more stats
1.1 miles
Distance
268 ft
Climb
-116 ft
Descent
00:15:17
Avg time
152 ft
Altitude change
6,957 ft
Altitude min
7,219 ft
Altitude max
6,957 ft
Altitude start
7,110 ft
Altitude end
2.7%
Grade
-13.8%
Grade max
16.7%
Grade min
3,140 ft
Distance climb
1,752 ft
Distance down
705 ft
Distance flat
00:15:17
Avg time

Charging Bear Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Horse
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Painted Rock
    Tahoe City, California
  • AKA
    Road 73 bypass (lower)
  • Difficulty Rating
    Blue Rate
  • Local Popularity
    55 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 30 in Trail Running
    • 35 in Hiking
    • 5 in Horseback
  • Global Ranking
    #26066 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #126673 in Trail Running
    • #113286 in Hiking
    • #8886 in Horseback
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T1 Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC, Fat
  • Direction
    Both Directions
  • Climb Difficulty
    Black Diamond
  • Physical Rating
    Moderate
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    No
  • Land Owner
    Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

Updated with approved trail name. Charging Bear
Rocky and technical trail - black on the uphill, stiff blue/soft black on the descent.

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week
  • 1 rides
  • 13 miles average
6 Months
  • 32 rides
  • 17 miles avg distance
All
  • 119 rides
  • Last: Sep 7, 2026
update trails status or condition

Charging Bear Trail Reports

statusdatedescription
May 25, 2025 @ 6:38pm
May 25, 2025
 Killin’ it!
Nov 9, 2024 @ 5:12pm
Nov 9, 2024
 Absolutely perfecto
Jun 26, 2024 @ 11:11pm
Jun 26, 2024
 open and good to go. a couple of rocky sections feel like they need some more fine tuning though
more »
Status:
on May 25, 2025
Dry
Avg: 3.99 (4 votes)
Your vote: 0

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Trail Conditions
  • Unknown
  • Snow Groomed
  • Snow Packed
  • Snow Covered
  • Snow Cover Partial
  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
  • Icy
  • Prevalent Mud
  • Wet
  • Variable
  • Ideal
  • Dry
  • Very Dry
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  • > 90%
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  • > 6 months
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  • Downhill Only
  • Downhill Primary
  • Both Directions
  • Uphill Primary
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  • One Direction
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Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
Flat N NE E SE S SW W NW
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        Directions to charging-bear trailhead (39.200680, -120.169180)
        View on Discover Map

        Photos

        4 more »
        mtb
        88 |
        Aug 19, 2024 @ 7:00am
        Aug 19, 2024
        mtb
        56 |
        Aug 19, 2024 @ 7:00am
        Aug 19, 2024
        mtb
        58 |
        Aug 19, 2024 @ 7:00am
        Aug 19, 2024
        mtb
        73 |
        Aug 19, 2024 @ 7:00am
        Aug 19, 2024

        Videos

        1 more »
        youtuber Road 73 Bypass Trail / Tahoe City, CA / MTB
        mtb
        3:06 | 103 | Oct 21, 2024 , Tahoe City

        Routes with this trail

        154
        Tahoe City 20mi Loop
        20 miles • 2,884 ft • 15 • Loop •
        Tahoe City 20 mile loop. Can shorten loop by 6.5 miles and ~700' of climbing by taking Painted Bear.
        4.0 ★★★★★
        4 Ratings
        5 ★ 25%
        4 ★ 50%
        3 ★ 25%
        2 ★
        1 ★

        4 Reviews & Comments

        mistervague
        Fantastic work, TAMBA. Rode this and the upper section for the first time today, in the downhill direction, taking the fork towards Fast Eddies. There's some amazing rock work that reminds me of that one cobblestone section of Big Chief. Definitely among the area's more burly trails; can't wait to check it out in the uphill direction. This opens up a lot of cool loops.
        johnnyXride johnnyXride
        Hey, thanks for your comments, I’ll be sure that our TAMBA pro crew who worked the heck out of our Grip Hoists see your feedback. As for the uphill – yes it’s definitely not going to be for everyone. However, listening to community feedback before designing the trail, there was a large segment of trail users looking to be challenged, both on the down, and the up (Note, the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the US Forest Service requires trails to be bi-directional.) A substantial share of North Lake Tahoe’s is made up of highly motivated, athletically strong individuals who thrive on large lungs, strong legs, unwavering determination, and in some cases, true hearts of gold. The intent of the trail is to help provide technical and physical challenges for both young and older, going with gravity, or going against it! If you need to walk a section or two, that’s perfectly OK – it gives you something to strive, for should you be so inclined :-). They’re really isn’t anything in the mountain bike Bible, that says “thou shall not dismount thy MTB“!

        TAMBA will be out there again this summer putting in the finishing touches / fine-tuning the trail. Feel free to stop and say thanks to those who have put in countless hours making the north shore trails happen. Cheers.
        katebarker7711 katebarker7711
        This trail was not an enjoyable uphill pedal. However, a very sick downhill. As mentioned in the last review- big props to the builders on this beautiful cobblestone radness!!

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        Frequently Asked Questions

        ▼ Where is Charging Bear located?
        Charging Bear is located in Painted Rock, Tahoe City, California, United States. It is part of the Painted Rock trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 39.20068, -120.16918.
        ▼ How hard is Charging Bear?
        Charging Bear is rated as Blue difficulty. The physical rating is Moderate. The average grade is 2.7%. The climb difficulty is rated Black Diamond.
        ▼ What is the elevation gain for Charging Bear?
        Charging Bear has 268 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 116 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 6,957 ft to 7,219 ft.
        ▼ Is Charging Bear a point to point trail?
        Charging Bear is not a point to point trail. The direction is Both Directions. The trail type is singletrack.
        ▼ How long is Charging Bear?
        Charging Bear is 1.1 miles long. The trail type is singletrack.
        ▼ Are dogs allowed on Charging Bear?
        Yes, dogs are allowed on Charging Bear. Please keep dogs on a leash where required and clean up after them.
        ▼ How do I access Charging Bear? Where is the closest parking trailhead?
        The closest parking and trailhead locations to Charging Bear are: View all parking locations in the area.
        ▼ How long does it take to ride Charging Bear?
        The estimated time to ride Charging Bear is approximately 15 minutes. The trail is 1.1 miles long. Actual times will vary based on fitness level, conditions, and pace.
        ▼ How busy is Charging Bear?
        Charging Bear is a moderately popular trail. There have been 411 recorded activities on this trail. The trail has received 424 check-ins. View recent activity on this trail.

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