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3.9 miles
Distance
262 ft
Climb
-1,890 ft
Descent
00:41:50
Avg time
-1,628 ft
Altitude change
4,372 ft
Altitude min
6,173 ft
Altitude max
6,173 ft
Altitude start
4,544 ft
Altitude end
-8%
Grade
-39.9%
Grade max
29.7%
Grade min
3,392 ft
Distance climb
3 miles
Distance down
620 ft
Distance flat
00:41:50
Avg time
Butcher Ranch Trail Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- E-Bike
- Horse
- Hike
- Trail Running
- Dirtbike/Moto
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Riding AreaDownieville Trail Network
Downieville, California -
Ref Number#11E08
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Difficulty Rating
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Voted DifficultyBlack Diamond (2 votes)
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Local Popularity100 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 100 in E-Biking
- 95 in Trail Running
- 95 in Hiking
- 100 in Dirtbiking
- 5 in Horseback
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Global Ranking#16894 in Mountain Biking [+]
- #2699 in E-Biking
- #77234 in Trail Running
- #87260 in Hiking
- #4592 in Dirtbiking
- #3180 in Horseback
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State Ranking#435 in Mountain Biking · California [+]
- #61 in E-Biking
- #3,760 in Trail Running
- #4,973 in Hiking
- #231 in Dirtbiking
- #254 in Horseback
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Trail TypeSingletrack
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Bike TypeAM, XC
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DirectionDownhill PrimaryPopular Direction Shown
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Climb DifficultyBlack Diamond
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Physical RatingHard
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Trail VisibilityAlways easy to follow
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SeasonSummer, Fall
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Alpine TrailYes
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Dogs AllowedYes
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eBike AllowedYes up to Class 3
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TTFs on TrailDrop, Rock Face, Rock Garden
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Land OwnerUSFS
Butcher Ranch is the main trail for the classic Downieville Downhill. This is a legitimate expert-level trail, but much of the difficulty can be mitigated by slowing down and picking your line carefully. There will be some short dismount sections for most riders, but overall, the trail is fast and fun. A full suspension bike with 3+ inches of travel will greatly enhance your experience
Access Info
Typically you will be riding down Sunrise trail, and the entrance for Butcher Ranch trail is directly across Butcher Ranch Road, and is well marked. Do not confuse the Butcher Ranch Alt trail, which is a few yards away to the north.
Trail Supporters
WTBSponsor
Local Trail Association
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-
Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportDonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 7 rides
- 16 miles average
6 Months
- 386 rides
- 18 miles avg distance
All
- 1,640 rides
- Last: Nov 5, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Butcher Ranch Trail Trail Reports
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3D
Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users activity logs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Used
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
- Description
- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
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- popular
- less popular
- not popular
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Activity Recordings
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Activity Recordings
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Winter Trails
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Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
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BC Backroad Status
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Slope Aspect
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Directions to butcher-ranch-trail trailhead
(39.623210, -120.696770)
Photos
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Trail Lists
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NorCal Dreamin'
7 trails
Routes with this trail
★ 4.3 • 15 miles • 816 ft • 7 • Shuttled •
This is the classic Downieville Downhill route. Shuttle up to the start at the Sunshine Trail. From there...
★ 5.0 • 18 miles • 1,048 ft • 18 • Shuttled •
While Tower-to-Town can describe any route between the Sierra Buttes Fire Lookout Tower and the town of...
★ 5.0 • 20 miles • 1,836 ft • 11 • Shuttled •
This is a pretty burly all-mountain/"down country" ride that incorporates the new (and beautiful) Gold...
twowheeledwanderer
Butcher Ranch Trail has a good mix of fast flow and techy bits. The 'hardest' feature on the whole route is the Waterfall which isn't too bad unless it's covered in water. Parts of Butcher are loose, steep, and chundery, and other parts are hardpacked and fast.
Use this guide to help plan your next trip to Downieville! https://twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/a-quick-mountain-bike-escape-to-downieville-california
Use this guide to help plan your next trip to Downieville! https://twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/a-quick-mountain-bike-escape-to-downieville-california
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Nearby Trails
- Butcher Ranch Ohv (north) 896 ft
- Butcher Ranch Tie Trail 896 ft
- Butcher Ranch Ohv Trail (south) 3,990 ft
- Butcher Ranch Trail (upper Section) 5,121 ft
- Butcher Ranch Trail (upper Connector) 1 mile
Downieville Trail Network
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- #7618 - 16,749 views
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