a bit of rock and is a little more like shale rock the closer you get to the lookout. You can go up to the lookout, it is ...
Learn more about Saddleback Lookout - FS 25

This trail starts across from Packer Lake. There is a staging area at the bottom if you need to trailer your rig. The trail heads up to Tamarack Lakes. The two lakes are almost the same size and crowds at each are about the same. Once you pass the first lake going in stay to the right to head up to ...
Learn more about Tamarack Lakes 12E33