For anyone that knows me well, I over-analyze everything and it sometimes hinders me from trying new things. This is exactly what happened to me when I first started toying around with the idea of mountain biking. Images from the film UnReal ran through my head, but instead of pumping me up, it terrified me. All I could think of is falling and breaking something. Do all mountain bike trails require 20 foot drops and riding boulders the size of a VW Bug? The answer is no, but where do you start?

Why I Started Mountain Biking

For someone not keen on trying new things, how did I get over the hump to finally start mountain biking? Well, every winter I force my wife to push her limits in snowboarding. The entire time we’re out riding, she is usually out of her comfort zone. It’s exhausting to her, but she ends up enjoying the day.

The one sport she’s ALWAYS wanted to try is mountain biking. Every single summer, I’ve dragged my feet making up excuses. It wasn’t until two years ago my friends Sean and Shane opened my eyes to experience the wilderness in its purest form… and that’s when my mind began to change. From hiking to backcountry snowboarding, these guys threw me into the deep end but made sure they were there to support me. I complained, huffed & puffed and felt like a total dork. Heck, I was terrified the whole time AND sucked at every new activity we did – BIG time! At the end of each day, I’d reflect back on our adventure and realized I enjoyed every minute of it. If these endeavors are so much fun, why not try mountain biking? And, this is where my journey began.

Local Shops Are A Great Place To Start

When you pick up a new sport, no matter how much research you do, having a seasoned veteran on your side is WAY more valuable. For us, this meant heading over to Shoreline of Tahoe. With thirty plus years in the business and each person in the shop passionate about mountain biking, we knew we’d be in good hands. They helped us pick out a couple of mid-range Norco bikes and geared us up. Now that we had the setup, where should we start riding?

Mountain Biking in Lake Tahoe

Since we had no idea where to go or what to ride, the guys at Shoreline named off a few trails to start. They suggested hitting up the Hartoonian Trails along with another called Powerline. To make sure we didn’t get lost, they also got us comfortable using the Lake Tahoe Basin Trail Map, highlighting the best mountain bike trails around Lake Tahoe along with short descriptions of each & even where to park. Also, if you want a taste of what’s available to shred (of the dirt kind) in the region be sure to check out our comprehensive guide found here: