Sierra Nevada Adventures Multi Day Rides

CABDR LASSEN ADVENTURE RIDE

CABDR Lassen ADVENTURE ride EXPLORES a thrilling OFF-ROAD adventure on the Northern-California Backcountry Discovery Route (CABDR-North) through the historic Lost Sierra region, including the awe-inspiring volcanic landscape of the Cascade Range in the Lassen National Park region.

The CABDR Lassen Adventure ride begins in Truckee, CA. near the historic Donner Memorial State Park. From Truckee, you’ll explore the Lost Sierra region on historic off-road wagon routes through conifer forests, mountain meadows, and granite peaks, including historic mining sites and ghost towns from the California Gold Rush. This thrilling adventure traverses rugged Yuba River canyons on two-track mountain routes and ascends peaks to fire lookouts with unparalleled views. You will visit quaint mining towns nestled in the Lost Sierra and discover relics of mining towns with historic structures dating back to the 1880s. Your amazing off-road adventure explores remote dirt wagon routes once traveled by pioneers and prospectors in search of gold during the early days of the California Gold Rush. You will have the opportunity to visit some of the richest hydraulic mining sites and historic ghost towns such as Forest City, while exploring all three forks of the wild and scenic Yuba River Canyons throughout the Lost Sierra.   

Beyond the Lost Sierra, your adventure traverses thrilling two-track off-road routes and scenic byways through a dynamic landscape shaped by volcanism and glaciation, showcasing steaming fumaroles, boiling mud pots, crystal clear mountain lakes, and jagged volcanic peaks in Lassen National Park. The dominant feature of the park is Lassen Peak, the largest plug dome in the world and the southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range. Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of the few areas in the world where all four types of volcanoes can be found, such as a shield volcano (Prospect Peak), plug dome (Lassen Peak), Cinder Cone (Cinder Cone), and Composite (Brokeoff Volcano) volcanoes. Jagged volcanic peaks tell the story of Lassen Park's eruptive past while fiery hot springs, winter snow, and ice continue to shape this volcanic landscape. During summer, you can explore the backcountry, a true wilderness with a treasure trove of hydrothermal activity and geological wonders, including pristine alpine lakes, cascading waterfalls, and alpine peaks. Lassen Park is at the crossroads of three unique biological areas: the Cascade Mountains, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the Great Basin. There are several areas in the park to view boiling springs, belching mud pots, and hissing steam vents as your journey explores this amazing wonderland full of adventure!

The CABDR Lassen Adventure Ride is a three-day backcountry journey that begins and ends in Truckee, California, with two nights spent in the small mountain town of Chester. This immersive adventure follows historic wagon routes, winds past abandoned mining sites, and passes through forgotten towns that once flourished during the California Gold Rush. These remote settlements were once lively wagon stops and boomtowns filled with pioneers, prospectors, and frontier characters seeking fortune and opportunity. Along the way, riders experience a striking landscape of granite peaks, snowcapped volcanoes, and vast volcanic terrain shaped by fire and ice. Today, these historic routes and mining remnants stand silent—relics of a bygone era—offering a rare opportunity to explore California’s rugged past while riding through some of its most dramatic and remote scenery imaginable.

The Lost Sierra: The Lost Sierra is a remote and strikingly beautiful region of the Northern Sierra Nevada, characterized by rugged mountains, dense forests, and a strong sense of isolation. True to its name, the area feels “lost” in time—far removed from California’s more developed and crowded Sierra destinations. Rich in California Gold Rush history, the Lost Sierra was once dotted with bustling mining camps and frontier towns. Places such as Downieville and the notorious Poker Flat tell stories of prospectors, outlaws, and short-lived boomtowns that have since faded into quiet historic sites. The region also played a pioneering role in American winter sports, hosting the first recorded ski race in the United States in 1861. Today, the Lost Sierra is celebrated for its vast, uncrowded landscapes and wide range of outdoor recreation. Visitors can explore forests, rivers, and mountain terrain through hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and backcountry travel. Small mountain communities—including Quincy, Graeagle, and Sierra City—are connected by historic trails and scenic modern routes like the Lost Sierra Route, which follows corridors once used by miners and settlers. Combining frontier history, early skiing heritage, and untouched natural beauty, the Lost Sierra remains one of California’s most underrated and rewarding regions to explore.

