Every year for our anniversary, Josh and I plan some type of outdoor escapade. Last year, our love for adventure led us to bike through Downieville — an experience so exhilarating that we decided to pursue another mountain biking journey this year.
The ride we landed on was Stanford Rock — a captivating out-and-back trail nestled on Tahoe’s West Shore, offering breathtaking vistas of Lake Tahoe from its peak. However, we didn’t just want to ride this trail like it was any other day, so to spice things up, we decided to bike up this trail in the dark so we could catch sunrise from the summit. Venturing in the dark was a first for me, and I was definitely a bit nervous. But as the sun rose, illuminating the vast expanse below, it was clear that the view was unequivocally worth every pedal.
Painted Rock Route Stats
| # | Ride Name | Location | Difficulty | Distance | Type | Vertical | TrailForks Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford Rock | Homewood | Moderate | 15 miles | Out & Back | +2,206 ft/ -2,206 ft | Stanford Rock |
Overall thoughts on this Ride
My number one take-away from this ride is that you need a good bike light when biking in the dark. It’s 100% worth the investment!
I would definitely do this ride again, but I would schedule in time for a nap afterward since it’s such an early morning.
Watch the Full Ride Preview on YouTube
Gear Used on this Ride
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click the link at no additional cost to you.
- Bike Light
- MTB Pants: Wild Rye
- MTB Shirt: Mons Royal
- MTB Rain Jacket: Fox Racing
- MTB Helmet: Fox Racing
- MTB Pads: Fox Racing
- MTB Gloves: Fox Racing
- MTB Shoes: Five tens
- Insta360 Camera with FREE selfie stick
- FidLock Waterbottle
Have you ridden Stanford Rock for sunrise? What do you think of this ride?
Tahoe Meg 