Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail

California

37 Reviews

View Trail Map
View Map
Print
Complete
Favorite
Send to App

Register for free!

Register for free with TrailLink today!

We're a non-profit all about helping you enjoy the outdoors
  • View over 40,000 miles of trail maps
  • Share your trail photos
  • Save your own favorite trails
  • Learn about new trails near you
  • Leave reviews for trails
  • Add new and edit existing trails

Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail Facts

States: California
Counties: Lassen
Length: 25.3 miles
Trail end points: Richmond Rd. (Susanville) and Mason Station (Westwood)
Trail surfaces: Dirt, Gravel
Trail category: Rail-Trail
ID: 6015215

Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail Description

Overview

An outing on the Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail rewards trekkers with eye-catching Northern California scenery and signs of wildlife. The 25.3-mile packed gravel-and-dirt trail connects the historical logging towns of Susanville and Westwood on a remote route that passes through tunnels and crosses the Susan River on numerous bridges.

Those who visit the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend will enjoy the Lassen Land and Trails Trust’s annual Rails to Trails Festival in Susanville. The festival, which raises funds to support the region’s trails, includes live music, a chili cook-off, handcar races, and other fun family activities.

The trail also hosts an annual marathon and ultra-marathon race along the route.

When visiting, remember there are no services between Susanville and Westwood. Spring and fall weather can be fickle, as the trail elevations range from 4,100 to 5,500 feet. The U.S. Forest Service, which manages the 18 trail miles west of Devils Corral, allows snowmobiling when winter conditions permit. Primitive camping is allowed throughout.

About the Route

Before leaving off from the Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail's main access point in Susanville, trail users can check out the Lassen Land and Trails Trust, which is housed in a 1927 vintage railroad depot in Susanville. Across the street, the trail heads west and begins a gentle climb along the rushing Susan River. The eastern 7 miles are the most popular, as the trail passes through a semiarid, rocky canyon where the compacted surface is wheelchair accessible. For those who wish to take a slightly different route, the Singletrack Southside Trail traces the south bank of the river through the canyon.

Trees on the riverbank make this a colorful journey in the fall, and the route crosses several bridges and passes through two tunnels in the canyon. Jumbles of sticks and earthen mounds along the river mark beaver and muskrat dams and lodges, and sharp-eyed trail users might see raccoons, mule deer, porcupines, and coyotes at dawn or dusk. More than 100 bird species have been documented here.

The trail emerges from the canyon at the Devil's Corral trailhead on CA 36. Leaving the Great Basin Desert habitat behind, the trail enters the pine and fir forests of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges. The 9,000-acre Hog Fire that swept the area in 2020 has left scorched patches in this once-dense woodland.

The trail continues climbing for another 10.4 miles to the foot of Pegleg Mountain, where the route leaves the Susan River and begins a slight downhill grade for 7.6 miles until reaching the trail's western endpoint at Mason Station Trailhead.

The official western end of the trail is located here in Mason Station, but trail users may also continue another 4.5 miles along the lightly trafficked McCoy Road and Mooney Road/A21 to the nearest town, Westwood. In Westwood, trail users can find a museum and replica of the Westwood Depot, as well as a 25-foot redwood carving of Paul Bunyan. 

Trail History

Known simply as The Bizz, this rail trail follows the route of the old Fernley and Lassen Railway line, which was established in 1914 to haul logs and milled lumber between a mill in Westwood and the Southern Pacific Railroad’s main line at Fernley, Nevada. The mill closed in 1956, and the railroad ceased operations in 1978. The Bureau of Land Management and former US Representative Harold T. “Bizz” Johnson, who represented the district in Congress from 1958 to 1980, spearheaded the conversion of the corridor into a rail trail. The pathway is named in his honor.

Parking and Trail Access

The Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail runs between Richmond Rd. (Susanville) and Mason Station (Westwood), with parking available at both ends of the trail.

Parking is available at:

  • 115-200-26-11 (Susanville)

See the TrailLink map for all parking options and detailed directions.

The Lassen Rural Bus provides a bike-rack-equipped bus service between Westwood and Susanville.

Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail Reviews

always amazing BJT!!

We discovered this trail in summer and had a great evening ride on the summer solstice. Came back for the fall colors. Started in Westwood and rode 25 miles down to susanville. The Lassen rural shuttle makes this sooo easy. Thank you Lassen county for the shuttle ! Awesome river canyon ride!

