The best traffic-free bike rides in El Dorado County

Tahoe Mountain Trail is a hard packed dirt segment navigating through a mix of shaded forest and exposed mountain side. The trail is popular with hikers, runners, and cyclists. While a xc hard tail would be ideal, a gravel bike or really anything with larger tires would be fine.

This bike path is part of the South Tahoe Bikeway. This segment is a popular corridor for cyclists, runners, and hikers to get from the Tahoe Keys to South Lake Tahoe. The path is well paved and has a cool elevated bridge along the way.

Fallen Leaf Lake is a great spot to visit to enjoy incredible views and take a swim. The clear blue water is home to a plethora of recreational activities including paddleboarding, swimming, boating, and kayaking. The shores are lined with trails for cycling and hiking, and there are a number of great spectating spots along the way.

El Dorado Trail is a nice, paved trail with a mix of shaded and exposed sections. There are beautiful bridges and viewpoints of the hillside as you progress further. The first half of the trail does have some road noise, but the second half moves away from the road and is more peaceful.

El Dorado Trail is a family-friendly paved path. Along the trail you can see farm animals from the plots of land bellied up to the trail. For the most part the trail is a gentle grade, but at the very beginning there are a few slightly steeper sections that a kid or mobility equipment may need assistance on.

Placerville is a nice mid-size town with tons of shopping, restaurants, and historical buildings. There is something for almost everyone in the town, including a winery, the Gold Bug Park & Mine, and an apple orchard.

Fallen Leaf Lake, a glistening alpine gem, was sculpted by two glaciers that once flowed down the Glen Alpine Valley. This hidden gem remains a well-kept secret, offering a serene escape from the crowds often found at Lake Tahoe.

Fallen Leaf Lake is a mountain lake located in El Dorado County, California, near the California-Nevada state border, about one mile south of the much larger Lake Tahoe. It is approximately aligned north-to-south and oval in shape, measuring approximately 2.9 miles (4.6 km) on the long axis and 0.9 miles (1.4 km) on the short axis. The lake was created by at least two glaciers that traveled northward down the Glen Alpine Valley. If the glacier had continued instead of stopping, Fallen Leaf Lake would be a bay of Lake Tahoe, similar to nearby Emerald Bay. A terminal moraine is visible at the north end of the lake on the northeast edge. Cathedral Peak to the west, and the ridge upon which the Angora Lookout is located on the east (now forested). Cathedral Peak (8,200 feet (2,500 m)) appears to be a solitary peak from the vantage point on the lake, but is really the beginning of a ridge that leads in the direction of Gilmore Lake and Mount Tallac (9,735 ft/2,967 m). Cathedral Peak does not have a trail that leads directly to it, but can be reached by three different approaches. The Middle Trail to Tallac is a trail that begins near Lily Lake and which runs along the northern side of Glen Alpine Valley. It runs up to a junction which splits off to Gilmore Lake and Mount Tallac. Intrepid hikers can set off cross-country in the general direction of Cathedral Peak, about half a mile (800 m) away. Another route is from Gilmore Lake, to the same junction. Finally, the Lake Trail begins at the end of Fallen Leaf Road and slowly climbs up to Cathedral Lake and Floating Island Lake, and eventually to the Mount Tallac trail. Fallen Leaf Road is approximately 5 miles (8 km) long, and begins at State Route 89, which runs along the south shore of Lake Tahoe. The road intersects the highway approximately half a mile (800 m) west of Camp Richardson, a resort and campground on the southern shore of Lake Tahoe. The road runs generally to the south, is one lane wide and paved, and has turnouts to allow cars to pass each other. The road passes the Fallen Leaf Lake Campground, operated by the Forest Service. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallen_Leaf_Lake_(California)