Third Divide Trail
- 2.1 mi
- round trip
- 1,069 ft
- climb
- Singletrack
- surface
- Out and back
- route
- Apr–Oct
- best months
Is Third Divide 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.
Third Divide Trail is a 2.07-mile mountain biking route in the Yuba River Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. The trail is an out-and-back that climbs about 1,069 feet from a low point of 3,491 feet to a high of 4,596 feet, with a total round-trip distance of about 4.1 miles. It's rated easy, so it works well as a short ride or a warm-up before heading further into the district. Summer is the most comfortable time to ride. Typical averages from the nearby Bowman Dam weather station, which sits about 790 feet higher than the trail, show July highs around 82°F with lows near 54°F, while winter highs there stay in the mid-40s. The trail sits right next to the Second Divide Trail and the Big Boulder Trail, both about 0.1 mile away. Pauley Creek, a canoeing spot, is about 0.4 mile off, and Union Flat campground is about 3 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Alpenglow Expeditions40 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Second Divide TrailMountain biking0.1 mi
- Big Boulder TrailHiking0.1 mi
- Pauley CreekCanoeing0.4 mi
- Lavezzola CreekCanoeing1.9 mi
- Union FlatCamping3 mi
- PacksaddleCamping5.5 mi
- Free For All ValleyRock climbing6.9 mi
- Warm Up BoulderRock climbing7.1 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Sardine Lake OverlookMountain biking · ~10 min drivePhoto: Charlie Pankey, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Butcher Ranch TrailMountain biking · ~3 min drive
- Mount Washington TrailMountain biking · ~12 min drive
- Jamison Creek TrailMountain biking · ~14 min drive
- Mills Peak TrailMountain biking · ~16 min drive
- Sand Pond InterpretiveMountain biking · ~12 min drivePhoto: Charlie Pankey, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Butcher Ranch TrailMountain biking · ~6 min drive
- Wades/Jamison Lake ConnectorMountain biking · ~13 min drive
- Packer Lake Snowmobile TrMountain biking · ~12 min drivePhoto: Charlie Pankey, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- First Divide TrailMountain biking · ~5 min drive
Also worth it near here
Best time to visit Third Divide 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, 12 mi away at 5,385 ft. The station sits about 800 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