Beauty & the Beast

This is a great trail even with the aftermath of the 2021 Hog Fire. We rode the entire trail from the Susanville Depot to Mason Station and back with our ebikes. First 6+ miles to Devil's Corral was amazing with the Susan river running full and green vegetation everywhere. After Devil's Corral the fire beast has devastated the forest until just before Goumaz Campround. After that beautiful forest and river surroundings until the fire beast reared it's ugly head the last couple of miles before Mason Station. If you are looking for a well groomed gravel surface, this ride is not for you. But if you don't mind rough areas, downed trees and an occasional boulder on the trail, you will enjoy the Beauty and the Beast.

Great family friendly trail, in the forest

Nice fall colors and spring wildflowers. Winter is under snow (x-country skiing, though). Summers can be warm but still tolerable.
Fascinating geology. The observant rider will see when the underlying bedrock is granite or basalt, and understand you are transitioning between two mountain ranges -- Sierra Nevada and Cascade.
A campground is halfway if you want to make it a two day ride. The local bus company will haul you and your bike as a shuttle.
Unfortunately, a good portion of the forest along the trail burned in 2020. However, you can see forest recovery in action.
If you are more adventurous you could connect to the Collins Pine Rail to Trail and ride into Chester, then pick up the Almanor Recreation Trail along Lake Almanor. From the Susanville end you could connect to the Modoc Line Rails to Trail that goes to Alturas. You could easily make a week long bikepacking trip with the Bizz Johnson trail in the middle.

Here’s to you Dad!

Rode the Bizz in the Fall in honor of my Dad. He and I (or just dad) would ride this spectacular trail every year from Westwood to Susanville. Last time we tried riding it (20 years ago) my bike broke down right at the beginning, it started to snow, and I told dad to go on without me. Figured we could try it again next year. Didn’t realize that was going to be the last chance we would be able to ride it together. Now, in my 60’s, it was a bit of a butt kicker, but I made it! Just glad Dad wasn’t alive to see he cast burn areas. together.

Accordion

Bizz Johnson railway trail

We rode from Mason station to Susanville. The west- east direction is the way to ride! It is nearly all gently downhill. Definitely recommend leaving in the morning. We left at 9 AM and arrived in Susanville at 12:10. I would allow more time if you want to picnic and take a lot of photos. The entire trail was open and there was only one time where we had to dismount our bikes. The gravel on the trail is not deep. (The reviews from four or five years ago said the deep gravel was a problem but that issue has resolved itself.) We used the bus but call before as route changing Burnt out sectionbsedestroyed by fire last year. We did not mind it

Some fire and flood damage

We rode May 18, and the first 6 miles west of Susanville were delightful. After the trail crosses Hwy. 36, we rode through last year’s massive fire damage, which also led to flood damage and washed out culverts. We turned around at a barricade and washers out culvert at mile 11. Still, worth it!

Don't go when it's hot!

Had a lovely trip on the Bizz Johnson trail, twice. First was the Fall Colors trip in October - contact the local BLM office as they arrange transportation to the trailhead from Susanville. Lots of bright yellow leaves. The second time we camped at Goumaz Campground which is right on the trail. You can ride to Susanville, then catch the twice-daily bus to Westwood and bicycle about 4-5 miles to the trailhead. Total trip length about 30 miles. Pleasant, uncrowded country a long way from anywhere, but this area is dry and hot in the summer.

Our first Rails to Trail did not disappoint!

A weekday, nearly empty after first few miles out of Susanville. Cycled on mt bike to 10 mile mark and back; then drove to Westwood, van camped, and walked four miles at this end. Will be back to do the remaining Westwood end. Not technical; not difficult. In fact so easy, it was mesmerizingly beautiful. Diverse landscape, cool temperatures (mid May), wild flowers - just perfect!

