Butcher Ranch Trail
- 1.7 mi
- round trip
- 293 ft
- climb
- Singletrack
- surface
- Out and back
- route
- Apr–Oct
- best months
Is Butcher Ranch Trail 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.
Butcher Ranch Trail is a short, easy mountain biking route on the Forest Service land of the Yuba River Ranger District in Tahoe National Forest, in northern California. The trail is an out-and-back that starts and ends at the same point, with a one-way climb of about 290 feet over a 3.5-mile round trip. The low point sits at about 6,300 feet, and the high at about 6,600 feet. Summer and early fall are the most comfortable times to ride. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July highs around 82°F and September highs around 77°F, with temperatures on this trail running cooler than the station because it sits higher up. Nearby, the Gold Valley Rim MC Trail and Gold Valley Rim Trail are both about a mile away for hiking. Packsaddle and Berger campgrounds lie within about 2 miles, and the North Yuba River offers paddling a little over 2.8 miles off.
Local outfitters
- Alpenglow Expeditions38 mi away
- West Shore Sports49 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
GOLD VALLEY RIM MC TRAILHikingPhoto: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)0.9 mi- Gold Valley Rim TrailHikingPhoto: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)0.9 mi
- PacksaddleCamping1.8 mi
BergerCampingPhoto: Recreation.gov (RIDB) / public domain2.1 mi- North Yuba RiverCanoeing2.8 mi
- Salmon CreekCanoeing3.5 mi
- Free For All ValleyRock climbing3.7 mi
- Warm Up BoulderRock climbing3.9 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Sardine Lake OverlookMountain biking · ~4 min drivePhoto: Charlie Pankey, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Butcher Ranch TrailMountain biking · ~4 min drive
- Second Divide TrailMountain biking · ~6 min drive
- Rock Lake TrailMountain biking · ~11 min drive
- Jamison Creek TrailMountain biking · ~12 min drive
- Sand Pond InterpretiveMountain biking · ~6 min drivePhoto: Charlie Pankey, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Third Divide TrailMountain biking · ~6 min drive
- Mills Peak TrailMountain biking · ~11 min drive
- Mount Washington TrailMountain biking · ~11 min drive
Five Lakes BasinMountain biking · ~28 min drivePhoto: ray_explores from Sacramento, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Best time to visit Butcher Ranch Trail
Best months: April–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
46° / 29°
Feb
47° / 28°
Mar
49° / 30°
Apr
55° / 33°
May
64° / 40°
Jun
73° / 47°
Jul
82° / 54°
Aug
81° / 54°
Sep
77° / 51°
Oct
66° / 42°
Nov
54° / 34°
Dec
45° / 29°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Bowman Dam, CA, 11.5 mi away at 5,385 ft. The station sits about 1,200 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