Lost Sierra Ski History: The small gold rush town of Johnsville in the shadow of Eureka Peak, is known for two things: mining and skiing. The state park museum building, originally built as the miner bunkhouse, is a fascinating stroll through history, documenting the stories of these industrious pioneers who also played a pivotal role in creating the sport of downhill ski racing.

In the 1850s, the mountains between Johnsville and La Porte were completely stripped of all trees in order to build dozens of mining camps and support hundreds of miles of tunnels for mining operations. In the wintertime, miners were snowbound, sometimes 30 feet deep, and needed an activity to keep them sane. In 1853, Charles Nelson, a Norwegian-born pioneer, introduced local miners to Longboard skis, originally used in the Telemark region of Norway to help residents get around in the winter. But the miners had something more exhilarating in mind, staring up at the towering, denuded slopes of Gold Mountain; they were going to race each other straight down the mountain to see who could go the fastest. This crazy idea became the birth of downhill ski racing. At the time, some of the fastest humans on the planet were Longboard racers in the Lost Sierra, clocking astonishing speeds of up to 90 miles-an-hour, running 12-second quarter-mile straight line downhills on their “snowshoes”. What enabled them to reach these unbelievable speeds was what they called “dope”, or wax, the recipes of which were more valuable than gold itself, as prize winnings could be as much as $1,000 (a lot of money in the 1860s). Champion Longboard racers were nothing without their “dope man”, master mixologists who understood changing snow conditions and what kinds of ingredients to melt down for the fastest dope. In addition to being the birthplace of downhill ski racing, local legend also has it that Eureka Peak may have been the site of the very first ski lift in the world, with miners loading themselves into the ore buckets attached to a tram cable, getting a ride to the top. After exploring the Johnsville mining region, your journey eventually arrives at the small town of Chester, which is located on the shores of Lake Almanor in the shadow of Lassen Peak. This sleepy community sits along the banks of the Feather River and Lake Almanor, which is surrounded by breathtaking meadows, forests, and streams. Chester and the Lake Almanor Basin offer an array of diverse outdoor activities to enjoy for those who seek adventure!

Lassen Volcanic National Park: Lassen Peak, often called Mount Lassen, is a striking lava dome volcano and the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range. Located in Northern California’s Shasta–Cascade region, it forms part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a chain of volcanoes extending from southwestern British Columbia to northern California. Standing 10,457 feet above sea level, Lassen Peak dominates the northern Sacramento Valley. With an estimated volume of 0.6 cubic miles, it is one of the largest lava domes on Earth. The volcano began forming roughly 27,000 years ago, rising from the northern flank of the long-eroded Mount Tehama during a brief but intense period of volcanic activity. Glaciers have since reshaped the mountain over tens of thousands of years, carving valleys and leaving behind extensive talus slopes and rugged alpine terrain. Lassen’s most dramatic modern activity occurred on May 22, 1915, when a powerful explosive eruption devastated nearby areas and scattered ash up to 280 miles east. This event was the largest in a series of eruptions that lasted from 1914 to 1917. Today, the Lassen region is a land of vivid contrasts. Snow-capped volcanic peaks give way to green meadows ablaze with summer wildflowers, while streams thread through dense forests and across ancient lava flows. Steaming vents and geothermal features serve as constant reminders of the restless volcanic forces beneath the surface, creating a dynamic landscape shaped by fire, ice, and time.

Lassen Peak and Mount St. Helens in Washington state were the only two volcanoes in the contiguous United States to erupt during the 20th century. Lassen Volcanic National Park, which encompasses an area of 106,372 acres, was created to preserve the areas affected by the eruption, for future observation and study, and to protect the nearby volcanic features. The park, along with the nearby Lassen National Forest and Lassen Peak, has become a popular destination for recreational activities for those who seek adventure!