Pauley Creek

Total Miles
1.8

Technical Rating

5

Moderate

Best Time

Spring, Fall, Summer

Trail Type

Single Track

Accessible By

Trail Overview

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 turns. The trail is full of large embedded boulder faces, loose rock sections, rocky ravine crossings, and moderate root and rock ledges. It's tight and twisty, making it slow going and technical over all the rocks. There is a rock feature every couple of hundred feet or so. There is another bridge crossing near the north end, followed by a steep climb full of embedded and loose rock that is one of the hardest and steepest spots of the trail. This trail doesn't have the severe exposure that is prevalent on the First, Second and Third Divide trails, making it a better option for anyone not comfortable with heights, even though it still very technical from the many rocks. This trail is closed 1/1 - 3/31.

Photos of Pauley Creek

Pauley Creek
Pauley Creek

Difficulty

This is an intermediate route due to frequent large rock obstacles all throughout the route. Additionally there is a steep rocky hill climb on the north end. This trail is not as exposed as some of the other nearby singletracks.

Technical Rating

5

Status Reports

There are no status reports yet for this trail.

Pauley Creek can be accessed by the following ride types:

  • Dirt Bike

Access Description

The moto trails in the Tahoe National Forest northeast of Downieville, CA 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.

Pauley Creek Map

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