Last month, I got to demo the Santa Cruz Megatower at Wilder Ranch State Park in Santa Cruz. It was waaaaaaay more bike than I needed for those mostly mellow trails, but I had a blast!
Click here for my detailed Culvert & Confluence Trail Report.
Snowshoeing Chickadee Ridge, North Lake Tahoe
This weather this winter has been…varied. We started off strong with a lot of snow, but then we had a long dry period, and lately, it’s been weak storms. Not a lot of opportunities for powder days. Last weekend, though, we had a beautiful sunny Saturday, so Greyson and I were looking for something fun to take advantage of that. After debating a few options, we settled on going on a snowshoe trek to Chickadee Ridge above Incline Village.
The hike out to Chickadee Ridge is one of the more popular snowshoes in the North Lake Tahoe, for good reason. There are incredible views, the trail head is easy to get to, there’s ample parking, the ~2.5 mile round trip will get your heart rate up, but it’s not too hard, and since hikers tend to spread out, you’ll spend much of your excursion in solitude. See my hike on Strava here.
To get to Chickadee Ridge, we started near the Tahoe Meadows trailhead of the Tahoe Rim Trail along the Mount Rose Highway 431. We parked here, which is also the parking for the snow play area on the north side of the highway. Don’t be alarmed if there are a ton of cars, most are there using the sled hill.
After we parked, we crossed to the south side of Hwy 431 and headed cross country across the meadow toward the treeline, me on snowshoes and Greyson on his backcountry skis. One thing that I love about snowshoeing and winter recreation is the ability to forge my own path. We knew the general area we were heading, but we were able to meander there on our own. Pretty much as soon as we got into the trees, we were on our own. While there isn’t an official trail in the winter, this is a popular enough destination that there is a packed out trail to follow, if you’re worried about getting lost. When we were there, it was even packed hard enough that people were hiking in boots without snowshoes or skis (though I wouldn’t recommend it!).
Once we were in the trees, we started a steady, but not too steep climb. We ended up climbing about 350 feet overall with only one steep stretch at the end. We weren’t going to a specific destination on Chickadee Ridge, so we just snowshoed south until we could see Lake Tahoe, then turned northeast-ish and walked along the ridge until we found a nice rock to sit on with a great view.
Another reason that people go to Chickadee Ridge is right in the name. Visitors often bring bird seed and feed the mountain chickadees that hang out in the area. Due to this, they are pretty friendly and will fly up to see if you have any snacks for them. I’m not a big fan of birds getting close to me, so we didn’t feed them. A few flew close, but left us alone once they realized we had no food, which I appreciated.
After hanging out and enjoying the view for awhile, Greyson and I started getting hungry, so we packed up and headed out. On our way out, we followed the biggest set of packed out tracks and we were quickly back in the meadow and back to the car. Since we were hungry, we headed straight to the new-ish Alibi Ale Works Incline Public House. Alibi Ale Works is one of my favorite local breweries, but I hadn’t checked out their new pub location in Incline Village. They have a bigger kitchen than the Truckee location, so the menu is expanded and everything looked so good. I got an excellent spicy chicken sandwich, and since it’s dry January, a local Pacific Crest Coffee nitro cold brew. I’m not usually a huge nitro cold brew fan, but this was seriously one of the best cups of coffee I’ve had in years! I highly recommend a stop at Alibi Ale Works Incline Public House stop after you do the Chickadee Ridge snowshoe. See my Strava Track here.
Click here to see my favorite gear for snowshoeing.
Click here to see some of my favorite snowshoe hikes in Truckee.
Trail Stats
Mileage: ~2.5 miles
Elevation Gain: ~350 feet
Difficulty: Easy
VIDEO: Tahoe Pyramid Bikeway – Hirschdale to Floriston
Before the snow fell, Greyson and I rode a short section of the Tahoe Pyramid Bikeway from Hirschdale (just east of Truckee) to Floriston, and I decided to try making a gravel bike video. Check it out!
VIDEO: Tahoe Donner Trails, Truckee, California
There has been a bunch of fun trails built in the Tahoe Donner neighborhood of Truckee in the past few years. We rode a new to us loop that included Cinnamon Twist, Mustang Sally, and Sidewinder.
Best Breakfast & Brunch Places in Truckee
Who doesn’t love a dank breakfast burrito, flaky croissant, or amazing bagel sandwich? I am a huge breakfast person and will happily eat breakfast foods at any time of day. While I love a good, long brunch, sometimes you just need a quick meal on your way to the mountain, whether you’re snowboarding, biking or hiking. These are my favorite places to grab a quick and delicious meal when I’m in a hurry (in no particular order).
1. Truckee Bagel (11260 Donner Pass Rd. in the Safeway shopping center)
Truckee Bagel has been around since 1994, and they know what they’re doing. The bagels are great, and they have a wide variety of spreads and sandwiches. Tip: Get there early, they often run out of their most popular bagels by early afternoon. What to Order: The Castle Peak (Smoked Turkey, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Onions, Capers, Sprouts, Cream Cheese & Larrupin’s Mustard-Dill Sauce) on a combo bagel.
2. Full Belly Deli (0825 Pioneer Trail Rd. Ste 103)
Full Belly Deli might be better known for their lunch sandwiches, but their breakfasts are incredible too. They serve the best breakfast burritos in town. Breakfast is served all day, and be sure to check their Facebook for the daily special – sometimes it’s a biscuits and gravy burrito! What to Order: GNAR Burrito (dry rubbed tri-tip, pepperjack cheese, green chilies, hash brown, southwest sauce and a fried egg)
3. Wild Cherries Coffee House (11429 Donner Pass Rd.)
Weekdays or weekends, Wild Cherries is packed and busy, but the service is usually fast and always friendly. It’s a great place to pick up breakfast for a crowd. There are bagels, pre-made breakfast burritos, pastries, smoothies – something for everyone. What to Order: Cranberry Bagel Sandwich (Turkey, Cream Cheese, and Cranberry Sauce) on a whole wheat bagel.
4. Coffeebar (10120 Jibboom St OR 12047 Donner Pass Rd.)
If you’re looking for excellent pastries, Coffeebar has what you want in two locations. Their menu is frequently changing, but usually has great standbys like several croissant varieties, energy bites, and seasonal muffins. The downtown location has a larger menu, with options like breakfast bowls and avocado toast. What to Order: At the downtown location – Ricotta Toast, At the bakery location – a savory cheese twist pastry.
5. Dark Horse Coffee Roasters (10009 W River St)
If I want the best coffee combined with the best vibe, I head to Dark Horse Coffee Roasters. While they do have breakfast options, bagel sandwiches and scones, the coffee is the star of the show. They roast the coffee in house, the owners are incredibly nice, there’s always interesting art on the walls, it’s right next to the Truckee River – what’s not to love? What to Order: Cold Brew Latte with House Made Vanilla Syrup.
