Hole in the Ground Trail
Donner Summit / Soda Springs, Tahoe NF · near Soda Springs / Truckee · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Mountain Biking
At a glance
- Skill level
- advanced
- Trail miles
- ~11.6 mi point-to-point with car shuttle; ~16.5 mi as a loop
- Elevation
- ~6,900-8,100ft, ~1,950ft of climbing on the loop
- Best season
- July-October - snow lingers into June; autumn is prime
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
Mountain Biking detail
- Ride types
- all-mountain · xc · enduro
- Signature trails
- Andesite Ridge climb · Alpine bowl rock gardens · The 'stairway' descent
- Ebike
- Yes
- Ebike note
- Listed as Class 1 e-bike legal on Tahoe NF singletrack per current MTB Project data - verify locally each season. Stay off the collocated PCT segments (bikes prohibited).
- Intl tip
- Carry far more water than you think and a full repair kit - it is high, remote and has no water or services mid-ride. Skip it if afternoon storms are forecast.
The guide
One of the Tahoe region's most celebrated high-country rides and the signature Donner Summit backcountry epic. Hole in the Grou…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Hole in the Ground Trail — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 39.3409, -120.3476