Foresthill Divide Road

The recreation information for the Tahoe National Forest is primarily provided by travel corridor. The main travel corridors are: Interstate 80, Highway 49, Highway 20, Highway 89 (North and South), Foresthill Divide Road, Mosquito Ridge Road, Bowman Road, Marysville Road, and Gold Lakes Road.

The Gate at China Wall is open

Foresthill Divide Road
The Foresthill Divide Road extends from the town of Foresthill east to Robinson Flat Campground and then veers to the north and intersects old Highway 40 near Soda Springs. Much of the north eastern part of this corridor is not paved. Campgrounds, picnic sites, reservoirs, OHV trails, and access trails into the North Fork American Wild and Scenic River are available along the Foresthill Divide Road.

Activities such as camping and hiking are listed below for this corridor.

Activities

Mountain Biking

Areas for Mountain Biking at Foresthill Divide Road

Campground Camping

Areas for Campground Camping at Foresthill Divide Road

Group Camping

Areas for Group Camping at Foresthill Divide Road

Lake and Pond Fishing

Areas for Lake and Pond Fishing at Foresthill Divide Road

Day Hiking

Areas for Day Hiking at Foresthill Divide Road

Backpacking

Areas for Backpacking at Foresthill Divide Road

Horse Riding

Areas for Horse Riding at Foresthill Divide Road

OHV Trail Riding

Off-Highway Vehicle Use

Foresthill has an outstanding, nearly 100 mile OHV trail system suitable for both motorcycles and ATVs less than 50 inches in overall width. There is little or no four-wheel-drive country on the District. The trail system is mostly easy to moderate routes, with a few miles of difficult, challenging trail. There is no flat track or motocross arena. This system is trail riding out in the woods.

Traffic on the trails is two-way and in some cases, the trails cross paved roads. Please be aware that unless you have a State drivers license with motorcycle endorsement and your motorcycle is street legal and insured, riding on the pavement (except going straight across at "official" crossings mentioned above) is prohibited.

There are three Staging Areas to access the trail system. Parker Flat and Sugar Pine Staging Areas, accessed by driving nine miles east of Foresthill on the Foresthill Divide road, then turning left on the Sugar Pine road, and traveling 3.5 miles to the staging areas, provide access to the majority of the trails and are best suited for families and for riders new to the trail system.

China Wall Staging area is located approximately 14 miles east of Foresthill on the Foresthill Divide road, and is the best access for loops 5 and 6, which are the most difficult routes in the system and are for motorcycles only. During winter, China Wall is a good place for snowmobile staging.

OHVs are required to have current proof of registration, as well as a USFS approved spark arrestor year round. For complete details about green sticker (registration) requirements, visit the California DMV or the CA State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division websites. Riders from out-of-state must have proof of registration from their home state, or a CA non-resident OHV permit.

The Foresthill OHV trail system map is available for download as a PDF document from our Maps and Publications (156KB) page or from the Foresthill Ranger Station.

Areas for OHV Trail Riding at Foresthill Divide Road