Situated around Lake Tahoe, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is one of the most famous advanced rides in the area. This single-track mountain-bike route heads primarily downhill from the Tahoe Rim Trail for numerous miles, with a total descent of over 2,000 feet. The trail honors its name with a series of steep drops - two to three feet high-, sections traversing nothing but rocks, along with marvelous views of the California-Nevada-straddling lake.
The ride features certain segments that are extremely difficult, yet awe-inspiring. Although there are difficult segments, they don't amount to more than two and a half miles of the trail. The most difficult stretch of the trail starts when the trail starts to follow Saxon Creek very closely, lasting just under a mile. It becomes difficult again when you reach the trail's stairs.
There are some segments reserved only to experienced riders, and then there are “spaces between the trail features” on the ride, which might be a challenge for intermediate riders, but then are still fun to ride. . It becomes difficult again when you reach the trail's stairs.
The hardest section of the trail are the two to three-foot high drops that have no bypasses and are set among clusters of bounders, and even cascades of such drops. Fortunately, these hard segments are never going to spring up on you unless you are riding at a reckless speed or failing to pay attention at all.
The aforementioned stairs also stand out along the trail. Partially embedded into the ground and held together by steel cables, the stairs are made up of wooden steps go on for about a couple of hundred feet. Beware that the steepness increases toward the bottom of the trail.
If you are failing to find this trail, its official name is Saxon Creek Trail, a hiking and biking trail in El Dorado County, California. Situated within Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, it is 5.3 miles long and begins at 6,508 feet altitude
Mike White reviewed this trail on Afoot & Afield: Tahoe-Reno: 201 Spectacular Outings in the Lake Tahoe Region, “Most of the traffic on the Saxon Creek Trail is from mountain bikers attempting to complete the route locals refer to as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Hikers should find the trail to be quite enjoyable as well, especially beyond the first couple of miles, where the route becomes off limits to motorized vehicles.
The mostly forested trail travels upstream through the drainage of Saxon Creek to meet the Tahoe Rim Trail, continues climbing to flower-covered Freel Meadows, and then eventually reaches scenic Hell Hole Viewpoint.”
Unless you are bringing your own bike, you might want to consider renting a bike from Wanna Ride Tahoe, which also provides helmets and shuttles to Mr Toad's as well as to other trails.