Trail Description

Tahoe City to Hirschdale is a combination of separate multi-use paths, wide highway bike lane, street, regional trail and finally road. All of it is paved. Overall it is 23 miles from Tahoe City to the Hirschdale Truckee River Bridge.

The Trail starts with a paved separate multi-use path from Tahoe City to Squaw Valley (5 miles) which is heavily used in the summer. At Squaw Valley the trail transitions to a wide bike lane alongside Highway 89 to Truckee. In Truckee, the use of West River Street and Bridge St / Brockway Rd connects with the Truckee Legacy Trail to Glenshire. Following Glenshire Drive leads downhill to Hirschdale and the Truckee River Canyon. The gradient of the Tahoe City to Hirschdale section is very gradual to nearly flat except the last section that climbs to Glenshire Drive then downhill to Hirschdale road and the Truckee River bridge.

The trail from Tahoe City to Truckee has been developed over the years by the North Tahoe Public Utilities District, Placer County and the Town of Truckee.

Difficulty Level

The section of the trail between Tahoe City and Squaw Valley Rd. is 100% bike path so it is suitable for all riders. This section is popular with walkers and runners though so please ride with caution.

The section of the trail between Squaw Valley and Hirschdale consists mainly of paved roads shared with cars so riders should be comfortable riding with traffic.

Services

There are abundant lodging and food services in Tahoe City, Squaw Valley, and Truckee, as well as bike shops.

Trail Connections

At Tahoe City, other paved bike paths follow the shore of Lake Tahoe in both the southern and eastern directions. In addition, a connection can be made here to the Tahoe Rim Trail.

In Truckee, there is a network of paved and unpaved trails provided by the Town of Truckee, as well as a popular road ride over Donner Summit on Old Highway 40 to Cisco Grove.

Recommended Bikes

Road, Hybrid, Touring or anything really.