Elevation 2,900ft, population 325 folks
For those who don't know. Downieville is a town of about 325 people in Tahoe National Forest in Northern California. The area has a huge variety of trails and an endless amount of terrain to work with. It has long been famous for how well built the trails are and for how much riding is within a short ride or drive from this tiny old prospecting town. And to add to the trails, the scenery is breathtaking due to the fact that nothing within miles and miles of the town has been developed. Most of the area is old growth and the only people around live in similar towns. One I saw had a population of a whopping.... sixteen people. Yup you read that right. One six. The area is so desolate that I didn't have cell phone service anywhere within an hour of Downieville. But enough of what the town is. On to why it is a mountain biker's dream!
For starters. The one shop there is great. Yuba Expeditions. Not a big shop at all. Very small selection of bikes and parts, but it has all the small necessities. What makes it so great is the people there and the philosophy with which they operate. It is a three man crew. For the most part only two guys are there though since one is driving the shuttle van to take mountain bikers to different trailheads. The guys there are great. Really friendly, helpful, and really knowledgeable. They certainly don't beat around the bush when it comes to bikes. They are also a non-profit shop. They pay overhead and get the needed inventory, then all other profits go towards the Sierra Butte Trail Stewardship (SBTS). SBTS is a group that does nothing but build professional, sustainable trails in the area. All donations go to paying the full time trail crew and buying the best tools possible to get the job done. On any given day you can find at least three guys from the group on a trail working. And that brings me to the second reason it is such a great area. The trails.
Having a full time trail crew in the area means that trails are always in top conditions. I have ridden in bike parks that don't have trails this well built. Simply put, these trails are phenomenal. Everywhere I rode was well marked, making it nearly impossible to lose your way, and every difficult section you could walk or go around (not that I did; well on purpose...). The amount of terrain options is pretty incredible as well. Some trails were fairly smooth and extremely flowy. Others were super technical and slow moving with lots of ups and downs thrown in the middle of it. The trails that everyone who rides has heard of are the ones that make up the Downieville Downhill. Fifteen(ish) miles of enduro style descending. And it had everything. A couple decent sized jumps, big berms, long rock gardens, smooth sections you could hit Mach 5 on (ok ok it was only 37mph. Between trees.), and natural sections full of roots, rocks, ruts, bumps, and everything else the forest could throw at you. Needless to say, I liked it. A whole hell of a lot. My next favorite trail there was the Mills Peak Trail. I don't remember an exact distance, but I know you climbed then descended over 3,000 vertical feet. It is a well built path, but is a very natural style terrain. Extremely fast, really technical, and a ton and a half of fun.
And to make the whole experience just a little bit better, the camping had some pretty incredible views and I managed to push the van down a couple "4x4 only" roads! She didn't flinch a bit, and didn't even think about getting stuck! I have to say I was pretty impressed with where I managed to drive the huge truck!
The SBTS guys doing some awesome work on Butcher Ranch trail
The guys from Yuba found a way to make horseshoes more fun. By using Kegs and Kendas!
For starters. The one shop there is great. Yuba Expeditions. Not a big shop at all. Very small selection of bikes and parts, but it has all the small necessities. What makes it so great is the people there and the philosophy with which they operate. It is a three man crew. For the most part only two guys are there though since one is driving the shuttle van to take mountain bikers to different trailheads. The guys there are great. Really friendly, helpful, and really knowledgeable. They certainly don't beat around the bush when it comes to bikes. They are also a non-profit shop. They pay overhead and get the needed inventory, then all other profits go towards the Sierra Butte Trail Stewardship (SBTS). SBTS is a group that does nothing but build professional, sustainable trails in the area. All donations go to paying the full time trail crew and buying the best tools possible to get the job done. On any given day you can find at least three guys from the group on a trail working. And that brings me to the second reason it is such a great area. The trails.
Having a full time trail crew in the area means that trails are always in top conditions. I have ridden in bike parks that don't have trails this well built. Simply put, these trails are phenomenal. Everywhere I rode was well marked, making it nearly impossible to lose your way, and every difficult section you could walk or go around (not that I did; well on purpose...). The amount of terrain options is pretty incredible as well. Some trails were fairly smooth and extremely flowy. Others were super technical and slow moving with lots of ups and downs thrown in the middle of it. The trails that everyone who rides has heard of are the ones that make up the Downieville Downhill. Fifteen(ish) miles of enduro style descending. And it had everything. A couple decent sized jumps, big berms, long rock gardens, smooth sections you could hit Mach 5 on (ok ok it was only 37mph. Between trees.), and natural sections full of roots, rocks, ruts, bumps, and everything else the forest could throw at you. Needless to say, I liked it. A whole hell of a lot. My next favorite trail there was the Mills Peak Trail. I don't remember an exact distance, but I know you climbed then descended over 3,000 vertical feet. It is a well built path, but is a very natural style terrain. Extremely fast, really technical, and a ton and a half of fun.
View from the top of the Downieville Downhill
Pretty large logs huh?
Off-roading the Road Warrior!
No comments:
Post a Comment