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SaveSometimes called one of America's top MTB destinations.
Located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the tiny town of Downieville has remained active for years from mountain bike tourism. Also nearby are Lakes Basin and Mills Peak, which offer additional trails and a couple of fast descents for anyone into downhill biking.
On the bike: This bucket list location has 500 miles of trails with picturesque alpine scenery. What makes Downieville such a treat is the trail variety—ranging from easy to technical and every style in between. This makes a weekend of riding equally fun for beginners and experts. Check out the Downieville Classic, a two-day race in the summer that drops 5,000 feet in 15 miles.
Off the bike: This gold rush town is quaint and a great alternative to the hustle and bustle of big cities. Tahoe National Forest is an excellent place to hike, while the Underground Gold Miners Museum will be enjoyable for history buffs. Photography fans will enjoy taking pictures by the river, and you can head into town for pizza and ice cream when you’ve worked up an appetite.
Where to camp: Union Flat and Ramshorn.
Located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the tiny town of Downieville has remained active for years from mountain bike tourism. Also nearby are Lakes Basin and Mills Peak, which offer additional trails and a couple of fast descents for anyone into downhill biking.
On the bike: This bucket list location has 500 miles of trails with picturesque alpine scenery. What makes Downieville such a treat is the trail variety—ranging from easy to technical and every style in between. This makes a weekend of riding equally fun for beginners and experts. Check out the Downieville Classic, a two-day race in the summer that drops 5,000 feet in 15 miles.
Off the bike: This gold rush town is quaint and a great alternative to the hustle and bustle of big cities. Tahoe National Forest is an excellent place to hike, while the Underground Gold Miners Museum will be enjoyable for history buffs. Photography fans will enjoy taking pictures by the river, and you can head into town for pizza and ice cream when you’ve worked up an appetite.
Where to camp: Union Flat and Ramshorn.
Primary Trail Type: All-Mountain & Downhill
Shuttleable: YES
Land Status: National Forest
Activities Click to view
- Mountain Bike
129 trails
- E-Bike
116 trails
- Gravel Bike
0 trails
- Adaptive Bike
0 trails
- Horse
104 trails
- Hike
134 trails
- Trail Running
134 trails
- Dirtbike/Moto
103 trails
- ATV/ORV/OHV
70 trails
Region Details
- 62
- 1
- 21
- 30
Region Status
Open as of Jun 22, 2026
Stats
- Avg Trail Rating
- Trails (view details)
- 120
- Trails Mountain Bike
- 129
- Trails E-Bike
- 116
- Trails Horse
- 104
- Trails Hike
- 134
- Trails Trail Running
- 134
- Trails Dirtbike/Moto
- 103
- Trails Observed Trials
- 2
- Trails ATV/ORV/OHV
- 70
- Trails Snowmobile
- 1
- Trails Snowshoe
- 1
- Trails Downhill Ski
- 1
- Trails Backcountry Ski
- 1
- Trails Nordic Ski
- 1
- Total Distance
- 379 miles
- Total Descent Distance
- 160 miles
- Total Descent
- 65,447 ft
- Total Vertical
- 6,216 ft
- Highest Trailhead
- 8,502 ft
- Reports
- 1,648
- Photos
- 1,161
- Ridden Counter
- 43,520
Articles
Video: Bradyn Lange Takes On The Downieville Classic
Oct 30, 2023 from pinkbike.com
After 7 years of chasing UCI points, Bradyn decided to head to Northern California for the legendary event.
Video: Turning a Mining Town into a Mountain Biking Mecca in 'Dirt Magic'
Sep 6, 2019 from pinkbike.com
It all started with a van, a chainsaw, and a few maxed-out credit cards
Sub Regions
-
Downieville Trail Network
- 1
- 20
- 30
Popular Downieville Mountain Biking Trails
• 100 ★ 3.8 • 2 miles • 321 ft • 3,937 •
Rolling, rocky, narrow trail with some cliff exposure.
• 100 ★ 4.7 • 4 miles • 262 ft • 3,821 •
is the main trail for the classic Downieville Downhill. This is a legitimate expert-level trail, but much of the difficulty can be mitigated by slowing down and picking your line carefully. There will be some short dismount sections for...
• 100 ★ 4.8 • 2 miles • 49 ft • 3,713 •
makes up part of the classic Downieville downhill route. It is considered the "fast and flowy" section--quite a bit smoother overall than with a great downhill pitch. It is typically maintained at a high level due to its popularity and use.
