California · Mountain biking · Near Sunnyside-Tahoe City

Tahoe Rim Trail

Tahoe Rim TrailPhoto: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
0.4 mi
round trip
84 ft
climb
Singletrack
surface
Out and back
route
May–Oct
best months

Is Tahoe Rim Trail open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. It doesn't name Tahoe Rim Trail, so check the source for the area it covers.

As of · Source: USFS · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

The Tahoe Rim Trail is a short, easy mountain biking route in California's Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, managed by the Forest Service. It is an out-and-back ride of about 0.7 miles, with a low point of 7,357 feet and a high of 7,456 feet, so the climb is only about 84 feet one way. 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 1,200 feet below the trail, so temperatures on the route run cooler. The Tahoe Rim Trail (Painted Rock North) lies about 0.3 miles away, and the OTB Trail is about half a mile off. For an overnight stay, Silver Creek Campground is about 1.9 miles away. Climbers can find the Light Deprivation Buttress about 2.2 miles from the trail.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Silver Creek-Truckee

    Campground

    Campground · 1.9 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    River Ranch

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 2 mi
  • If it rains

    Watson Cabin

    Museum

    On your way back · 3 mi

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in Sunnyside-Tahoe City

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit Tahoe Rim Trail

    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.

    1. Jan

      40° / 21°

      11 wet · 7 snow

    2. Feb

      40° / 21°

      10 wet · 7 snow

    3. Mar

      45° / 24°

      10 wet · 7 snow

    4. Apr

      50° / 28°

      8 wet · 4 snow

    5. May

      59° / 34°

      7 wet · 1 snow

    6. Jun

      69° / 40°

      3 wet

    7. Jul

      78° / 46°

      1 wet

    8. Aug

      77° / 45°

      2 wet

    9. Sep

      70° / 41°

      2 wet

    10. Oct

      59° / 33°

      4 wet · 1 snow

    11. Nov

      48° / 26°

      7 wet · 3 snow

    12. Dec

      40° / 21°

      10 wet · 6 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tahoe City, CA, 3.5 mi away at 6,230 ft. The station sits about 1,200 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more rides worth the drive

Tahoe Rim Trail (Painted Rock North)Photo: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Tahoe Rim Trail (Painted Rock North)

Next door

1.13-mile out-and-back singletrack on Tahoe Rim Trail, 328 ft gain, easy / green circle

RIDE

OTB Trail

Next door

1.71-mile out-and-back singletrack with 358 ft gain in California

RIDE

Big Chief Trail (Upper)

~3 min drive

1.17-mile out-and-back singletrack in California rated Difficult / Black Diamond.

Tahoe Rim Trail (Painted Rock South)Photo: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Tahoe Rim Trail (Painted Rock South)

~1 min drive

0.17-mile easy singletrack on Tahoe Rim Trail in California

RIDE

Fast Eddie's

~1 min drive

0.83-mile out-and-back singletrack with 125 ft elevation gain in California.

Tahoe Rim TrailPhoto: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Tahoe Rim Trail

~3 min drive

0.39-mile easy singletrack out-and-back on Tahoe Rim Trail in California.

RIDE

Lower Missing Link

~2 min drive

Lower Missing Link is a 0.89-mile out-and-back singletrack in California with 262 ft of elevation gain.

Tahoe Rim TrailPhoto: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Tahoe Rim Trail

~3 min drive

0.29-mile easy singletrack out-and-back on Tahoe Rim Trail, California.

RIDE

Upper Missing Link

~2 min drive

0.46-mile out-and-back singletrack in California with 47 ft elevation gain

Tahoe Rim TrailPhoto: AT2663, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Tahoe Rim Trail

Next door

0.49-mile easy singletrack out-and-back on Tahoe Rim Trail in California.

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors