Trip Summary Trip Dates: Sep 03 - Sep 10 Start - End Locations: Truckee, CA - Truckee, CA Days: 8   Rest Days: 2   Level of Support: Event Miles: 297 Average Miles Per Day: 59 Surface: Road Riders: 60 Type: Supported   Meals: Catered meals Accommodations: Camping Physical Difficulty: Intermediate+   Elevation: Elevation Alert Airport: Reno, NV Cost: $1099 Booking Status: Approx. Half Full

Conservationist John Muir called the Sierra Nevada the “Range of Light,” and light is what your load will be on this fully supported camping trip through the Sierra Club founder’s favorite mountains.

We’ll begin the tour in Truckee, a mountain town that was established in the 1800s but not incorporated until 1993. The community is situated along the upper reaches of the Truckee River, the outlet of Lake Tahoe—a big, sparkling high-country gem that we will circumnavigate.

Geologists tell us the Lake Tahoe Basin was formed more than two million years ago. Uplifted blocks of the earth created the Carson Range to the east and the Sierra Nevada to the west, while down-dropped blocks between the ranges created the Lake Tahoe Basin. The result is what we have today: the second-deepest lake in the United States, with a maximum depth of 1,645 feet. While gazing at the hypnotically blue waters of the lake, twenty-two miles long and twelve miles wide, consider that if the basin was not filled with water, you’d be looking at a depression with an elevation of around 4,580 feet. That’s lower than the Carson Valley to the east!

After crossing a pair of incredible mountain passes, we’ll reach the eastern Sierra, heading south to ride beneath the sky-scratching summits of the Sierra’s magnificent escarpment.

Additional highlights of the Sierra Sampler include the splendid Bridgeport Valley and its backdrop of Sierra crags, the Walker River Canyon, Mammoth Lakes, the June Lake Loop, and unusual Mono Lake. This barren-looking expanse of water supports no fish, but it is home to the Mono Lake brine shrimp, which occurs nowhere else on Earth. A large and diverse array of shorebirds nest in the area, as well. The lake’s unique “tufa towers” are composed of calcium carbonate that forms through the interaction of fresh spring water and alkaline lake water.

Optional tours along our route include visits to beautiful Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park and to the Minarets Overlook in the Ansel Adams Wilderness.

As for us, we’ll camp in style beneath the blinking stars of summer after each day’s stellar ride and hearty catered dinner.

For more detailed information, see Event logistics.

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