Wonderful Bikepacking Trip on the Peaceful, Well Maintained Bizz

In June 2019 my 12-year old daughter and I took a wonderful two-day bikepacking trip on the Bizz Johnson trail. We went from Susanville to Westwood and back again. I was riding a mountain bike and my daughter a hybrid. The trail is very well maintained. There was just one section we needed to walk--an underpass under the highway that had been freshly graveled. The scenery was stunning, especially at the eastern end where the bridges and tunnels are. The nights were very peaceful. We camped both nights at the primate Cheney Creek campground, which is just west of the last railroad tunnel. We had intended to stay the second night at Goumaz Campground, but it was full with RV-type campers. We were told spots are typically available, but not this particular Saturday night. However, we were very happy to return to Cheney Creek. Goumaz has running water, which meant we didn't need to pump or carry a crazy quantity with us. Local historians put up historical information about old logging camps at the western end of the trail--something I appreciated. I highly recommend riding the Bizz Johnson trail, either as a bikepacking trip, or as a long one-day trip there-and-back.

The Bizz

Wow, what a special trail (rail trail) experience this is, I don’t know if you could find a more perfect setting, from the river run views to the trestles and tunnels it is spectacular! I rode it on my gravel bike and loved every minute, even the second time was just as special, can’t wait to go back and fish! If I could make one suggestion; work on updating the pass through gates, the more you can make them passable without dismounting would be appreciated.

Entire Bizz Johnson Trail Today

Done. 32.5 miles total although the downhill part wasn’t that hard, just bumpy. Overall rating: not that impressed. Now, it is fantastic that they’ve preserved it for bikes/pedestrians/equestrians, but the scenery and two tunnels and one big trestle (rebuilt after a fire) and the trail itself pale in comparison to the Trail of the CdA’s. After crossing the big trestle over the river, you still have to ride/walk your bike down a steep section and then back up to cross under a highway. Yuk. And - while I was only supposed to do 18-20 miles, the bus couldn’t drop me off where they said they could. So instead of just the downhill part I did the whole thing. But I survived. Wouldn’t do it again by myself. My bike performed well too which was another of my big concerns. Check this one off my list. I’m so blessed to live so close to the Trail of the CdA’s!

Another excellent Rail Trail experience.

After all of the hoopla about this trail being named to the Rail Trail Hall of Fame, we made a point of riding it on our way back to SoCal after a trip to Oregon in June of 2016.
Perfect weather, beautiful river views, stately pines, and a gentle incline from Susanville made the ride a joy. The tunnels and bridge crossings add to the fun, and the forest and mountains provided enough shade to keep us cool on our morning ride.
Even though the grade is gentle, it was steep enough and gravelly enough that my fifty-eight year old wife said she was done by the time we reached Devil's Corral, so we semi-coasted back down to Susanville with new pleasant memories of yet another commendable Rail Trail experience.

What are they afraid of?

We are traveling through 48 states. In each state, we're biking our tandem bicycle 50 miles. The Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail looked perfect for us.

But: NO! At every road crossing, the trail includes two pairs of offset gates; we'd have to dismount, go through a gate, and then re-mount to ride. After 24 sets of gates, we gave up.

Great Mountain Bike Trail - Definitely Recommend!

I rode the first half of this trail west from Susanville to the Goumaz trailhead and campground, and back east to Susanville. The trail features beautiful scenery in the Lassen National Forest, running along the banks of the Susan River. This trail is a must-ride, clearly meriting its acclaim in the Rail Trail Hall of Fame! The roughly 1% grade barely is noticeable traveling westward, and is a wonderful tailwind when heading east. A special shuttle bus the local transit authority operates runs east from clearly-marked stops in Susanville out to the rural trailheads, where you can ride the entire trail eastward on the downhill grade. We observed several cyclists doing this, and for many people this would be preferable to riding the entire trail 50 miles out-and-back in the same outing.

The trail surface is packed gravel with a few rough spots and washed-out areas. Certainly would recommend a hardtail mountain bike.

As another reviewer noted, the trail inexplicably ends with no markings at the Devil's Corral trailhead just east of highway 36. I spent 30 minutes walking around, surveying the area, and finally convincing myself to use a craggy singletrack dirt trail that runs westward under highway 36 and picks-up the Bizz Johnson immediately west of the highway. To much confusion, the detour is marked only on the west side of highway 36, not on the east side. The detour appears to be in-place for safety reasons, where traffic flows fast on the highway and cyclists would be encouraged to walk or bike across the highway in front of oncoming traffic. The detour singletrack trail is steep and craggy, and most riders will want to "hike-a-bike" this approximately 0.25 mile section of trail.

