Western Railroad Discussion > Tahoe-Pyramid Trail: Truckee, CA to Verdi, NV

The Tahoe-Pyramid Trail is a multiuse hike and bike trail that will ultimately link Lake Tahoe with Pyramid Lake in Western Nevada. Various segments of the trail have been completed, while others are still in planning and construction. The trail follows the Truckee river as it drains Lake Tahoe into the Great Basin at Pyramid Lake. I took the opportunity to ride the segment from Truckee, CA to Verdi, NV as a 49 mile round trip out-and-back on the morning and afternoon of Friday, August 20, 2021. There was a brief break in the persistent smoke from the Dixie Fire and Caldor Fire that have been choking the Northern Sierra and Lake Tahoe Basin, so I decided to get while the getting’s good.

The trail where I started from at the Truckee River Regional Park near downtown Truckee is paved, and it follows the river on the south bank east to the Glenshire neighborhood. The UP Roseville Sub parallels the river on the north side for this stretch with decent visibility for much of the way as it runs down the east slope of Donner Pass. Once the trail reaches Glenshire Blvd, it climbs along the road over a bluff and down to Hirschdale where the interesting part of this segment begins. The section from Hirschdale to Verdi is mostly unpaved singletrack that hugs the wall of the Truckee River Canyon. This is interspersed with old sections of Hwy 40 which predated Interstate 80, along with segments of unpaved fire and service roads. The railroad follows the canyon from Truckee to Reno as well, and there are segments that provide excellent views of the line and some of the bridges that carry it across the Truckee River.

If you find yourself in the Truckee or Reno area, and you’re the adventurous type that enjoys hiking or biking, I’d recommend checking it out. The best times are in the late spring or fall, though I rode it on a cooler summer day. There was a temperature swing of over 30 degrees on the day that I rode it, starting around 50 degrees and finishing north of 80 degrees, so I needed layers to accommodate for that. I brought a decent amount of water for an ~50 mile ride and it still wasn’t enough. (I also somewhat underestimated the difficulty of the route.) I rode it on my gravel bike with 40mm tubeless tires. This was the right bike for me for the ride given the long stretches of pavement, but it made for some technical riding on the singletrack sections. A mountain bike or e-bike with mountain tires would also work.

https://tahoepyramidtrail.org
https://www.strava.com/routes/2862746061572975148

All the photos below are grab shots with my iPhone, but I think in the future I will hike back in for a couple of these spots with a more competent camera and lenses if there is a chance of catching a train.

Photo 1: Nearing the top of the switchbacks where the trail leaves the Truckee River and climbs the bluff of the Glenshire-Devonshire neighborhood of Truckee. The UP rail line is on the opposite side of the river, and there is decent visibility of the tracks on this stretch coming from downtown Truckee.

Photo 2: All I needed was an eastbound train in the fine morning light just east of Hirschdale where the section of old Hwy 40 dissipates and the singletrack begins.

Photo 3: Approaching Floriston, CA from the west, you have to dismount and walk down a section of stairs to near track level.

Continued...

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Photo 4: The old signal bridge frames the new signals looking north (RR east) at the Quilici Ranch Road grade crossing south of Verdi, NV. (I needed a WB train for this one, though clearly I would have needed a slightly different vantage point.)

Photo 5: These bridges carry both mains across the Truckee River just south (RR west) of Verdi, NV.

Photo 6: Amtrak 5, the westbound California Zephyr, running several hours late between Verdi, NV and Floriston, CA.

Cheers,
Sean

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Great photos! Glad you got a smoke break.
#3 Walk Your Bike - that is an understatement.

Interesting location for a trail, looks like some good access. Always wondered what it looked like from the other side of the river.

Does the Pyramid Lake section follow the old SP RoW from decades ago?

Stairs are always a challenge for a real mountain biker...
.t4p.

Great pictures of my old stomping grounds (but never on a bicycle).  I loved that signal bridge on the Quilici Ranch Road crossing and the twin bridges for train pictures.