• 100 ★ 4.2 • 1 mile • 101 ft • 3,052 •
is the very start of the Downieville Classic and where to start your first time here. Park in Downieville and pay to shuttle 45 minutes to the trailhead of . The trail drops gently through some gentle S-turns and switchbacks of mostly...
• 95 ★ 4.9 • 3 miles • 67 ft • 2,837 •
Butcher Rach Trail upper section starts at the bottom of and connects down to the topo of the old Bucher Ranch trail at the bottom of the OHV trail. This trail add singletrack and removes doubletrack form the "Classic Downieville run".
• 95 ★ 4.5 • 3,399 ft • 5 ft • 1,466 •
An alternate route for the Sunshine Trail with banked corners, little rock jumps, and other fun stuff.
• 95 ★ 4.5 • 5 miles • 617 ft • 1,432 •
A fun trail with amazing views, used to be part of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). This section of the PCT was realigned, and is now a multi-use trail, open to motorized use. There are some good rock features on the lower half of this...
Downieville Mountain Bike Routes
★ 4.3 • 15 miles • 816 ft • 7 • Shuttled •
This is the classic Downieville Downhill route. Shuttle up to the start at the Sunshine Trail. From there...
★ 5.0 • 18 miles • 1,048 ft • 18 • Shuttled •
While Tower-to-Town can describe any route between the Sierra Buttes Fire Lookout Tower and the town of...
★ 5.0 • 20 miles • 1,836 ft • 11 • Shuttled •
This is a pretty burly all-mountain/"down country" ride that incorporates the new (and beautiful) off of...
16 miles • 1,043 ft • 4 • Shuttled •
This is the quintessential Downieville route. If you are planning your first trip to Downieville, or have...
19 miles • 1,593 ft • 8 • Shuttled •
The second most popular route down the mountain. Yes there will be climbing and water crossings, but it...
Photos of Downieville Mountain Bike
Videos of Downieville Mountain Bike
trail: Butcher Ranch Trail
0:17 |
27 |
Sep 6, 2025
trail: Butcher Ranch Trail
0:17 |
287 |
Sep 13, 2019
0:51 |
217 |
Aug 16, 2019
trail: Butcher Ranch Trail
29:19 |
140 |
Jun 20, 2018
trail: Butcher Ranch Trail
0:35 |
162 |
Oct 1, 2017
trail: Butcher Ranch Trail
0:19 |
267 |
Sep 16, 2016
trail: Third Divide
0:15 |
126 |
Sep 6, 2016
trail: Butcher Ranch Trail
2:16 |
90 |
Jul 3, 2016
Recent Trail Reports
| status | trail | date | condition | info | user |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Valley Rim Trail - Upper | Jun 22, 2026 @ 10:59am (America/Boise) Jun 22, 2026 | Very Dry | PRMulligan | ||
| Main St. | Jun 12, 2026 @ 2:17pm (America/Boise) Jun 12, 2026 | Ideal | tonygiancoli | ||
| Lower First Divide | Jun 12, 2026 @ 2:17pm (America/Boise) Jun 12, 2026 | Ideal | tonygiancoli | ||
| Upper First Divide | Jun 12, 2026 @ 2:17pm (America/Boise) Jun 12, 2026 | Ideal | tonygiancoli | ||
| Third Divide | Jun 12, 2026 @ 2:17pm (America/Boise) Jun 12, 2026 | Ideal | tonygiancoli | ||
| Second Divide | Jun 12, 2026 @ 2:17pm (America/Boise) Jun 12, 2026 | Ideal | tonygiancoli | ||
| Big Boulder | Jun 8, 2026 @ 10:37pm (America/Los_Angeles) Jun 8, 2026 | Unknown | MacWatson | ||
| Big Boulder (Doubletrack) | Jun 8, 2026 @ 10:37pm (America/Los_Angeles) Jun 8, 2026 | Unknown | MacWatson | ||
| Gold Valley Rim Trail | Jun 8, 2026 @ 10:36pm (America/Los_Angeles) Jun 8, 2026 | Unknown | MacWatson | ||
| Sunrise Trail | Jun 8, 2026 @ 10:35pm (America/Los_Angeles) Jun 8, 2026 | Unknown | MacWatson |
Activity Feed
| username | action | type | title | date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayman4444 | wishlist | route | activity #98988107 | Jul 11, 2026 @ 7:58pm 2 hours |
| Jayman4444 | wishlist | region | activity #98987374 | Jul 11, 2026 @ 7:38pm 2 hours |