West from Susanville

We started at the Susanville station and went west. At mile 7, HWY 36, the trail stopped and there were no signs to tell us where to go. We finally made our way down an embankment, under the highway and up the other side; the trail under HWY 36 was narrow and dangerous. The rail/trail picked up on the other side of the highway. Coming back, we went around a barrier, opened a fence along HWY 36 and crossed the highway to the other side. The trail was interesting between Susanville and HWY 36. West of the 36, it was straight and not very interesting. The grade going west was almost unnoticeable and coming back, when we were tired, it was a big help. The surface of the trail was good for the first seven miles and was a little rough from thereon.

Dog poop everywhere

We are from out of town and we only took very short walks on the trail starting at 2 of the access points. Even though the brochure for the trail asks people to pick up after their dogs, it is clear that many do not. There is dog poop along the trail and is very distasteful! I would recommend that this trail become off limits for the dogs. Many owners just won;t follow rules. Dog poop and unleashed dogs! Other than that, it is a very nice trail.

Started at Susanville Depot

A great ride to finally make it to the "Bizz". We rode up from the depot 7 miles in to Devils Corral. We hit paydirt on the perfect fall weather. Had the trail to ourselves mostly. My husband and I celebrating an anniversary.
We still like a decent bike adventure at 62 and 70 and this ride delivered it!
The trail was easy with a slight uphill for a decent workout. All along the Susan River, crossing bridges, riding through 2 tunnels and enjoying gorgeous fall leaves and aromatic pine trees. So much fun. We drove 10 hours from So. Cal to finally experience this wondeful trail! If you want to experience nature at its best in fall, a ride that's not difficult, and glide down hill all the way back, ride the "Bizz"!

Beautiful Sled Run

My wife and I are in our mid fifties. We started from the Mason Station outside of Westwood. The first 5-7 miles were difficult on our hybrids. I definitely would recommend having a mountain bike. The path surface was deep gravel-type rock that our bikes kept sinking into. Picture jogging on a loose sand beach--it felt like that.

Then we hit the more worn path with the 4% downgrade. The final 20 miles was like a beautiful sled run. We hardly had to peddle. The surface changed many times as did the scenery and the terrain. There were many road obstacles to steer around like trees down and huge ruts, but the majority of the path was smooth sailing.

I would definitely do this again, but probably start farther up the trail and avoid the first few miles. Another noteworthy observation is that the city bus that takes you back to Westwood only runs three times a day and can carry only three bikes at a time. We took the 12:10 bus and there were five bikes wanting to get on. Some people had to leave one person behind with the bikes and go get the vehicles in Westwood.

Overall it was a very beautiful and positive experience and we would definitely do this again.

Fall Color Spectacular

We just got back from the Fall Color Ride organized by BLM at the end of October on the Biz Johnson. We met at the Railroad Depot in Susanville at 8am on Saturday and loaded bikes in a truck and about 20 people in a very nice bus. They drove us up to the top of the trail at Mason Station while Stan Bale from BLM, who has been a 30 year champion of the Biz, filled us in on the history of the line and trail.

The first 10 miles are slightly up grade or down through a pine forest, without much color, and you do have to keep an eye out for rocks. We never encountered any loose sand or gravel that gave us any trouble riding hybrids.

From the first of twelve Susan River crossings 2.5 miles above Goumaz, the ride is easy and spectacular with lots of color and beautiful rock cliffs as you crisscross the Susan and pass through two great tunnels on your way down to the Depot.

We started riding at 10am, had a nice lunch at the Goumaz rest area, and stopped many times to take pictures and enjoy the view. We were back to our car at 3pm. One Hint: after you cross the longest trestle at Devils Corral there is a sign directing you down a steep grade to pass under Hy 36. Instead, you can stay on the rail grade, open AND close a large green gate, and walk carefully across the highway and right back on to the trail. Much easier.

parking area at Depot was a mess

We rode our horses on the Bizz. We parked in the dirt lot across from the Depot. The lot was full of trash and dog poop. We always pick up after our horses in parking lots. Why can't dog owners do the same. The Bizz trail is the best and Susanville is a nice town.

