frequently Asked questions
Booking & Pricing
Electric comfort cruisers are $79 for two hours, $94 for three hours and $109 for a full day. Traditional cruisers are $64, $74 and $84. Kids’ bikes, child trailers, pet trailers and beach cargo trailers are $59 for any duration.
Every rental includes a helmet, water with a bottle cage, a handlebar bag, a bike lock, our custom East Shore Trail map and a full in-person orientation. Electric bikes also include a rear rack and bungees. There are no add-on fees.
Book online and save 5% with promo code 26VTB5%.
Walk-ins are welcome, but we recommend reserving online — especially on summer weekends and holidays. Traditional cruisers, kids’ bikes and trailers are limited in number and regularly sell out on busy days.
Booking ahead holds both your bike and your time slot, and online bookings save 5% with code 26VTB5%.
Yes, three discounts run through the season.
Book online and save 5% with promo code 26VTB5%. Groups of 4 or more riders save 10% with code 4ORMORE. Groups of 6 or more riders save 15% with code 6ORMORE.
Enter the code at checkout. Group discounts apply to the whole booking and are not combinable with the online booking discount.
Cancel at least 48 hours before your rental for a full refund. Cancel at least 24 hours before for a 50% refund.
If weather turns and the trail is unsafe, contact us — we would rather move your ride than have you cancel it.
One rider in your party needs a valid photo ID — a driver’s licence or passport — and a credit card in the same name.
All riders of electric bikes must be 12 or older, with no exceptions. Children under 12 can ride a traditional bike. Every rider under 18 must be signed for by a parent or legal guardian
Yes, and it will speed up your pickup considerably. The day before your rental you will get an email with waiver links for you and everyone in your party.
Every rider must complete and sign their own waiver, and a parent or legal guardian signs for anyone under 18. If you need the link sooner, contact us and we will send it.
Arrive about 10 to 15 minutes before your reservation time. That gives us time to fit your bike, show you how it works and walk you through the route, the beach access points and where to stop for food.
Completing your waiver in advance makes this faster. Arriving early also means an earlier start, which matters in July and August when the trail is busiest before noon.
We accept all major credit cards, debit cards and mobile payments. We are a cashless shop.
Bring a card for the $2 per person walk-in fee at Sand Harbor as well — the park takes every payment type except American Express.
The Ride
Yes. Park in our parking lot(Starbucks) or the Covered Garage below. Located on the corner of 893 Tanager St. & N Enterprise St. The garage entrance is right next to Tahoe Forest Hospice Gift & Thrift (directly across the street from the laundromat). Take the stairs up to our store.
Another great local convenient option to avoid parking altogether would be Uber/Lyft, or TartConnect(A free local service)
Sand Harbor is about five miles from our shop — roughly 40 to 50 minutes each way on an electric bike at an easy pace, and longer on a traditional cruiser.
That five miles is 1.8 miles of paved Lakeshore bike path(Billionaires Row) from our door, then just under three miles of the Tahoe East Shore Trail itself.
Three hours is our most popular rental and leaves time to ride out, swim and ride back unhurried. Two hours suits an out-and-back with a short stop. A full day is for anyone making a beach day of it.
The Tahoe East Shore Trail itself is just under three miles one way, running from the Tunnel Creek trailhead in Incline Village to Sand Harbor State Park. It is paved, ten feet wide and fully separated from car traffic.
Riding from our shop adds 1.8 miles of Lakeshore bike path, so the full ride is about five miles each way — ten round trip, or up to fourteen with the alternate route.
Along the way you pass through the mural tunnel to Hidden Beach Plaza, then Memorial Point, Sunset Cove, Emerald Cove and 25 interpretive panels on Tahoe’s history, geology and wildlife.
Yes, year-round. Lock your bikes with the locks we provide just outside the walk-in gate at the south end of the East Shore Trail. Entry on foot or by bike is $2, and the park takes every payment except American Express.
Riding in also means skipping the Sand Harbor parking lot, which fills early most summer mornings, charges $10 to $15 per vehicle, and requires a day-use reservation in peak season. Arriving on the trail requires no reservation at any time of year.
Dogs are not permitted inside Sand Harbor. If you are riding with a dog, stop at Hidden Beach instead.
Yes. Our electric bikes are Class 1 pedal-assist, meaning the motor only engages while you are pedalling and cuts out at 20 mph. Class 1 pedal-assist bikes are permitted on the paved East Shore Trail.
