Tahoe Rim Trail: Kingsbury to Van Sickle

Rode Dagget Loop as a part of doing a bigger route from Kingsbury down to South Lake Tahoe. It's a typical South Tahoe are trail with plenty of fixed rock and boulders. Well maintained trail with nice scenery. Rode the day after Labor Day, and didn't see a single other rider or hiker. Due to the route we planned, we rode Daggett Loop from the south end, which means it's a 1200 ' climb for 3 miles starting as soon as you hit the trail. We didn't warm up, so, yeah, it woke us lowlanders up. Starting from the south, you're at around 7200'. I suspect most ride from the north end, as that would provide a 1200' descend after a milder 600' half mile climb. Really nothing too challenging, but a nice trail. Watch for sand traps when things have been dry, especially the end of summer.

Van Sickle is an intermediate all down hill trail, dropping 1,687 feet in 3 miles. It has a nice speedy average grade (around 11%), and you won't need to mash your brakes the whole way down, but you will use them. Common for this South Lake Tahoe area, you'll encounter many fixed rocks/boulders, and common packed decomposed granite surface. The primary technical challenges are negotiating those fixed rocks and some sand. Sand is prevalent when it's been dry for a while, and washouts can take place, especially in a few switchbacks. There are a couple of short technical grades as steep as 20%, and a few drops that will encourage dropping your seat, or at least sliding off the back. The chance of pedal sticks are pretty good, and chain ring contact is possible. Lesser experienced riders will have fun negotiating lines, and advanced riders will have a blast hammering over the TTF's at speed along whatever line they manage to pick. Van Sickle is NOT a flow trail, so don't expect any berms or jumps other than some hops off of larger rocks if you pick those lines. It is a multi-use, two way trail, although it's very unlikely you'll encounter a bike rider going up. It is a popular hiking trail due to it's trail-head being in close proximity to the casino hotel end of town, so watch for, and yield to, hikers. Scenery and views are great, assuming you have time to take your attention off of the trail.

We were in South Lake for the July 4th weekend. I took a few hours to enjoy some of the local trails. I was shuttled to the top of Corral and then rode the additional 1.5 miles up the paved road to the top of Armstrong. That makes for a nice downhill - Armstrong, Sidewinder, onto Corral.

Great flowy trail. A few technical spots with rocks and roots. Lots of features with ride-arounds. Enjoyable trail for the experienced rider to the beginner. Great way to enjoy the day.

Awesome singletrack. If you ride Van Sickle please be respectful toward the hikers eliminating any conflicts and possible closure to mountain biking.