Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA), in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, has completed the Stanford Rock Trail on the West Shore near Ward Creek. The project involved more than three years of hand-built, single-track construction, yielding more than 5 miles of trail with more than 2,200 feet of elevation gain. The project increases trail access for non-motorized users including mountain bikers, hikers and equestrians.
The Stanford Rock Trail project involved a major reroute, transforming a steep and eroded historic logging road to a sustainable, recreational trail. The terrain is unique for Tahoe as it provides the perfect grade for Forest Flow — a style of trail with built-in features such as bermed turns and rollers and jumps that allow mountain bikers to maintain speed with minimal pedaling or braking necessary.
“The goal was to reward users with big views and a downhill trail that has the feeling of skiing or snowboarding through the trees, or pumping the surface of a peeling wave,” said Sandor Lengyel, trail crew leader with TAMBA in a press release. “There are no straight lines on the Stanford Rock Trail!”
The trail culminates at a mountaintop summit with handcrafted log benches for views of Lake Tahoe in one direction, Granite Chief Wilderness in the other. TAMBA will officially open the trail with a public ribbon-cutting event on July 30; details online. | tamba.org
