Dirt Bike Trails
Near Sierra City, California

Sierra Buttes Road is a very scenic and approachable dirt trail that conveniently kicks off right outside a local neighborhood near the Sierra City transfer station. As you leave the pavement behind, you will embark on a gradual, continuous climb up the forested mountain. The trail primarily consist...
Learn more about Sierra Buttes Road

Monarch - FS 93-002, accessed from Sierra City via Sierra Buttes Road and Butcher Ranch Road - FS 12E07, delivers a highly scenic but demanding journey as it steadily climbs its way up to Packer Saddle. The trail starts relatively tame before aggressively ramping up the intensity. This route is sign...
Learn more about Monarch Road - FS 93-002

Butcher Ranch Road - FS 12E07 serves as a scenic but rugged connector road linking Sierra Buttes Road with the Monarch - FS 93 trail situated high above Sierra City. Early on, as indicated by the prominent signage marking the end of the county-maintained road in the photos, you will pass through a s...
Learn more about Butcher Ranch Road - FS 12E07

Monarch Spur - FS 93-002-03 offers a short but wonderfully scenic drive. This half-mile spur branches off from Monarch Road and gently winds its way up through a beautiful, tall pine forest. The surface is mostly packed reddish-orange dirt mixed with a fair amount of loose gravel and small rocks, bu...
Learn more about Monarch Spur - FS 93-002-03

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

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 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

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 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

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

Deer Lake Road - FS 93-001, conveniently accessed directly from Packer Saddle. This highly scenic, 1.2-mile journey begins as a delightfully smooth, packed-dirt track winding beautifully through a magnificent, dense alpine forest of towering, moss-draped pines. During this peaceful early stretch, yo...
Learn more about Deer Lake Road - FS 93-001

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

Continuing north from Deer Lake Road, the Lots A Lakes OHV Trail - FS 12E66 trail presents a stunning yet dramatically shifting landscape. As you wind your way along the route, you will pass high above the glistening, deep blue waters of Deer Lake, eventually connecting to the intersection with the ...
Learn more about Lots A Lakes OHV Trail - FS 12E66

Meadow Lake Road makes a loop from Webber Lake to Jackson Meadows, with Meadow Lake situated in the middle. The section that begins just past Webber Lake is a fairly well-maintained, graded road used by campers and trailers heading to Meadow Lake. This part of the road starts approximately 1.4 miles...
Learn more about Meadow Lake Road

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

This challenging 5-mile trail is designed for experienced drivers in modified four-wheel-drive vehicles and SxSs looking for a technical crawl with stunning Sierra Nevada views. Starting near the shores of Gold Lake, the route climbs through dense forest and rugged granite terrain, offering panorami...
Learn more about Snake Lake

Accessed from Haskell Peak Road, Gould - FS 9 is a two-track road that primarily features smooth gravel. The route navigates through two switchbacks accompanied by a moderate decrease in elevation. While the drive is straightforward, some sections of the trail have been eroded by water, and there is...
Learn more about Gould - FS 9

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

Sierra Buttes Road is a very scenic and approachable dirt trail that conveniently kicks off right outside a local neighborhood near the Sierra City transfer station. As you leave the pavement behind, you will embark on a gradual, continuous climb up the forested mountain. The trail primarily consist...
Learn more about Sierra Buttes Road

Monarch - FS 93-002, accessed from Sierra City via Sierra Buttes Road and Butcher Ranch Road - FS 12E07, delivers a highly scenic but demanding journey as it steadily climbs its way up to Packer Saddle. The trail starts relatively tame before aggressively ramping up the intensity. This route is sign...
Learn more about Monarch Road - FS 93-002

Butcher Ranch Road - FS 12E07 serves as a scenic but rugged connector road linking Sierra Buttes Road with the Monarch - FS 93 trail situated high above Sierra City. Early on, as indicated by the prominent signage marking the end of the county-maintained road in the photos, you will pass through a s...
Learn more about Butcher Ranch Road - FS 12E07

Monarch Spur - FS 93-002-03 offers a short but wonderfully scenic drive. This half-mile spur branches off from Monarch Road and gently winds its way up through a beautiful, tall pine forest. The surface is mostly packed reddish-orange dirt mixed with a fair amount of loose gravel and small rocks, bu...
Learn more about Monarch Spur - FS 93-002-03

Sierra Buttes Road is a very scenic and approachable dirt trail that conveniently kicks off right outside a local neighborhood near the Sierra City transfer station. As you leave the pavement behind, you will embark on a gradual, continuous climb up the forested mountain. The trail primarily consist...
Learn more about Sierra Buttes Road

Monarch - FS 93-002, accessed from Sierra City via Sierra Buttes Road and Butcher Ranch Road - FS 12E07, delivers a highly scenic but demanding journey as it steadily climbs its way up to Packer Saddle. The trail starts relatively tame before aggressively ramping up the intensity. This route is sign...
Learn more about Monarch Road - FS 93-002

Butcher Ranch Road - FS 12E07 serves as a scenic but rugged connector road linking Sierra Buttes Road with the Monarch - FS 93 trail situated high above Sierra City. Early on, as indicated by the prominent signage marking the end of the county-maintained road in the photos, you will pass through a s...
Learn more about Butcher Ranch Road - FS 12E07

Monarch Spur - FS 93-002-03 offers a short but wonderfully scenic drive. This half-mile spur branches off from Monarch Road and gently winds its way up through a beautiful, tall pine forest. The surface is mostly packed reddish-orange dirt mixed with a fair amount of loose gravel and small rocks, bu...
Learn more about Monarch Spur - FS 93-002-03