Biking Around Lake Tahoe?

[blondiebiker]

Is it possible to road bike all the way around Lake Tahoe? Has anyone done it? Any good internet links for maps, etc? I keep looking and find mostly mountain biking trails...

[Savra]

It is most definately possible to bike around Lake Tahoe. You would have to do it mostly on the main road accept for a short portion in South lake where there are side streets to take. People do it all the time. I don't know about internet links. Just google.map Tahoe and see the main highway around.

[maillotpois]

We've done it many times. It's a great ride. Approximately 75 miles. Mostly rolly. No really nasty climbs.

[RolliePollie]

You might be able to find some info here:

http://www.bikethewest.com/

They sponsor two big organized rides around the lake every year...one in June and one in September. I did the September ride last year as my first ever big ride. It was a great ride and I think it would definitely be possible to do it on your own. I would not try it on a weekend in summer though...too much traffic!

You could also try yahoomaps or mapquest to check out the roads around the lake. There are some back roads but you're mainly on two-lane state highways (but don't think freeways here...more like a regular two-lane road).

By the way, I used to be "sara" with the big sunflower avatar in case anyone reads this and wonders who RolliePollie is :p

[roadie gal]

This is where I live. I've done the ride a number of times.

It's very easily doable and a very pretty ride. It's about 72 miles. There are a few tough hills. The biggest problem is that there isn't a bike trail all of the way around the lake, so you're sharing the road with a lot of cars. Mostly people are fairly polite, but some of them are distracted by the scenery.

I would suggest doing it clockwise. It does make a difference in both the views you get and the difficulty of the ride. There are 3 big hills. The first goes from Incline Village to Spooner Summit. This isn't a hard one, but it goes on for MILES. The second one (clockwise) is coming out of Camp Richardson on the south shore going up to the lookout at Granite Lake. It's a very slow, switchbacked hill with NO shoulder. Luckily, the speed limit is 10 mph. The last big climb is coming out of Emerald Bay. I think this is the least difficult.

I don't know if you're going to start on the north side or the south. If you start on the north side there are a few good places to put your car. In Tahoe City, there's a big parking area at the intersection of Rt 89 and 28. Lots of people park there to ride or raft. There's no running water, but there are clean portapotties. The end of the ride will also be flat, along the west shore, and you usually have a tailwind. ;) The Bridgetender, right at the intersection, is a great place to eat afterwards, too.

If you start in Incline park your car in the strip mall where the Raleys is. They don't give you any grief if you park all day. There are also a few decent places to eat there, too.

I'm not as familiar with the south shore. But there are a few strip malls and such that you can park at. And there's a newly refurbished shopping area by the base of Heavenly that's nice.

I hope that helps. PM me if you have any questions that I can help you with.

[spokewench]

Sounds like you got good advice from locals. But, yeah, I rode it many years ago - actually turned it into a 90 some mile ride by adding some mileage at the end. I did it clockwise and it was great, great fun! It is a little traffic congested on the south side, but other than that, really a nice ride.

[blondiebiker]

Thanks for all of the great advise guys!

[Savra]

I found this from bicycling.com
http://bicycling.allsportgps.com/Data/ActivityDisplay.aspx?tripId=100706
It's a detailed map etc. of biking around the lake. It really is a wonderful ride. Have fun!