Lost Sierra Loop, A Long Weekend Bikepacking Adventure in Northern California

I love California’s Lost Sierra region and have been eyeing it as a bikepacking destination for years. But I never got around to mapping my own route there, for two reasons. 

First, the area is an absolute smorgasbord of remote gravel and dirt forest roads, with almost too many options if you don’t know where to start. Second, it’s tough riding, with at least 1000 feet of climb per 10 miles everywhere you look.

So when I saw that others have been doing the hard work of route development in the Lost Sierra, I got excited to follow in their wheel tracks. 

My original goal was actually the longer and newer Lost Sierra Bikepacking Route from Bikepacking Roots, which hits some beautiful areas I know and love (Downieville and the Sierra Buttes). But when schedule constraints limited our time window I decided to pivot to the shorter Lost Sierra Loop from bikepacking.com. I just finished riding this route over three days with my husband and here’s the ride report.

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Route

We followed this route as mapped, except for an important detour between mile 68 – 74 where fallen trees have made the original route into a difficult slog. Read the comments section on the route description page for the latest. 

Planning Info

Parking: Very near the start of the route, a couple tenths of a mile up Willow Creek Road, there’s a y-junction with a pullout where we left our vehicle. It’s on National Forest land so you could also camp there before or after your ride. 

Season: We rode in mid-August. Generally mid-June through September is a good time for this route, though high snow years could require a later start and October could offer some openings depending on weather. The area is prone to intense heat waves in the summer, so check the forecast first.

Bears: We saw a LOT of bear activity on this route, more than I’ve ever seen in the Sierra. Lots of tracks and scat, and one actual bear sighting. There are only black bears in this area, which are generally not dangerous, but it’s critical to store your food properly when camping (take an Ursack or get good at bear hanging) and keep a clean camp. 

Difficulty: This route is straightforward in terms of logistics (frequent water and resupply) and largely non-technical (just a few miles of lower-intermediate level singletrack), but there is a LOT of climbing. If you’re not used to days with several thousand feet of elevation gain, make sure to plan shorter mileage than you normally would. 

Pace: We rode this route over three days, each with around 3000 – 4000 feet of climb and 30 – 37 miles. Granted we’re not in peak bikepacking shape right now, but we thought that was a good pace and two days would have been a real grind because of all the climbing.

Camping: For a route that spends so much time on National Forest land, there are not as many good dispersed camping spots as you might expect. The terrain is often steep without many flat spots, and much of the area has been affected by fires (camping in a forest of dead trees isn’t a great idea). We camped at the Taylorsville Campground on night 1 ($20, coin showers) and a bit off-route by the Feather River at mile 74 on night 2. 

Resupply: There’s a small store in Taylorsville (limited hours) and a Safeway in Quincy, plus some restaurants along the way. Our highlight was a relaxing stop for burgers and shakes at The Polka Dot in Quincy. 

Bikes: This is a forgiving route when it comes to bike choice, with the minor exception of the optional Mt. Hough singletrack. We both rode fully rigid mountain bikes with wider tires (29 x 2.35” and 29 x 2.8”) because that’s what we had set up at the moment. You could also do it on a gravel bike (though I might suggest skipping the singletrack) or a hardtail. I think the biggest considerations should be light weight and low gearing for all the climbing. 

Fires: This area, as you’ll see, is extremely vulnerable to wildfires. Unfortunately at least half of the route has already been burned to a crisp. You’ll need a California Fire Permit (free and easy to get) if you want to use a stove, and you should follow any fire restrictions at the time of your ride. 

Itinerary and Daily Notes

Day 1: Start to Taylorsville, 37 miles and 3000 feet of climb

We camped overnight at the turnout where we left our vehicle. By mid-morning we had the bikes loaded up and set off up the first climb. It was quite rideable, one of the easiest on the route, and we hit the top without too much trouble. On the way up we spotted a smallish bear in the distance, the first of many signs that bears are very active in this area.

What we expected to be an easy flatish section slowed us down quite a bit as we rode through the ravages of the 2021 Dixie Fire. Burnt tree skeletons and massive piles of logs made for a dramatic landscape as we picked our way over roads chewed up by heavy equipment and covered in fine dust. 

The final downhill along Little Grizzly Creek rolled nicely, a good reward for all the dusty pedaling. Gradually more live trees began to appear amid the burnt landscape. At the bottom, along Genesee Road, the paved riding was smooth and pleasant. 

