15.0 miles
Distance
816 ft
Climb
-4,915 ft
Descent
1 mile
High Point

This is the classic Downieville Downhill route. Shuttle up to the start at the Sunshine Trail. From there it goes down to Butcher Ranch, 3rd Divide, and First Divide back in to town. There are alternative routes as well, but this is the classic.

source: http://www.downievilleoutfitters.com/trailinfo.php
Detailed Description
Downieville Downhill is a highly rated 15 mile popular expert route located near Downieville California. This mountain bike only route can be used one direction and has a hard overall physical rating. This route includes 7 trails. This route climbs 816 ft with a max elevation of 7,106 ft then descends -4,915 ft.
Local Trail Association
Local trail association
Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (www.sierratrails.org)
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Trail Products

17 Reviews & Comments

  • + 0
dstark70sf (Jun 27, 2022 at 11:48)
 Best trail I’ve ever done. I think about it often. Wear pads and be prepared to smile. Epic!
[Reply]
  • + 0
KileB123 (Jun 24, 2022 at 19:59)
 Great trail, enjoy before it’s too hot and support the town by buying some stuff!
[Reply]
  • + 0
lx93 (May 28, 2022 at 19:48)
Trail First Divide
 Glorified fire road that’s all
[Reply]
  • + 0
lx93 (May 28, 2022 at 19:48)
Trail First Divide
 Glorified fire road that’s all
[Reply]
  • + 0
savesthejade (May 27, 2022 at 11:17)
Trail First Divide
 A pretty flat/pedaly section of the downhill route. Must have been an old rail trail given the mellow grade. Some cliff/steep exposure at times but quite manageable.
[Reply]
  • + 0
savesthejade (May 27, 2022 at 11:17)
Trail First Divide
 A pretty flat/pedaly section of the downhill route. Must have been an old rail trail given the mellow grade. Some cliff/steep exposure at times but quite manageable.
[Reply]
  • + 0
savesthejade (May 27, 2022 at 11:16)
Trail Third Divide
 Open and fast loose dirt chute with some side features to kick off. Surprisingly few brake bumps.
[Reply]
  • + 0
Mgemassmer (May 23, 2022 at 20:25)
Trail Sunrise Trail
 Tons of snow…. Sunrise unrideable. Top of butcher is the same until the waterfalls.
[Reply]
  • + 1
toftsmtb (Jun 26, 2021 at 15:50)
 Ride fast, don't die. Take some time to look around- the scenery is beautiful
[Reply]
  • + 0
fri501pm (Jun 24, 2021 at 12:00)
Trail First Divide
 More like 100 ft of climbing.
[Reply]
  • + 0
fri501pm (Jun 24, 2021 at 12:00)
Trail First Divide
 More like 100 ft of climbing.
[Reply]
  • + 0
DrHog (Aug 30, 2020 at 7:43)
Trail Pauley Creek Trail
 Great trail. After a couple of years hitting the classic, doing Gold Valley Rim to Pauley Creek was a natural variation. Is it better than Sunrise/Butcher Ranch? I don’t think so, but still worth a look.
[Reply]
  • + 0
atfarley (Jun 24, 2020 at 13:54)
Trail First Divide
 I never found the thousand feet of climbing.
[Reply]
  • + 0
atfarley (Jun 24, 2020 at 13:54)
Trail First Divide
 I never found the thousand feet of climbing.
[Reply]
  • + 1
twowheeledwanderer (Dec 1, 2019 at 11:18)
Trail Butcher Ranch Trail
 Butcher Ranch Trail has a good mix of fast flow and techy bits. The 'hardest' feature on the whole route is the Waterfall which isn't too bad unless it's covered in water. Parts of Butcher are loose, steep, and chundery, and other parts are hardpacked and fast.

Use this guide to help plan your next trip to Downieville! twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/a-quick-mountain-bike-escape-to-downieville-california
[Reply]
  • + 1
twowheeledwanderer (Dec 1, 2019 at 11:13)
Trail Third Divide
 Fast flow! Third Divide is basically where you open up the brakes and let it rip. There is one technical rock feature that is tricky to make (up not down) but other than it's fast and smooth(ish).

Use this guide to help plan your next trip to Downieville! twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/a-quick-mountain-bike-escape-to-downieville-california
[Reply]
  • + 1
deln78 (Jul 22, 2019 at 7:46)
Trail Pauley Creek Trail
 Awesome trail! Just like in the description above. Note that a much better access route is to first take the also-excellent Gold Valley Rim Trail, then a much shorter fire road connector.
[Reply]





Trails in Route

Details

  • Riding area
    Downieville
  • Primary Activity
    Mountain Bike
  • Difficulty rating
    Black Diamond
  • Route Type
    Shuttled
  • Bike type
    DH, AM, XC
  • Direction
    One Direction
  • Physical rating
    Hard
  • Ridelogs
    829
More Stats for Downieville Downhill mountain bike route
  • Altitude change
    -4,101 ft
  • Altitude min
    2,980 ft
  • Altitude start
    7,081 ft
  • Altitude end
    2,979 ft
  • Grade
    -5.2%
  • Grade max
    -67.2%
  • Grade min
    34.4%
  • Distance climb
    3 miles
  • Distance down
    11 miles
  • Distance flat
    4,862 ft
Avg: 4.35 (14 votes)

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Downieville Downhill - Downieville, CA
Downieville Downhill - Downieville, CA
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May 5, 2017

Recent Trail Reports Along Route

statustraildateconditiondescription
Sunrise Trail
Jul 3, 2022 @ 11:09am
3 days
Third Divide
Jun 17, 2022 @ 2:57pm
Jun 17, 2022
First Divide
Jun 16, 2022 @ 10:47am
Jun 16, 2022
Butcher Ranch Trail
Jun 16, 2022 @ 10:47am
Jun 16, 2022
Pauley Creek Trail
Jun 11, 2020 @ 10:02am
Jun 11, 2020
more reports »
  • By jmahler TRAILFORKS & contributors
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