The 2-mile-long Lily Lake Trail was completed this spring after four years of trail work, mostly by Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA). It traverses the steep slopes between the Angora Lake parking lot and Desolation Wilderness trailhead at Lily Lake above Fallen Leaf Lake, providing spectacular views of Fallen Leaf Lake and Desolation Wilderness.
The trail descends 800 feet from Angora Lake on what is a well-graded trail for hiking and a challenging but unique mountain bike route.
The trail descends 800 feet from Angora Lake on what is a well-graded trail for hiking and a challenging but unique mountain bike route. I hiked it recently and decided it might be the most amazing trail construction project I’ve seen in the Tahoe region.
The Trail 4 miles RT | Moderate-Strenuous
Scott Brown was the lead architect and trail builder for TAMBA. Along with a steady and revolving crew of volunteers, especially his friend Tim Holdener, he spent three days a week for four building seasons trying to build a trail in one of the more challenging locations imaginable. He set out not only to build it but turn it into a rideable and fun trail for bikers. It was a 4,000-hour labor of love.
In addition to traversing through steep terrain with limited avenues to carve out a route, the Lily Lake trail travels through several huge fields of rock talus composed of giant boulders. The builders decided that they wanted riders to be able to smoothly ride through the talus — which meant rearranging thousands of pounds of rocks by hand into polished pathways through the boulders.
“We worked hard to eliminate steps; those are a pain in the butt to ride up. We tried to make things smooth,” said Brown. “We were building from as soon as the snow melted, until it snowed again in the fall. I’d often look at a section and say, ‘I don’t know how we are going to do it.”’
But, according to Brown they knew as they were building it that: “This trail was going to be iconic and very different.” In addition to the smooth paths through the talus, there is also slickrock near the bottom of the trail and well designed, but tight switchbacks.
TAMBA Trails Director Patrick Parsel says that in addition to all that hard work from TAMBA, the U.S. Forest Service was a key partner using small earth-moving machines to build a challenging traverse at the top of the trail. Parsel said the project was also the beneficiary of “great fundraising from the Tahoe Fund to bring a paid contractor to build some of the turns.”
“Lily Lake Trail is just spectacular,” said Amy Berry, CEO of Tahoe Fund. “It was also spectacularly challenging to build. Thanks to the support of Vail Resorts and the Mathman Family and other Tahoe Fund donors, we were thrilled to be able to provide the resources necessary to our partners at TAMBA and the Forest Service to help make it happen. Trails like this are only possible with great partnerships and great trail supporters.”
Technical ride, amazing views
After watching several videos of folks riding down the new trail, I made the wise choice for me to hike it instead of ride it. The riding conditions are quite technical and for those of us with a fear of heights there are quite a few spots where the trail crosses a steep slope. I decided it would not be good thing to go flying off the trail. These spots gave me enough of the heebie-jeebies hiking it. That being said, several expert riders we encountered found riding the trail was a unique and interesting experience.
One rider said it was his first time on a ride being able to roll continuously over rocks without having to deal with steps. He was impressed with the trail work. But as Brown says after riding the trail many times, “It is so consistent that you have to stay on your game the whole time.”
While built to accommodate mountain bikes by a group of volunteers who wanted to create a unique biking experience, their hard work made for a unique hiking experience, as well. We loved walking across the talus fields on smooth rock and marveled at a hairpin turn that was entirely made of perfectly placed rocks. It turns out that trail with a smooth surface and a steady grade is great for hikers, as well as riders. We stopped frequently to marvel at the amazing rockwork; it was as if we were looking at the work of talented rock artists.
The trail makes a good out-and-back, 4-mile trip from either the Fallen Leaf Lake trailhead or Angora Lake trailhead. Be aware that from Angora down to Lily Lake is almost all downhill and the ride up would be quite the workout. But to get to both trailheads requires driving several miles of narrow, often one-laned roads. So, if you are up for a longer bike or hike, Parsel recommends connecting to the Lily Lake Trail via a series of trails along Angora Ridge and Tahoe Mountain. A network of trails have been built in this area on the open terrain created by the Angora Fire of 2007. Most of these Angora Ridge trails are geared to the beginner and intermediate rider.
When it comes to the challenging Lily Lake trail, Parsel adds: “I encourage folks if it’s above your ability level it is totally fine to walk a section.”
Or perhaps, if you are not confident in your stellar riding skills, take it for a spin via feet first and then you can decide whether this is a ride you should be taking on.
Want to work your butt off creating or maintaining ribbons of joy through the wilderness? TAMBA offers many volunteer workdays. | tamba.org
