You don't have to be an Olympic athlete to do any version of this ride, but know what you're getting into and be prepared. Kind of glad I took Tahoe Rim Trail to the lookout, but I wouldn't do that again. The Flume trail itself is almost flat and not very technical, and the views are good enough to do it twice and see the scenery from a different angle. In hindsight, I would've gone Flume Trail out and back at the intersection. Then on to serene Lake Marlette, and save the best almost for last- the Flume, followed by a crazy fun 3-mile tear down Tunnel Creek Road. At the top you're rewarded with a spectacular view of Lake Marlette, and then it's all downhill past fields of wildflowers and Lake Views. Not as bad as the Spooner Lake slog, and not as long, but still tough. You wind up at the same spot on the far end of Lake Marlette, but this way involves a good slog uphill. I wanted different scenery the whole way, so I chose the other fork -go around Marlette Lake via Tahoe Rim trail and then do the Flume. You can go around the right side of Marlette Lake via the Flume itself, then go back the same way and down Tunnel Creek Road. Then you come to a 4-way intersection, and it's decision time. For cautious newbies like me, you just have to get off your bike in a few places. There's some jumping over rocks, but really not enough to challenge hardcore mountain bikers. So you start with a very pleasant ride instead of exhausting yourself with a nasty slog uphill. The first 9.5 miles of this track is mostly downhill, some shade, and some good scenery opening up later in the track. And depending on how you structure it, maybe virtually no climb at all! This extends the ride to 25 miles (no big deal on a bike), but it's less climbing in terms of both the amount of miles you climb and the elevation gain. I decided to do it differently and start at Tahoe Meadows via shuttle from Tunnel Creek Cafe. Not technical enough for the experienced riders, too punishing for everyone else, and not that particularly scenic. That's the shortest route, but the first part involves a brutal 4-mile, 1000 ft climb which no one seems to enjoy. Most people do the 14-mile version of this ride starting at Spooner Lake, past Marlette Lake, on through the Flume itself, and down Tunnel Creek Rd, after which they get a shuttle back to Spooner Lake. The ride delivers scenery in spades, and just enough steep dropoffs to make you feel like you're living dangerously.
I'll say more later about the secret way to avoid the brutal climb.įor now let me just say that this may be the most spectacular ride you'll ever do. I'm in reasonably good bike-riding shape, but this was literally my second single-track mountain biking experience, so that's the perspective I'm writing from. For some people it is, but for me I just wanted a great ride with spectacular scenery. Oh yes, everyone (including me) is doing this ride the wrong way, unless of course punishment is part of the goal. If you land anywhere on the site except the gateway page look in the footer for a link labeled "Trail info." Depending upon where you land on the site it can be quite difficult to find descriptions of the routes. My only suggestion would be for Flume Trail Bikes to improve the navigation on its web site. Beautiful flowy trails through large granite bolders with views of Lake Tahoe and to the east. We enjoyed the Flume ride so much that we also did the Tahoe Rim and the Tahoe Rim/Flume Trail rides. Recommned downloading the TrailForks app prior to the ride. There is also a four mile climb from the drop-off point so riders should be in reasonable shape. There is quite a bit of exposure in several spots (if you slipped off the left side of trail you would be seriously injured or killed) so would not recommed for beginner mtn. The views from the Flume trail are spectacular.
BASS LAKE FLUME TRAIL DRIVER
Driver was friendly and gave us a few navigation tips at the drop-off. Purchased tickets online and caught the shuttle at the scheduled time. Our party of six (ages 55-67) rode the Flume Trail Shuttle to get to the start of the Flume trail and had a wonderful day enjoying spectacular views of Lake Tahoe.
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