We rolled into the Taylorsville Campground around 5pm on a Saturday and found plenty of open spots. It was a windy but otherwise pleasant night. (Bring quarters for the showers! I didn’t expect to need one so badly after just one day, but was very happy to rinse off the day’s thick layer of dust.)

Day 2: Taylorsville to Feather River, 30 miles and 4000 feet of climb

The second day didn’t waste any time getting down to business, with the China Grade climb rising 2000 feet in just 4 miles. We ended up hike-a-biking most of this climb, as it just wasn’t worth the effort of grinding up it. As we walked we noticed many bear tracks in the dust, as if one or two of them had ambled up the road just a couple hours prior.

We were thrilled to reach the top, and let me be honest, we did not do the optional climb to the top of Mt. Hough. Our goal with this ride was to keep things as chill as possible (not easy on a route with so much climbing). If you have the energy I do recommend going for it, as it offers the best views on the route.

The singletrack down from Mt. Hough was a fun surprise. It just keeps going and going, almost 7 miles of downhill (and we didn’t even start at the very top)! On our fully rigid mountain bikes with flat bars it was just the right difficulty level, enough to be interesting but nothing crazy. Personally I would not have enjoyed it on a gravel bike, or even my drop bar Fargo, though some might. It’s possible to skip by continuing on the dirt road if you prefer.

After a few miles of quiet pavement we found ourselves in Quincy. We topped up on snacks at the Safeway and pedaled to The Polka Dot for burgers and shakes. I highly recommend this as a mid-afternoon stop! They have a lovely shaded outdoor seating area and tasty, filling food.

Fueled by cheeseburgers and milkshakes, we started the climb up La Porte Road in the afternoon. Here we had read in the comments about a lot of fallen trees on the burned area of forest road ahead, so we followed an alternate route suggested in the comments section (purple track here). We continued up paved La Porte Road, then turned left on a dirt road. 

Shortly after rejoining the route we turned off it again, downhill to the banks of the Feather River. We turned left at the fork and found a nice campsite by the water with no one else in sight. A sign tacked to a tree indicated we were on a registered mining claim, which explained the mysterious equipment glimpsed through the trees across the river. Nevertheless we sadly did not strike gold despite the region’s rich mining history.

Day 3: Feather River to finish, 31 miles and 4200 feet of climb

The climb from our campsite back up to the route was easier than I’d feared, and soon enough we were climbing a mercifully gradual grade on the way to crossing quiet Highway 70. Then two miles of steep sunny hike-a-bike formed the day’s crux before a nice section of smooth downhill.

We cranked up the final climb, very gradual and nicely shaded, to the final summit of the route. We saw bear tracks here, and some impressively large piles of bear scat near the top.

Overall this day offered far more unburnt trees than the previous two, and we definitely enjoyed the greenery and shade. It was hard to see the stark contrast and the ravages of fire across so much of the landscape. While it’s true that fire is a natural part of the forest’s lifecycle, this area has been hit extremely hard in the last few years of unusually dry winters, and will have a long recovery ahead.

The last few miles were a blur of fast-rolling downhill as we closed the loop and retraced the first few miles en route to our vehicle. It went much faster on the way down! After unpacking and loading the bikes we drove our camper to Graeagle and an RV park for burgers and showers to celebrate our ride.

Overall Impressions

I’m glad to have ridden this route, though I admit to mixed feelings about it initially. At least half, maybe two thirds, of the forests on the route have burned recently, so you’ll want to have a taste for that post-apocalyptic vibe. It’s impactful and interesting, in a somber kind of way, to experience it up close.

The Lost Sierra has some stunning scenery (the Sierra Buttes and the ridge above the Lakes Basin area, for example) but this route doesn’t include it, and it’s rare to get views that aren’t obscured by trees (partly our fault for skipping the trek up Mt. Hough). I know the longer Lost Sierra Bikepacking Route from Bikepacking Roots takes in more of these scenic areas, but you’ll need about 7 days, at an equivalent pace to ours, for that route.

One tempting option, if you have more than 3 days but less than 7, would be to combine the southern half of the Bikepacking Roots’ route with the southern (or northern) portion of this route. I haven’t mapped it out, but cutting over somewhere between Sloat and Lake Davis would close the loop and perhaps offer the best of both worlds. 

All that said, this little route grew on me by the end. The climbs are tough but representative of the region, the valleys are idyllic, and the small towns are pleasant. The forests, if you’re looking closely, are varied and interesting. In this region known for logging I guess it’s fitting that the route spends most of its time in the trees. Overall it’s a representative sampler of the region and I think it would be hard to find a better long weekend route in the Lost Sierra. 

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