Big Boulder

Total Miles
3.0

Technical Rating

4

Moderate

Best Time

Spring, Fall, Summer

Trail Type

Single Track

Accessible By

Trail Overview

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 the route. The majority of the trail is smooth dirt, but there are lots of small root ledges and ruts within the descent, and several shelfy and narrow sections with moderate exposure. The trail curves around the hillside on a shelf trail. There are intermittent, bigger boulders lining the trail that make it feel tighter, and a couple of moderate rock features that you have to ride over, including a section of loose rock and small sections of embedded bedrock. It connects directly to Third Divide and Butcher Ranch on the south end, making it easy to continue your ride. This trail is closed 1/1 - 3/31.

Photos of Big Boulder

Big Boulder
Big Boulder

Difficulty

This is a moderate trail due to frequent switchbacks on a semi-steep grade, and a couple of moderate rock features. The trail is also exposed and shelfy in a lot of spots, which riders need to be aware of and use extreme caution.

Technical Rating

4

Status Reports

There are no status reports yet for this trail.

Big Boulder can be accessed by the following ride types:

  • Dirt Bike

Access Description

The moto trails in the Tahoe National Forest northeast of Downieville, California are best accessed from the Packer Lake Saddle or Sierra Buttes Trailhead on Gold Valley Road. It's a steep paved road with a couple dirt parking lots, not ideal for large trailers. Parking is tricky in the town of Downieville with no official staging area, so it's best accessed from the east side of the trail system. These trails are highly popular with mountain bikers as well.

Big Boulder Map

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