Snowshoeing Sawtooth Trail in Truckee
Looking for an easy to access, beautiful snowshoe hike in Truckee? Sawtooth Trail is definitely both of those! Sawtooth Loop is a mixed use trail that I do on my mountain bike pretty frequently in the summer, and it turns into a great place to snowshoe or even cross country ski in the winter.
Woman and Yellow Dog snowshoe in front of boulder
Once Truckee gets buried under heavy snow in the winter, the main parking area for Sawtooth Trail is behind a closed gate on the 06 road. There is a small parking area outside of the gate on Thelin Road (click here for the location on Google Maps) that is right next to the Sawtooth Lower Connector, the best way to access Sawtooth Trail. Note: from November to May, the Town of Truckee can and will tow your car if it’s parked on the road if it impedes snow removal.
Sawtooth Trail is a popular, but not crowded, spot for winter hiking and snowshoeing, so there will most likely be a trail already broken that you can follow that starts from the right side of the parking area. It’s also a great place to bring your dog! I’ve never done the full Sawtooth Loop as a snowshoe, which would be 11-12 miles, but this trail is also great as an out and back. Since snowshoeing is much more of a workout than regular hiking, I usually do 3-4 miles round trip.
Yellow dog runs through the snow
While every time I’ve been to Sawtooth in the winter, an easy-to-follow trail has already been broken, an app like Trailforks is a great resource for finding trails and helping to not get off track (especially in the snow). Trailforks is a paid service, though at only $3 per month, I think it’s well worth the cost. To do this as a snowshoe from the lower parking area, you start on a short uphill, the Sawtooth Lower Connector which connects with Sawtooth Trail (Lower Ridgeline) At about 1.5 miles from the lower parking area, there’s a great viewpoint, looking down at the Truckee River. Often, this is the point I turn around for a nice 3 ish mile, mostly flat round trip journey. Keep going as long as you want before turning around for an out and back. Past the lookout, the trail gets less flat and starts gaining elevation. The full loop has quite a few climbs and descents, with around 700 feet of elevation gain.
Woman and Yellow Dog sit on a rock above a river
Before you go out, be sure to check the avalanche forecast from Sierra Avalanche Center and be sure you’ve packed with everything you need for safely recreating outdoors in the winter. While snowshoeing is usually less risky than something like backcountry skiing, it’s still important to be informed and prepared before you go.
Click here to see some of my favorite snowshoeing gear.
Click here for more awesome snowshoe hikes in Truckee-Tahoe.
Trail Stats:
Mileage: To the Riverview Lookout: 3 miles, Full Loop: 11-12 miles Elevation: To the Riverview Lookout: ~150 feet, Full Loop: ~700 feet Difficulty: Easy