more stats
1.1 miles
Distance
213 ft
Climb
-36 ft
Descent
1 mile
High Point
177 ft
Altitude change
7,224 ft
Altitude min
7,224 ft
Altitude start
7,402 ft
Altitude end
3.1%
Grade
-8.8%
Grade max
19.6%
Grade min
3,740 ft
Distance climb
981 ft
Distance down
932 ft
Distance flat

Painted Bear Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Horse
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Painted Rock
    Tahoe City, California
  • AKA
    Road 73 bypass
  • Difficulty Rating
    Blue Rate
  • Local Popularity
    75 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 5 in Trail Running
    • 5 in Hiking
    • 5 in Horseback
  • Global Ranking
    #35057 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #306872 in Trail Running
    • #317574 in Hiking
    • #9432 in Horseback
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T1 Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC
  • Direction
    Both Directions
  • Climb Difficulty
    Blue
  • Physical Rating
    Moderate
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    No
  • Year Opened
    2025
  • Land Owner
    Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

Trail name has been approved as Painted Bear

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week
  • 7 rides
  • 16 miles average
6 Months
  • 100 rides
  • 16 miles avg distance
All
  • 145 rides
  • Last: Sep 11, 2026
c1c2c3c4
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
update trails status or condition

Painted Bear Trail Reports

statusdatedescription
Aug 15, 2026 @ 2:21pm (America/Boise)
Aug 15, 2026
Aug 14, 2026 @ 4:48pm (America/Boise)
Aug 14, 2026
Oct 28, 2025 @ 12:07pm (America/Los_Angeles)
Oct 28, 2025
 Small tree down across trail, can navigate over or around. 18” diameter
Oct 23, 2025 @ 11:50am (America/Los_Angeles)
Oct 23, 2025
Jun 8, 2025 @ 2:45pm
Jun 8, 2025
more »
Status:
on Aug 15, 2026
Very Dry
Avg: 3.9 (6 votes)
Your vote: 0

view (450)
close
  • Basemap  Map 
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
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.
  • > 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.
  • most popular
  • popular
  • less popular
  • not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
US Cell Coverage
Legend
cell carrier legend

Radar Time
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data. ?
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data. ?
Winter Trails
Warning A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.
Missing Trails
Most Popular
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
Heatmap of where users jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
BC Backroad Status

Service Road Atlas is a free to use, community-driven service for viewing and creating reports on the numerous back-country service roads around B.C. and Alberta.

map legend
Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
Flat N NE E SE S SW W NW
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
disable
Only show trails with no bike usage.
Enable
Suggested Layers
Based on selected activity type

    Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.

    Save
        Directions to painted-bear trailhead (39.205340, -120.170390)
        View on Discover Map

        Photos

        1 more »
        report
        mtb
        32 |
        Nov 4, 2025 @ 6:18am
        Nov 4, 2025

        Videos

        no videos have been added for Painted Bear yet, add a video.

        Routes with this trail

        38
        evo Trailgate eBike rte
        13 miles • 1,366 ft • 13 •
        This route avoids trail closures
        93
        Trailgate EVO eBike rte 1
        26 miles • 3,008 ft • 20 •
        eBike route for EVO Trailgate party
        3.9 ★★★★★
        6 Ratings
        5 ★ 17%
        4 ★ 50%
        3 ★ 33%
        2 ★
        1 ★

        5 Reviews & Comments

        windsurfsf windsurfsf
        If starting off Mt. Watson Blvd, in Trailforks it looks like the trail starts a few feet in off of Painted Rock. The entrance is a few hundred yards up, it's a well marked hard left. If you are riding upper and lower, there are three forks, go right at the first two, and left at the last. Lower has some great rolls, overall this is like a bigger, faster version of Fast Eddie's, more tech than speed but very fun.
        matthost
        Good in both directions and a great addition to the area, thank you TAMBA!
        johnnyXride johnnyXride
        TAMBA is hosting a Trail party this coming Saturday, September 28 at the FS 73 bypass Trail. We’ve been working diligently all summer long, to open section 2, which will run from the great race trail to the Tahoe Rim Trail Assoc.. It’s not ready to go yet, so hold Onto your entitlement, but help get us closer to that opening day by coming out for a few hours of Trail work, and then barbecue and beverages afterwards. Help be that person that gets things done for the community!

        Oh, and BTW, yeah, the lower half , which is comes close to Fast Eddie’s, is a “healthy” workout to climb.It’s not going to be everyone’s preferred direction. But, for those who have the legs, lungs, heart, and technical ability, it’s unlike , most other trails in Tahoe – by design :-). One last note, the LTBMU requires bi-directional trails. That being said, we’re estimating the vast majority of people will be riding it downward. Me, I swinging both ways .

        We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!

        Create a FREE account to view all trail reviews and much more.

        Create a Free Account

        Nearby Trails

        Painted Rock

        • By TheAngryTomato TRAILFORKS & contributors
        • #557324 - 1,192 views

        Frequently Asked Questions

        ▼ Where is Painted Bear located?
        Painted 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 39.20534, -120.17039.
        ▼ How hard is Painted Bear?
        Painted Bear is rated as Blue difficulty. The physical rating is Moderate. The average grade is 3.1%. The climb difficulty is rated Blue.
        ▼ What is the elevation gain for Painted Bear?
        Painted Bear has 213 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 36 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 7,224 ft to 7,432 ft.
        ▼ Is Painted Bear a point to point trail?
        Painted Bear is not a point to point trail. The direction is Both Directions. The trail type is singletrack.
        ▼ How long is Painted Bear?
        Painted Bear is 1.1 miles long. The trail type is singletrack.
        ▼ Are dogs allowed on Painted Bear?
        Yes, dogs are allowed on Painted Bear. Please keep dogs on a leash where required and clean up after them.
        ▼ How do I access Painted Bear? Where is the closest parking trailhead?
        The closest parking and trailhead locations to Painted Bear are: View all parking locations in the area.
        ▼ How busy is Painted Bear?
        Painted Bear is a very popular trail. There have been 435 recorded activities on this trail. The trail has received 450 check-ins. View recent activity on this trail.

        Hit the Trail

        Open in App

        Get this trail on your phone instantly.
        open trail in app

        Download Trail

        Save to wishlist, Garmin & download.
        save the trail

        Find Related Routes

        Find routes and users activities that include this trail.
        find routes for this trail

        You must enter a description before submitting.