We do not rent throttle-equipped bikes, because they are not trail-legal here.
Easy to moderate. The trail is paved, ten feet wide and gently graded, with about 230 feet of elevation change over its length and a maximum grade of around 8% on the mountain-side section near the start.
The steepest part comes early, before the tunnel. After that the path follows the shoreline and stays close to level.
Lake Tahoe sits at 6,350 feet, so the air is thinner than most visitors are used to. That is the main reason we recommend electric bikes — the pedal assist means you never have to think about the climbs or your breath.
The Tahoe East Shore Trail, from our shop to Sand Harbor. It is the most scenic ride accessible from Incline Village and the reason most of our guests come.
Ride the Lakeshore bike path to the trailhead, through the tunnel to Hidden Beach Plaza, then along the shoreline past Memorial Point and Sunset Cove to Sand Harbor. Stop wherever the water looks good — there are eleven beach access points along the way.
We cover the full route in your orientation and you leave with a printed map marking every stop.
Our bikes are built for paved surfaces, and the East Shore Trail is paved end to end, so it is the right terrain for everything we rent.
If you want to hike Monkey Rock or another trailhead along the route, lock your bike there with the lock we provide and walk in. We do not rent mountain bikes. We do have a waiver-enforceable fine of $100 per bike if taken off trail.
Yes, with every rental. A Ride Coordinator fits your bike, shows you how it works and walks you through the route — the beaches, the overlooks, the Monkey Rock trailhead and the food stops.
You leave with a printed East Shore Trail map we had drawn by a cartographer, marking every attraction along the way. The orientation is included with every rental and is never an add-on.
Bikes, Kids & Dogs
Every adult rental includes a helmet, a bike lock, water with a bottle cage, a handlebar bag and our custom East Shore Trail map, drawn for us by a cartographer.
Electric bike rentals also include a rear rack and bungee cords for towels or a bag.
Every rental includes a full in-person orientation before you ride. There are no add-on fees and nothing is upsold at the counter.
Most visitors choose the electric comfort cruiser, and it is what we recommend for a first ride here. The pedal assist handles the climbs and the 6,350-foot elevation, so you can look at the lake instead of your heart rate.
Choose a traditional cruiser if you want the exercise, if you ride regularly at home, or if you are bringing a child trailer — trailers attach to our traditional cruisers only, not to the electric bikes.
Electric bikes require riders to be 12 or older and at least 4’10”. Traditional cruisers fit adults from 4’11” to 6’3″.
We rent child trailers that seat up to two children, with a 100-pound combined limit including anything in the rear cargo section. Children should be at least 6 months old and able to sit up unsupported, though in practice weight is the limiting factor rather than age.
Child trailers attach to our traditional cruisers only, not to the electric bikes.
For older children we rent kids’ bikes fitting 3’6″ to 4’9″. We also rent a beach cargo trailer with a weatherproof cover for towels, coolers and beach gear.
All of these are limited in number, so reserve well in advance — especially in July and August.
Riders of electric bikes must be 12 or older and at least 4’10”, with no exceptions.
Children under 12 can ride a traditional bike. Our kids’ bikes fit children between 3’6″ and 4’9″.
Younger children ride in a child trailer — at least 6 months old and able to sit up unsupported, up to two children and 100 pounds combined including cargo.
Every rider under 18 must be signed for by a parent or legal guardian, and helmets are included and required for everyone.
Yes. We rent pet trailers for dogs up to 60 pounds — an enclosed wagon that tows behind your bike, so your dog rides with you rather than waiting in the car.
Dogs are welcome on the East Shore Trail on a leash, and at Hidden Beach. They are not permitted inside Sand Harbor State Park, so plan Hidden Beach as your stop if you are riding with a dog.
One thing worth knowing: the trail bridges get hot enough in summer to hurt paws, which is another reason the trailer is the easier option on a warm day.
Pet trailers are limited in number — reserve in advance.
Yes. Helmets are mandatory on every rental and we provide one for every rider at no charge. We fit them at the shop before you leave.
A bike lock is also included with every rental.
Yes. We refresh our fleet every year and sell the previous season’s bikes each fall, all of them maintained by our own mechanics through the season.
See our Bike Sale page for current inventory, pricing and to join the waiting list — the list is how most of these sell, and they go quickly.
