Downieville Downhill
Downieville / Packer Saddle, Tahoe & Plumas NF · near Downieville · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Mountain Biking
At a glance
- Skill level
- advanced
- Trail miles
- 15-16 mi signature shuttle run within a 30+ mi network
- Elevation
- ~5,000ft of descent from Packer Saddle (7,000ft) to the Yuba River (2,900ft), only ~1,000ft of climbing
- Best season
- June-October - snow lingers up high into late spring
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
Mountain Biking detail
- Nickname
- The Classic
- Ride types
- enduro · all-mountain · downhill
- Signature trails
- Third Divide · First Divide · Butcher Ranch · Sunrise
- Ebike
- Yes
- Ebike note
- Most of the Downieville network is motorized-legal Forest Service trail, so Class 1 e-bikes are broadly permitted here - unusual for premier gravity terrain and a genuine draw.
- Intl tip
- Downieville is tiny and remote with limited lodging - book ahead in summer. Base in town, buy a multi-shuttle pass, and give yourself two days so a rough first lap becomes a confident second one.
The guide
This is one of the most famous descents in North America and the anchor of the entire Lost Sierra. From Packer Saddle at 7,000 …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Downieville Downhill — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 39.5589, -120.8267