| TheAngryTomato | update | trail | activity #98937871 | Jul 11, 2026 @ 8:43am 13 hours |
| Gmemo | wishlist | route | activity #98936096 | Jul 11, 2026 @ 8:25am 13 hours |
| crmgnon | ridden | trail | activity #98733378 and 5 more | Jul 8, 2026 @ 12:50pm Jul 8, 2026 |
Recent Comments
| username | type | title | comment | date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trail | Awful. Do not bike this unless you like steep,... | Jun 20, 2026 @ 3:18pm Jun 20, 2026 | ||
| trail | rode this on motos June 2026. super fun. hard... | Jun 20, 2026 @ 3:12pm Jun 20, 2026 | ||
| trail | Firstly, kudos to whoever maintains the trail:... | Oct 28, 2025 @ 11:51pm Oct 28, 2025 | ||
| trail | New signs at parking area say no biking!... | Oct 5, 2025 @ 10:10pm Oct 5, 2025 | ||
| trail | Pretty sick trail actually | Sep 27, 2025 @ 4:44pm Sep 27, 2025 |
Local Badges
-
10 Blue Trails586 awarded -
Epic Ride Climb 2k315 awarded -
Climbing 10k Badge64 awarded -
Climbing 100k Badge0 awarded -
Epic Ride Descent 2k2,337 awarded -
Descent 10k Badge288 awarded
Local Products
Activity Type Stats
| activitytype | trails | distance | descent | descent distance | total vertical | rating | global rank | state rank | photos | reports | routes | ridelogs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Bike | 129 | 327 miles | 56,749 ft | 135 miles | 6,217 ft | #436 | #160 | 1,118 | 1,642 | 23 | 14,515 | |
| E-Bike | 116 | 303 miles | 49,938 ft | 125 miles | 6,217 ft | #152 | #660 | 10 | 1,611 | 10 | 1,738 | |
| Horse | 104 | 241 miles | 44,291 ft | 105 miles | 5,164 ft | #84 | #360 | 687 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Hike | 134 | 379 miles | 65,446 ft | 160 miles | 6,217 ft | #308 | #151 | 37 | 1,635 | 2 | 692 | |
| Trail Running | 134 | 379 miles | 65,446 ft | 160 miles | 6,217 ft | #312 | #125 | 1,634 | 2 | 87 | ||
| Dirtbike/Moto | 103 | 255 miles | 41,217 ft | 100 miles | 6,217 ft | #73 | #44 | 1 | 1,159 | 4 | 94 | |
| Observed Trials | 2 | 7 miles | 377 ft | 2 miles | 1,437 ft | 4 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| ATV/ORV/OHV | 70 | 173 miles | 17,316 ft | 52 miles | 6,217 ft | #49 | #30 | 3 | 966 | 1 | 12 | |
| Snowmobile | 1 | 5 miles | 157 ft | 4,551 ft | 869 ft | 1 | ||||||
| Snowshoe | 1 | 5 miles | 157 ft | 4,551 ft | 869 ft | 1 | ||||||
| Downhill Ski | 1 | 5 miles | 157 ft | 4,551 ft | 869 ft | |||||||
| Backcountry Ski | 1 | 5 miles | 157 ft | 4,551 ft | 869 ft | 11 | ||||||
| Nordic Ski | 1 | 5 miles | 157 ft | 4,551 ft | 869 ft | 7 |
Frequently Asked Questions About Downieville
▼
What are the best places to ride in Downieville?
Downieville has 1 areas to explore for mountain biking. The top rated areas are:
▼
What are the highest rated mountain biking trails in Downieville?
The highest rated mountain biking trails in Downieville are:
- Third Divide (4.6/5)
- Butcher Ranch Trail (4.6/5)
- Butcher Ranch Trail (Upper Section) (4.6/5)
- St. Charles Hill Trail (4.4/5)
- Gold Valley Rim Trail (4.3/5)
▼
What is the best time of the year to ride in Downieville?
Based on ride log data, the most popular months to ride in Downieville are:
- July (253 activities)
- October (206 activities)
- June (193 activities)
▼
Where can I park to ride in Downieville?
There are 5 parking locations listed in Downieville. The most popular parking spots are: View all parking and trailhead locations on the map to plan your visit.
Activities
Trails
- By FRguild & contributors
- Admins: TheAngryTomato
- #4438 - 62,289 views
- downieville activity log | embed map of Downieville mountain bike trails | downieville mountain biking points of interest
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