Old Highway 40 to Cisco Grove & Back

This route is one of the easiest to follow, and one of the best! It has it all: Views, a good climb, a technical descent, a restaurant en route, Donner Lake, and miles of lightly traveled roads. The route is simple: From Downtown Truckee head West on Donner Pass Road until it dead-ends in Cisco Grove. Then turn around and head back. The first part has a lot of traffic, but the Town of Truckee has put in bike lanes on Donner Pass Road. Upon leaving the lake, you begin the long and challenging, but scenic, grind up the summit. This climb has a vertical rise of just under 1000 feet. From the top of the summit it is a rolling downhill along the Yuba River,all the way to Cisco Grove. But do not forget about the downhill being a climb on the way back. Also, the descent down to Donner Lake is a technical one. Watch your speed, and make sure your brakes work!