Great trail, with some reservations

I rode the whole trail over two days recently. The part from Susanville to Goumaz Campground is great. Excellent scenery, including benches thoughtfully placed to feature particularly nice views. From Goumaz to Westwood the trail becomes a bit rocky. Even with my hybrid, I've ridden rougher trails, but I had to keep my eyes on the ground ahead of me instead of enjoying the scenery. I did not encounter sand as a previous reviewer had, so maybe they fixed that. On this part of the trail you are in forest instead of river gorge, but still nice. I solved the rough trail problem by taking one of the Forest Service roads back to Westwood Junction and picking up the trail from there. Have access to a good map if you do that as those roads are confusing. There is a good map at Mason Junction. Also, I did not like the look of the paved road from the end of the trail into Westwood. Not much shoulder, 55 mph and large pickups and RVs whizzing along. I try to avoid those roads whenever possible. So I turned around at Mason. Later I drove the road to confirm my judgement.

I've ridden many rail trails and this one definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

fantastic trail save one exception

The scenery, bridges and tunnels were awesome. The trail, regrettably, has a fare amount of 3/4 to 1 inch gravel laid down as repairs. Makes for a rough ride in anything short of a mountain bike. It is a shame that, at least, the canyon section is not paved.

Fantastic Scenary

I camped at Goumaz campground, the halfway point on the trail. From there I went south to Susanville and back. The trail is easiest from Westwood going south to Susanville as it's all downhill. Coming from Susanville, it's a steady 2-4% grind pretty much all the way to Westwood.

The trail surface is hardpacked granite. I rode it two days after heavy rains and the trail was dry. I was on a rigid bike with 700x38 tires. Anything from 700 x 35 on up should be fine. Mountain bikes would be more fun as there are side trails to explore and the bigger tires give more cushion against the bumpy surface.

Beautiful scenary. The Devils Corral trestle is really neat, you're up high looking all over the area. Most of the trestles along with the two tunnels are on the portion of the trail south of Hwy 36.

Restrooms? There's one less than a mile out of Susanville, and the next one is a Goumaz campground--so plan accordingly. And about those shuttles--they aren't reliable. I met the BLM fellow that maintains the trail and he showed me where the bus stop was so I could shuttle up to another road closer to Goumaz to get back to camp. The bus never showed up, so, have a Plan B ready.

Water? The stream, so bring a filter and pump water if you need too. Lots of nice places to stop with benches to sit on too. Bring a camera as the scenary is spectacular.

Great trail going downhill

We just did much of this trail. We had considered taking the bus and beginning in Westwood so it would all be down hill. But we began on a Sunday when there is no bus. So we started in Susanville and the trail seemed great for a few hours. Then it got steeper and the surface a little more difficult. We road to where the trail crosses Hwy 36. A very nice ride. Here we turned around and went back to Susanville coasting downhill for quite a while. The next day we drove to the parking lot at Hwy 36 and went toward Westwood to do more of the trail. This was a mistake. The surface is very soft with some rocks. Even walked through some sand in places. And the steepness became much more noticeable. We were even against the wind. Went on for a few hours and decided it was beautiful but a little more work than we were interested in. So we turned around at the Goumaz campground. Downhill the surface is not a problem if you are okay controlling in sandy surface. I would do it again when I can start in Westwood. Also we had a minor bike problem at one point and asked a number of people where the bike shop was. They said the old bike shop closed and didn't know of any other. Then we did find someone who knew of a new bike shop. Rooptown bikes on Roop St. They were very helpful. Apparently they were in the phone book white pages but not the yellow pages.

great trail

Great trail, unlike any I've ever ridden. Started in Susanville on a beautiful November day. The caboose trail head has ample parking & an interpretive to give a little background. The trail gets off to a gravelly start but soon turns into a packed gravel/dirt/mixed hard-pack sand surface. Perfect for mountain bikes, hybrids or cross bikes, which is what I rode on this ride - a road bike would be torture. Riding up grade, you can tell you're going up, if barely perceptible, but it isn't too taxing. The scenic beauty is great - you have the clear river running alongside, basalt cliffs & rock/boulder fields, hard wood, pine & cedar forests, meadows spreading out here & there. The trail crosses numerous bridges & through two cold, dark tunnels. There are plenty of handmade wooden benches to when you want to take a break, lots of paths down to the river if you want to fish or take a dip & mileage markers all along so you always know exactly where you are on the trail. I turned around at the 21-mile mark & then it was back down & you realize that you really were going up hill – it’s a breeze coming back. This is a wonderful trail for any type of rider, young or old or anywhere in between.

