The Tahoe Pyramid Trail was an ambitious plan for audacious bicycle riders. A marked trail, for bicyclists (and hikers}, from the Lake Tahoe Dam in Tahoe City, all the way to Pyramid Lake.
Starting in Tahoe City, at the dam beginning of the Truckee River, you can follow the mountain water until it empties into Pyramid Lake, 116 miles away.
The Tahoe Pyramid Trail, begun in 2002, originally known as the Tahoe Pyramid Bikeway, is more than 80% complete. Plans are in motion to complete the unfinished 20%.
Most of the trail skirts traffic, but part of it merges with traffic for a few miles, especially when the dedicated bike trail from Tahoe City turns into a bike lane on busy Highway 89 at the Squaw Valley turn-off. At Truckee, though, the trail stays away from traffic, following the Truckee River as it descends from its 6,225’ beginning elevation to Pyramid Lake’s 3,700’. Though, there are a few other shared use portions in Reno itself.
As expected, the change in elevation results in a complete change of scenery. The lushness of the mountains gradually turns into a sparse but spectacular desert vistas, as shown in an interesting blog post from a dedicated Nevada cyclist.