[ching]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about hitting Downieville this weekend with my buddies. None of of has ever been there before, but we do ride auburn a lot.

Do you guys know if the conditions in Downieville is ok for riding this time or year? do you guys recommend taking a shuttle or shuttling ourselves? and lastly, are there any trails you guys recommend?

any feed back will be greatly appreciated.

Ching

 

[OGRipper]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about hitting Downieville this weekend with my buddies. None of of has ever been there before, but we do ride auburn a lot.

Do you guys know if the conditions in Downieville is ok for riding this time or year? do you guys recommend taking a shuttle or shuttling ourselves? and lastly, are there any trails you guys recommend?

any feed back will be greatly appreciated.

Ching

It is getting late in the season but people have been hitting it recently. Last I heard there is a little snow near the top but otherwise all good. I suggest you call Yuba Expeditions for a current report. If the shuttles are running, it's much easier, unless you have a shuttle bitch who will drive down. It's about a 40 min drive or so each way from town if you drive fairly responsibly, so needing to drive back up for a car is kind of a pain and definitely worth the cost of a shuttle. (Plus, it's good to support the guys at Yuba, who work hard to keep the trails in good shape and accessible to cyclists.) If you go this time of year, bring some warm riding clothes and expect to get wet in some spots - there are stream crossings as well as a few sections where you ride IN shallow streams.

 

[enjoydirt]

OGRipper, do you know if it would be ridable/ open around christmas?

 

[sanjuro]

Not to kill any hopes, but I chatted with Flick from YubaTek last night.

On a casual inquiry, I believe the shuttling season is over. While there was no accumulated snowfall, he mentions that everything at the top is frosted over.

I am sure you could ride up 3rd Divide and down 2nd however.

 

[OGRipper]

OGRipper, do you know if it would be ridable/ open around christmas?

My opinion is that it's just a bad idea.

I don't know if the trails ever really close, but I don't think so. I do know that the road to get to the top (Packer Saddle) closes pretty much as soon as it gets really cold or snows. (It's a narrow, windy road that is steep in parts, with significant exposure - pretty sketchy if it's icy.) I am fairly certain that the road will be closed by christmas. So, shuttling is probably not an option. Like Sanjuro said, you could ride up from town if you really wanted to, but it will be cold, and there will be very few people around if you have a problem. Personally I stick to lower elevations during the winter.