[Felt Ryder]

Gents & ladies:

I promised to drop a video.

I have to say this trail is epic. I just rode it Saturday 8-3-2019.

Access:
Truckee Central exit and find Sawtooth Road#6. Climb it!

The trail is a mix of rock and flow with some serious speed to be had on the lower half. I had 49 minutes of footage but I cut it to 12.

This is one of my top trail likes now, and I'll be up there again soon. The effort put into this trail is astonishing, and well worth it to check off your list.

I hope you guys enjoy the ride!

 

[TraxFactory]

Good times for sure! Looks like you had a blast!

 

[Felt Ryder]

Good times for sure! Looks like you had a blast!

Yes we did. It's in my top 3 now. So much of everything and it switches back and forth.

 

[B1KER]

I felt the same way after I rode it the first time. Was super stoked off of it. I have been calling it my favorite trail in Tahoe. However, after going back and riding it a second time that first time excitement wasn't quite as high. I will say it's definitely a super fun trail, and is still my favorite trail I've ridden in Tahoe. I would say without a doubt if you only have one day to ride in Truckee, that's the trail no question.

 

[mlloyd007]

Rode Upper and Lower today. Wow, both are fantastic trails! The amount of work put into those trails is mind boggling- I was blow away by the granite boulder paths.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[DANNER]

Rode lower Big Chief today too. I had ridden the bottom section when I accidentally discovered it last August.

I was a little surprised by how much climbing there in the "downhill" direction. (I hadn't encountered it when I first rode it since I'd only done the bottom part.) Especially since posters have stated something to the effect of "You shouldn't ride it in the uphill direction, because it really messes up the flow of all the other riders". Honestly, I was taking so many breaks to catch my breath I would messed up anyone's "flow" even though I only rode it in the downhill direction. But with the climbing, I don't think anyone can claim it's purely a downhill trail.

I'm not complaining at all. The amount of effort put into the trail is amazing and it is a really awesome trail, up or down

 

[elenius]

Is it possible to drive up Sawtooth Road and park ride at the bottom of Big Chief trail?

 

[griffsterb]

Just to provide a different perspective - we weren't a huge fan of this trail when we rode it a month ago.

It has some good rock features, but it's very pedaly. A lot of work pedaling through loose rock, similar to the upper half of Mills Peak. Like I said the rock features are good, there's at least 2 big drops and some rock rollers, but if you're looking for high speed downhill this isn't it.

 

[Callender]

^ That's my impression, too. It's cool that it's legal, but there are a lot more progressive trails in the area.

(and Deer Creek isn't one of them!)

 

[mlloyd007]

Upper Big Chief is all downhill and steeper with more advanced features than Lower. And yes you can drive up 06 to the bottom of Lower Big Chief and save a few miles of gravel boredom.

 

[Truckee Trash]

Just to provide a different perspective - we weren't a huge fan of this trail when we rode it a month ago.

It has some good rock features, but it's very pedaly. A lot of work pedaling through loose rock, similar to the upper half of Mills Peak. Like I said the rock features are good, there's at least 2 big drops and some rock rollers, but if you're looking for high speed downhill this isn't it.

Ride upper big chief then drop deer creek!

 

[griffsterb]

Upper Big Chief is all downhill and steeper with more advanced features than Lower. And yes you can drive up 06 to the bottom of Lower Big Chief and save a few miles of gravel boredom.

We drove up to the top of the hill behind Northstar, then a dirt road for a while, then got onto Big Chief where the trail sign was. Not sure if that was upper or lower but I think we did the whole thing.

 

[Schril]

We drove up to the top of the hill behind Northstar, then a dirt road for a while, then got onto Big Chief where the trail sign was. Not sure if that was upper or lower but I think we did the whole thing.

That is the upper.