A new top-to-bottom shuttle on California’s Mt. Hough will soon be ready to ride

4,000 feet of descending over 17 miles — the newest shuttle run in the Lost Sierra is poised to become an instant classic!
By Greg Heil
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Photo: SBTS

The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS) Pro Trail Crew has been hard at work on phase two of the nearly 80-mile Mt. Hough trail system over the past several years. And now, they’ve announced that an all-new top-to-bottom 17-mile shuttle run will soon be ready to ride!

SBTS has just finished construction of the 3.6-mile Acorn Grotto Trail on Mt. Hough. Acorn Grotto “drops 1,100 feet in elevation and serves as a critical singletrack connection from the Indian Falls Ridge route to the Mt. Hough Trail, and ties into the Tollgate Creek Crossing, where Berry Creek and the Mt. Hough Trail intersect,” according to SBTS.

“The crew is now working to finish Trail #8—when that’s opened, it will establish a new top-to-bottom singletrack route from Indian Falls Ridge at the 7,200-foot summit of Mount Hough and a new Yuba Expeditions shuttle option to boot: 17 miles from summit to the swim hole!”

The shuttle run begins at 7,200 feet and drops to just under 3,200 feet, losing over 4,000 feet of vertical along its 17-mile distance. Once complete, Mt. Hough will offer several such shuttle runs to choose from, including several variations of each run due to the massive interconnected 80-mile trail system. It’s no wonder that Yuba Expeditions has moved the base of its shuttle operations from Downieville to Quincy. The scale of this new trail development is massive!

The timeline has been massive, too. SBTS has been building on Mt. Hough for 10 years, and they plan to finally wrap the project up this year. Once finished, Mt. Hough will offer three distinct top-to-bottom shuttle runs, plus all of the variations mentioned.

Photo: SBTS

Extensive trail variety, all on one mountain

SBTS isn’t building mileage just for the sake of mileage. Instead, each trail offers a distinct flavor. “Topography-wise, the Indian Falls Ridge Trail looks really different than the Hough trail. [It’s] rockier over on that side,” said Nicole Formosa, Marketing and Communications Manager for SBTS. However, riders shouldn’t expect dedicated downhill runs or jump trails, as all of these trails are still built to accommodate two-way traffic, including motos.

“Having that variety for people, having two more options to go top to bottom is really cool, and we utilize more of the mountain,” said Formosa.

Since all the trails are moto-legal, that means they’re open to e-bikes, too.

Photo: SBTS
 
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