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Mountain Biking in Lyons Reservoir – Railroad Grade, Sonora, California USA

Trail:
4.5 mi/7.2 km
Elevation gain:
200 ft/61 m
Sonora Pass is located near Pinecrest, Tuolumne County, California, USA. It is off of Highway about 60 mi/96.5 km east of Sonora.

A popular sport at Sonora Pass is mountain biking. There are mountain biking trails along the Sonora Pass highway. You will find everything you need from gentle, railroad grades to steep, single tracks. There are great logging roads, perfect to explore.

Purchase a map of Stanislaus National Forest at the ranger station in MiWuk or Pinecrest and also a map of Toiyabe National Forest at the Bridgeport ranger station. One of the favorite trails is Lyons Reservoir – Railroad Grade. It is a 4.5 mi/7.2 km, moderate trail with elevation gain of 200 ft/61 m.

It is a gentle trail to Lyons Reservoir, that follows the old Sugar Pine Railroad grade. In late spring, it is open even at an elevation of 4000 ft/1219 m. Lyons is a beautiful lake to visit. Hike around the lake, it’s on an easy level trail across the dam.

At the south end of the lake is the dam, having a dramatic spill way that drains the lake into a magnificent picturesque canyon below the dam. In late summer and fall the lake drops, as  water is used by the Tuolumne water district.