JB - Omaha

TCnR Wrote:
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> Interesting location for a trail, looks like some
> good access. Always wondered what it looked like
> from the other side of the river.

There are a number of access points along 80, including some pullouts off the highway, as well as Hirschdale, Floriston, Farad, and Verdi.

> Does the Pyramid Lake section follow the old SP
> RoW from decades ago?

It looks like some of the trail follows the old Modoc grade out of Wadsworth, but it looks like the trail swings closer to the river. I haven't visited that section of trail.

TCnR Wrote:
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> Stairs are always a challenge for a real mountain
> biker...
> .t4p.

I'll ride staircases on my mountain bike, and some on my gravel bike, but the 90 degree bend on this one and the subsequent 30' drop into the Truckee River makes you think twice and dismount. (Though I'm sure Danny MacAskill would do a flip off it, launch the river, and land on one wheel on top of a passing train!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/21 16:04 by broken_link.

I'm definitely interested in getting back out there with a proper camera to see what I can come back with.

Copy19 Wrote:
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> Great pictures of my old stomping grounds (but
> never on a bicycle).  I loved that signal bridge
> on the Quilici Ranch Road crossing and the twin
> bridges for train pictures.
>
> JB - Omaha

The other interesting place with history is Boca, junction point of the Boca and Loyalton. Much of the B&L ROW is
driveable though I might not do it at the moment, might have one of those cat converter started fires. The Modoc
ROW is pretty much driveable all the way to Flanigan though the road does parallel it in spots.

Out 

Looks like a great trail. Especially with all the railroad views.

Posted from iPhone

Great thread and photos.  I was hoping you might mention the unusual board/track sections along the river and railroad just south of the CA/NV state line:

Verdi - Google Maps

I've seen these from I-80, initially mistaking them for railroad track - and wondered what they were, a modern day log flume?

Rich



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/21 17:38 by PasadenaSub.

It's actually a water district flume, delivers water to the area South of Reno (at least it did)  It's been in and out service
with flood issues, not sure if they ever fixed all of it.

Out 

callum_out Wrote:
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> It's actually a water district flume, delivers
> water to the area South of Reno (at least it
> did)  It's been in and out service
> with flood issues, not sure if they ever fixed all
> of it.
>
> Out 
I was looking at that flume from #6 a few years back.It looked to be  in pretty bad shape.
Regards,DK

Yes, as callum_out mentioned the flumes are for the water district. In the first photo below I've just crossed under the flume on the trail at the lower right portion of the photo. This is on the northwest side of the river north of Floriston. I-80 and the railroad can be seen on the opposite side of the canyon. In the second photo, water plunges from a flume into a collecting pool near Verdi, NV.

callum_out Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It's actually a water district flume, delivers
> water to the area South of Reno (at least it
> did)  It's been in and out service
> with flood issues, not sure if they ever fixed all
> of it.
>
> Out 

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Some other cool aspects of the trail are the portion coming into Floriston, CA that is built on an elevated section on the canyon wall, as well as the suspension bridge near the CA / NV border.

Sean

atsf121 Wrote:
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> Looks like a great trail. Especially with all the
> railroad views.
>
> Posted from iPhone

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Thanks for the description and photos of the bike trail. I was aware of the section from West River Street in Truckee over to Glenshire, but not the section onto Verdi.  Over the years, I've made the trip by bike to and from the Bay Area and Truckee-Reno.  This trail offers a new outing.  

Gerry

Good stuff- thanks!
I just bought an electric fat-tire bike for quicker/easier/further access on both The Hill and my Necrophoamin expeditions- could be a very useful addition to my kit.
I will definitely check out this trail!
SR

Great information, thank you for sharing this, added this trail to my to do list!

rantoul Wrote:
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> Verdi area, south side of the railroad along
> Quilici Ranch Road, slated for thousands of new
> homes and commercial shopping.  I-80 connection
> via Crystal Park Road aka Verdi Road.

Oh, please say this isn't true!  Noooooo!!!!!  Must we pave over everything???  We all need open space to feel human, vs. like rats in cages!!!