bike · tb
38.2651, -120.3447

Arnold Rim Trail

Overview

Arnold is about 1.5 hours S & E from Sacramento or 1 hr straight east from Stockton in the foothills of the Sierras off Hwy 4. The trail can be ridden as an out & back, or as a shuttle with multiple jumping-off points. I rode this as an out & back from the Sierra Nevada Logging Museum for 8 miles, then re-tracing back. <br><br>From the logging museum (worth a look) for about .8 miles you'll be on a paved Americans with Disabilities Act Path. Be wary of hikers. Once on the dirt, you'll be on lush, sweeping, rolling singletrack. Soak it in while you can, but do *NOT* get lulled in because at about 3.5 miles in you're going to meet 'The Beast' and the trail heads up roughly 500ft in about 1/4 mile of loose dirt. A fantastic westward view awaits you at the top. <br><br>From here you'll head to the actual top of Manuel Peak and Cougar Rock, great views looking east or west. Dropping down from Cougar rock you'll get back to the similar lush rolling trail that you saw early on. <br><br>Post #32 marks the end of Singletrack at about 8.4 miles. This is the turn around point to keep on singletrack. It's another 2.4 to Avery Sheep Ranch Rd (2nd most common jumping-off point) but all Fire Road from here.

Trail Stats

Duration
8.4 hr
Length
27.9 km
Elevation Gain
868 m
High Point
1334 m
Low Point
1068 m
Grade
—

Photos

A great trail that is only going to get better!
A great trail that is only going to get better!

A great trail that is only going to get better!

Creek ride.
Creek ride.

Creek ride.

Bypass area just below paved section
Bypass area just below paved section

Bypass area just below paved section

Sweet lush, cool, flowing singletrack early on
Sweet lush, cool, flowing singletrack early on

Sweet lush, cool, flowing singletrack early on

A buddy of mine riding his specialized hard tail. Photo, thanks to RIC.
A buddy of mine riding his specialized hard tail. Photo, thanks to RIC.

A buddy of mine riding his specialized hard tail. Photo, thanks to RIC.

White Pines Lake.
White Pines Lake.

White Pines Lake.

A taste of the view from the top of 'The Beast'. On a clear day you can see a radio tower over 20 miles away.
A taste of the view from the top of 'The Beast'. On a clear day you can see a radio tower over 20 miles away.

A taste of the view from the top of 'The Beast'. On a clear day you can see a radio tower over 20 miles away.

When we're all in MTB heaven, we'll ride this all day.
When we're all in MTB heaven, we'll ride this all day.

When we're all in MTB heaven, we'll ride this all day.

Marker #10. Bottom of a gradual descent from the logging museum, before going up to the lookout.
Marker #10. Bottom of a gradual descent from the logging museum, before going up to the lookout.

Marker #10. Bottom of a gradual descent from the logging museum, before going up to the lookout.

Tags

Singletrack