Watson Lake Campground
Campground
Campground · 1.5 mi from the trail
California · Mountain biking · Near Sunnyside-Tahoe City
Big Chief Trail (Upper)
- 1.2 mi
- round trip
- 409 ft
- climb
- Singletrack
- surface
- Out and back
- route
- May–Oct
- best months
Is Big Chief Trail (Upper) open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Tahoe National Forest.
Camping and Campfire Restrictions-Truckee and Sierraville Districts
Agency alert covering Tahoe National Forest · Order 17-25-05 · USFS · Tahoe National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Tahoe National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Big Chief Trail (Upper) is a mountain biking route in California's Tahoe National Forest, within the Truckee Ranger District. It is a short, out-and-back ride of about 2.3 miles, with a one-way elevation gain of 409 feet, taking you from a low point of about 7,105 feet to a high of about 7,533 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to ride. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Tahoe City show July highs around 78°F with lows near 46°F and only about one wet day in the month. That station sits roughly 1,300 feet below the trail, so temperatures on the route run cooler. The Deer Creek hike starts about 0.3 miles away, and the Big Chief Trail (Middle) is about 0.7 miles off. Climbers can head to Light Deprivation Buttress, about 1.9 miles away, and the Silver Creek-Truckee campground is about 2.7 miles away.
Around this trail
Add any of these when you start a tripSleep close Eat after The Outpost
Restaurant
On your way back · 1 miIf it rains
Places © OpenStreetMap contributors
More in Sunnyside-Tahoe CityLocal outfitters
- Alpenglow Expeditions5 mi away
- West Shore Sports13 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Deer CreekHiking0.3 mi
- Big Chief Trail (Middle)Mountain biking0.7 mi
- Light Deprivation ButtressRock climbing1.9 mi
- Sawtooth RidgeRock climbing2 mi
Silver Creek-TruckeeCampingPhoto: Recreation.gov (RIDB) / public domain2.7 mi
Silver Creek CgCampingPhoto: Rojer — CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)2.7 mi
Martis CreekCanoeingPhoto: Schmiebel, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)3.2 mi- Cold CreekCanoeing7.1 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Tahoe Rim TrailMountain biking · ~2 min drivePhoto: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Tahoe Rim TrailMountain biking · ~3 min drivePhoto: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Tahoe Rim TrailMountain biking · ~2 min drivePhoto: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Tahoe Rim TrailMountain biking · ~3 min drivePhoto: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Tahoe Rim TrailMountain biking · ~3 min drivePhoto: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Tahoe Rim TrailMountain biking · ~3 min drivePhoto: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Tahoe Rim Trail (Watson Lake)Mountain biking · ~3 min drivePhoto: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Big Chief Trail (Middle)Mountain biking · ~1 min drive
- Tahoe Rim Trail (Painted Rock North)Mountain biking · ~3 min drivePhoto: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Big Chief Trail (Lower)Mountain biking · ~4 min drive
Best time to visit Big Chief Trail (Upper)
Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
40° / 21°
11 wet · 7 snow
Feb
40° / 21°
10 wet · 7 snow
Mar
45° / 24°
10 wet · 7 snow
Apr
50° / 28°
8 wet · 4 snow
May
59° / 34°
7 wet · 1 snow
Jun
69° / 40°
3 wet
Jul
78° / 46°
1 wet
Aug
77° / 45°
2 wet
Sep
70° / 41°
2 wet
Oct
59° / 33°
4 wet · 1 snow
Nov
48° / 26°
7 wet · 3 snow
Dec
40° / 21°
10 wet · 6 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tahoe City, CA, 5 mi away at 6,230 ft. The station sits about 1,300 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
