Three years and 5,000 hours of volunteer work create Stanford Rock Trail at Lake Tahoe

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Three years of hard work creating more than five miles of hand-built singletrak trail construction has paid off with the completion of the Stanford Rock Trail on the Lake Tahoe West Shore.

Through a partnership between Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) and and the U.S. Forest Service, the project was completed yielding over 2,200 feet of elevation gain, and increases trail access for non-motorized users including mountain bikers, hikers and equestrians alike, who seek to enjoy the beauty of Lake Tahoe.

The Stanford Rock Trail project involved a major reroute, transforming a steep and eroded historic logging road to a sustainable, hand-built recreational trail. The terrain is unique for Tahoe as it provides the perfect grade for Forest Flow – a style of trail with built-in features like bermed turns, rollers and jumps that allow mountain bikers to maintain speed with minimal pedaling or braking necessary.

“The goal was to reward users with big views and a downhill trail that has the feeling of skiing or snowboarding through the trees, or pumping the surface of a peeling wave,” said Sandor Lengyel, trail crew leader with TAMBA. “There are no straight lines on the Stanford Rock Trail!”

The trail culminates at a mountaintop summit with handcrafted log benches; views of Lake Tahoe in one direction, Granite Chief Wilderness in the other.

TAMBA will officially open the trail with a ribbon-cutting event on July 30. Public is welcome. Details to be announced on TAMBA’s social media channels.

Stanford Rock required more than 5,000 hours of labor to complete. The project was led by TAMBA volunteers and supplemented by grant funded trail crews made possible by support from generous donors. To learn more or volunteer, visit tamba.org. To further support sustainable, multiple-use trails in Tahoe, donate directly to TAMBA at tamba.org.