The next morning I woke early and drove to Lake Tahoe so I could ride the famous Flume Trail. The drive was spectacular in the early morning light the golden hills of California slowly changed to the green trees of the high Sierra pass going over to Tahoe.  I first heard about the Flume Trail from a guy I met biking on Cape Cod.  In 2012 I was in Tahoe for the Tour de Tahoe (for my 60th birthday!) and tried to ride The Flume with Lisa.  She had trouble with the altitude and we turned back before reaching the top of the climb.

So I planned ahead to reserve a mountain bike and arrange for a shuttle ride to the trailhead.  I changed clothes and loaded up a small backpack with more water and food and a spare jacket so I would be prepared if the weather turned or it took longer than I expected.  I brought a real camera knowing that this is a spectacular ride high above the east side of Lake Tahoe.

The people who rent the bikes at the bottom of the trail in Incline Village were super nice and helpful.  The bike was a Specialized Carve in excellent condition. They had lost the concession for bike rentals at the top so were operating without a permit to enter the Nevada State Park at the drop off, so they drove me and another rider to the top and dropped us off a short distance away.  I would definitely rent from them again and not rent from the people who have the concession in the Park at the top.  Either way, you don’t want to ride up the road from Incline Village to the Park, it is narrow and busy and has no shoulder for most of it.

The trails are pretty well marked but be sure to bring a trail map (available at the bike rental for free) with you just in case.  The 4 mile climb from the park to the top above Marlette Lake was moderate for most of the way then quite tough for the last half mile at the top.

Marlette Lake from The Flume Trail

From there it is all downhill and level all the way back to the bottom.  The ride is not too technical but does have some areas which are quite exposed dropoffs towards Lake Tahoe.  They recommend walking through the super narrow areas, and I did.  Most of the trail along the flume is single track so if a fast rider came along I pulled off and let them pass.  Being October, there weren’t many riders.  I would imagine it to be mobbed and a lot less enjoyable in mid-summer.

The Flume Trail

The Flume Trail

Here are some panoramas taken from the trail:

After a wonderful ride along the cliff on the flume I finally descended dramatically down to the base in Incline Village where I had rented the bike.  I had a superb lunch at the Tunnel Cafe including a craft brew as a treat after such a  wonderful ride.  It was worth the wait.  Lisa would have hated how exposed the trail was, so I was glad she wasn’t there.

With a huge grin on my mug I changed clothes and drove up to Truckee where I had booked a motel room.