First of all, let there be no mistake: This is an advanced and challenging ride. Don’t let the fact that it’s “only a downhill” fool you. Inexperienced riders and those who might feel like bringing along a first-timer riding buddy would quickly find themselves in trouble. Plenty of such Downieville fiasco stories can be found on the Internet. An outright downhill rig is not a requirement to be able to handle the ride (though there is no shortage of places where it would help) and much of the ride is smooth and flowing singletrack. Any experienced rider on a dual-suspension bike would be able to handle it comfortably, while hardtail riders doing this ride are not a rarity either, and even riders of rigid bikes on this route aren’t unheard of. Still, there are so many highly technical, rocky, and/or loose sections (sometimes for long stretches), not to mention a handful of places that can be outright dangerous, that anyone other than experienced riders who appreciate technical trails are likely to be suffering throughout most of the ride rather than enjoying it.
The very first trail in the route is the newest one (as of September 2011): Sunrise Trail. Before this singletrack was built, this ride used to start from Packer Saddle with a dirt-road segment that took you all the way to the beginning of Butcher Ranch Trail. Sunrise is a very playful and very twisty singletrack that loses elevation quickly. It seems to have been designed with nothing in mind other than mountain biking pleasure. The earlier parts of the trail are under little to no tree cover. Therefore, due to the high elevation, these parts are open to pretty nice vistas of the surrounding ridges and peaks as you glide down this trail. If I’m not mistaken, this trail uses an easement through private property. So, it would be to the benefit of all of us if riders using this trail would behave responsibly, by avoiding things like skidding, riding outside the trail, taking shortcuts, etc. (though that same principle should apply equally well to every trail anywhere, really).
Sunrise Trail drops you onto Butcher Ranch Road. This transition from a tight singletrack into a wide gravel road is impossible to miss. The beginning of Butcher Ranch Trail is only a few dozen feet down this road and is well marked. I remember reading that Butcher Ranch is the oldest trail segment on this route and some people believe that the trail is currently overly eroded. It didn’t take long for this to become evident when I did this ride. While Butcher Ranch Trail started out in the form of a smooth fire road descending along the floor of a wide valley as it crosses a few streams along the way, the trail entered a portion that seems like an unending “boulder field” around its middle stretches. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that this is one of the sections of the route that is the most popular with hard-core downhillers. As for me, I wasn’t able to stay on my bike for very long along this stretch, so I didn’t get that much out of it. As you go further on Butcher Ranch Trail (roughly after its junction with Pauley Creek Trail), it turns into a more reasonable forest singletrack, though still a very technical one.
Near the end of Butcher Ranch, you cross Butcher Ranch Creek over a bridge and the ride’s only real climb begins. When this half-mile uphill section is over, you’ll be starting out on the Third Divide Trail. (Second Divide Trail is an alternative to this, which sets out toward the left shortly before the end of the climb. That one makes for a more strenuous option.)
Third Divide Trail continues to descend as a singletrack under a canopy of conifer trees. On average, this trail is flowier than Butcher Ranch. Still, there is no shortage of technical stretches on Third Divide, as well as one or two short but very steep descents (one of which was paved with small porous concrete blocks to control erosion).
The fun on Third Divide lasts comparatively shorter (since the trail is only 2.2 miles in length) and you end up finding yourself on a wide dirt road. This is Lavezzola Road. You take this road to the beginning of First Divide Trail. If I understand correctly, it’s not an uncommon beginner’s mistake to follow this road for all the rest of the way straight into Downieville. Doing that would mean missing out on the final three miles of sweet singletrack left to be enjoyed on this ride. To avoid making that mistake, look for the first bridge the road crosses after you get on Lavezzola Road. First Divide Trail begins immediately past that bridge.
First Divide Trail follows a flat profile on average. It will, therefore, have you pedaling more than you’ve had to up to this point on the ride. Initially, it’s a verdant, narrow singletrack that follows along a steep hillside a little above the creek bed. Roughly at the midpoint of its length, First Divide crosses to the southern side of Lavezzola Road. Shortly before and for a brief distance after this crossing point, the trail morphs into a fire road. Not long after the junction with Lavezzola Road, it sets off on the right as a singletrack again at a junction that might be easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. The slope turns slightly uphill in these final stretches of the ride, and once that uphill stretch is at an end, you find yourself swooping down onto the streets at the outskirts of Downieville after descending steeply along a short chain-link fence.
Once the ride is over and you’re back in “downtown” Downieville, thoughts may naturally turn to food and drinks. There are a number of options available there, though perhaps not as many as you’d expect. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried the garlicky shrimp tacos at the cute little La Cocina de Oro Taqueria. They have a few outdoor tables available in their back patio overlooking the creek, too. The town is so tiny that you’ll have no problem spotting this place or any of the other alternatives if you do any walking for more than two minutes near the town center.
Nearest Airport Reno, NV 91.6 miles