Finding Us, Parking & Hours
The garage entrance is on the corner of Tanager St and N Enterprise St in Incline Village, right next to Tahoe Forest Hospice Gift & Thrift and directly across from the Big Wash laundromat. Click Here to open up your navigation app on your phone to be directed directly to that garage entrance. Take the stairs at the back of the garage up to our store.
If you would rather skip parking altogether, TART Connect is a free local shuttle service, and Uber and Lyft both operate here.
We are open seven days a week, weather permitting, with seasonal hours.
Spring and summer: 8am to 6pm. Fall and early spring: 9-10am to 5pm. December through March: open by appointment.
We post blackout dates online for snow and ice days. If you are unsure about conditions, call or text us at 775-298-7431 and we will tell you what the trail looks like that day.
Yes. We are open daily April through November, and December through March by appointment.
Winter riding depends entirely on conditions. We post blackout dates online for snow and ice days and open reservations back up on clear days when the trail is rideable. The East Shore Trail is often dry between storms, and riding it in January with the lake to yourself is one of the better things you can do at Tahoe.
Call or text 775-298-7431 and we will tell you exactly what conditions look like.
Vista Trail Bikes is at 893 Tahoe Blvd, Suite 900, Incline Village, NV 89451, in the Starbucks parking lot on the north shore of Lake Tahoe.
We are the closest bike rental to the north end of the Tahoe East Shore Trail. Sage Leaf Cafe, widely considered the best breakfast on the North Shore, is right next door.
Call or text us at 775-298-7431.
Before You Go
Bring sunscreen, sunglasses, comfortable closed-toe shoes and layers. Add a swimsuit and towel if you plan to swim, and a card for the $2 per person walk-in fee at Sand Harbor.
We provide the helmet, water with a bottle cage, handlebar bag, lock and trail map.
Lake Tahoe sits at 6,350 feet. Drink more water than you think you need, and expect the weather to change quickly — layers matter more here than most visitors expect, and there is very little shade on the trail.
The Tahoe East Shore Trail is a dedicated paved path, ten feet wide and completely separated from vehicle traffic. Before it was built, this stretch of Highway 28 was the most dangerous cycling section in the Tahoe Basin — a curving two-lane shoulder against the cliffs.
Getting from our shop to the trailhead uses the Lakeshore bike path, also separated from traffic, with one signalled crosswalk at Tahoe Blvd.
Helmets are included and required, and every rider gets a full orientation on the bike and the route before heading out.
Yes. We wipe down and disinfect every bike, helmet and piece of equipment after each rental, helmets included. Our mechanics also inspect and service the fleet continuously through the season.
Not expected, always appreciated. If your Ride Coordinator set you up well and sent you off with a good plan, a tip is a welcome way to say so — but nobody here will ever ask for one.
Lake Tahoe Questions
Vista Trail Bikes is the closest rental shop to the north end of the Tahoe East Shore Trail, at 893 Tahoe Blvd in Incline Village.
We have rented on this trail since 2019 and hold a 4.9-star average across roughly 2,300 reviews. Free garage parking at the shop means you leave your car with us and ride straight out to Hidden Beach, Memorial Point and Sand Harbor.
Every rental includes a helmet, water, a lock, a cartographer-drawn trail map and a full in-person orientation. Two-hour, three-hour and all-day rentals, self-guided at your own pace.
Yes. The East Shore Trail is one of the easiest family rides in the region — paved, gently graded, car-free, with eleven beach access points where you can stop and swim.
We rent kids’ bikes, child trailers and a cargo trailer for beach gear, so most family setups work. Beyond biking, Tahoe has beaches, easy hikes, boat tours and plenty of rainy-day options.
Sage Leaf Cafe, right next to our shop, is widely considered the best breakfast on the North Shore. Inclined Burger was voted best burger in Nevada.
On the trail itself, Tunnel Creek Cafe sits at the northern trailhead and is the natural stop before or after your ride. Starbucks shares our parking lot for something quick.
Sand Harbor is the obvious one — turquoise water, granite boulders, and easiest to reach by bike rather than fighting for a parking space. Sunset Cove and Emerald Cove, both on the East Shore Trail, are quieter and just as good.
Riding out in the late afternoon and watching the light change over the lake is the version most couples remember.
Circling the entire lake is roughly 72 miles with substantial climbing and long stretches on the highway shoulder. It is a serious ride for experienced cyclists and not something our rentals are suited to.
The Tahoe East Shore Trail is the opposite — paved, car-free and easy to moderate, which is why it is what we recommend and what our bikes are built for.