Local Tahoe & Truckee Bicycle Rides

North Lake Tahoe’s scenic bike trail system offers 25 miles of easy and enjoyable bike paths that are paved and separated from the roads.

From Factory Bike, you can ride up into Squaw Valley, or South along the Truckee River to Tahoe City.  Once you reach Tahoe City, you can continue on South along the West Shore of Lake Tahoe, all the way past the town of Tahoma and into Sugar Pine Point State Park.  From Tahoe City, you can also ride East to Dollar Point, and you can do all of these without ever leaving the bike trail.

1.5 miles West

Ride this moderate uphill to the Squaw Valley Ski Area, which features a spacious pedestrian village and variety of stores and restaurants.

4.5 miles South towards Tahoe City

This is mostly flat, and travels upstream along the Truckee river to Tahoe City.  Pass by the River Ranch and you’ll find numerous opportunities for swimming along the river before arriving in Tahoe City, which features the newly renovated Commons Beach Park and Playground, plus the 64 Acres Park and the areas largest selection of stores, cafes, and restaurants.

Going South along Tahoe’s West Shore

3 miles of rolling ups and downs brings you to Sunnyside Restaurant and Marina, with a large outdoor seating area on thier famous lakeside deck.  Just past there you’ll find Kilner Park, with picnic grounds and public tennis and volleyball courts.

2 more miles of flat riding takes you right along the Hurricane Bay public beach park, with shallow wading and swimming in Lake Tahoe.

Just beyond that is the Blackwood Canyon/Kaspian Bicycle Campground area, with lakefront picnic areas and a quiet 2.5 mile paved road that goes slightly uphill through scenic forests, along the route of Blackwood Creek.

6 more miles of flat terrain (except for one small hill) brings you through Homewood and on to Tahoma, and just past that is Sugar Pine Point State Park, which features additional bike routes through pristine forests.  Go across to the lakefront side and you can visit the historic Ehrman Mansion and public beach park, where you’ll also find a great lakeside lawn that’s perfect for a picnic lunch.

The level of difficulty for these rides is very low, they’re just fun and easy. Times can vary, depending of course on how fast you choose to ride and how often you choose to stop, but our actual ride time averages are:

• From Factory Bike to Squaw Valley: 10-20 minutes.
• From Factory Bike to Tahoe City: 20-40 minutes.
• From Tahoe City to Sunnyside: 10-20 minutes.
• From Sunnyside to Hurricane Bay: 10-15 minutes.
• From Hurricane Bay to Sugar Pine Point: 20-40 minutes.

All of these times are ONE WAY, so allow yourself time for the return trip! The ride to Tahoe City is easy for all levels of riders and families. The trip to Sunnyside is for the slightly more energetic, and the journey to Sugar Pine Point is for the most ambitious riders with a day to spend.

Keep in mind that while the ride along the Truckee river to Tahoe City is very slightly uphill (upstream along the river), it’s not enough that you’ll even notice, until you realize that you’re going a little faster on the way back to our shop.