Excellent trail!

I recommend starting it in Westwood, because it's a 3% (?) downhill grade I believe from that direction. Doable going the other way, but it's not paved, so I preferred downhill. I took the public mid-day bus from Susanville, which dropped me off at a gas station in Westwood. From there, I biked 3 miles to the trailhead and rode the length of the trail to Susanville. Beautiful, remote trail. Loved it!

a must do!

We followed the advice from other reviews and road west to east. Recommend parking in Westwood close to Shell station (intersection of 38 and A21) if you are staying in Susanville (recommend - nice small Museum, beautiful murals around town, eat at The White House and Pioneer Lodge/Lassen Ale Works). You can then catch the Lassen Rural bus in the early evening to retrieve your vehicle.
The path officially starts about 3 miles from this intersection. We drove into Westwood to see Paul Bunyan. The surface is mostly fairly fine gravel and in some places sand but not deep, all very nice surface. The trees are beautiful, and landscape changes along the ways. The most spectacular portion is for the last 7 or so miles, riding right along the Susan river; two short tunnels and several tressels. There is one segment, crossing under the road where we did walk since pretty steep and rocky. We enjoyed the whole trail. There is a great place to lunch about halfway at Gaumez with picnic benches and porta-potty.We road the the 3rd week of October and the towards the end of changing of seasonal leaves.
Side note - while in Susanville consider also riding at Ranch Park, a beautiful 27 acre park. Miles of unpaved trails, both fairly flat and mountain biking. We did a loop of Paul Bunyan to Canyon trail, about 6 miles.

Great trail

I found this trail on the internet then checked it out on this site. The trail is in very good condition and a very gradual grade. This is a very scenic trail and we were very pleased to have found it. We did about 14 miles R/T from Susanville which had the two tunnels and most of the bridges. If you are in this area this is a must trail for biking or hiking. We stopped and took many pictures along the way as there is much to photograph. We were there on a Monday so can't say how busy it gets on weekends we had the trail mostly to ourselves only a handful of people were on it. We had views of the Susan River most of the distance.

Easy going...West to East

I had ridden this trail for the first time back in July, 2000. We made a Loop from the Westwood junction to where Hwy 36 cuts the trail and then we traveled back up the highway.

However, this time we used two vehicle's, one at each end. In August of 2010, we made a one-way trek from Westwood junction to Susanville.

Personally, I think it a great place for an experienced trail rider to introduce a younger/novice rider to a long day on a bike trail. Particularly, if you travel West to East. It's mostly all down hill.
Nevertheless, a rider has to maintain the will to reach the end. Also, one can gain an understanding of preparedness. No where on the trail can one just bail...pull into a Starbucks, drink a cafe mocha and wait for the rest to come back with the car. It helps build discipline and commitment.

It's difficult to get lost on this Trail. Not many splits to navigate. Very well signed. The terrain is suited for most all bikes. Although, I wouldn't recommend taking an old "ten-speed". But it's not necessary to have "RockShox" forks either. We did encounter a section with small boulder's or large rocks(depending on your point-of-view) that we had to steer clear.

All the while, this trail offers some of the wonderful views. Plenty of interesting spot's to stop and take in the scenery. Dip your toe's in the water or jump in !

You can see some of our highlights at: http://www.youtube.com/user/MrBwaddle#p/u/6/BwgmgVtqj8o


Everytime is better. Ray Bryant Various

I have ridden the Bizz Johnson Trail many times and have always had a great trip and every time is different. Lassen Country and Modoc County plus the BLM are working of converting the railroad from Weeden to Alturus to a trail system. The Bizz Johnson Trail is being pushed east to Weeden. BLM has several bus weekend bus trips from Susanville to Westwood that allows you ride one way.Call 530-257-0456 for details and dates. The trail is gravel and is kept is good condition. It a 25+ mile trip but it is easy and plenty of places to rest. I'm 80 this year and we are planning a trip down the Bizz Johnson Trail so you know we always have a good time.

So fun

My husband and I left the Susanville depot and rode up to Gomaz. It was fun and very colorful. We went Oct. 2006. It was not hard and it was fun. I am a rode bike person I had fun on a moutain bike. Going back was all down hill so relaxing. I recommond this trail to any one. Rode to westwood 2 years ago and it was a joy that why we came back. got a late start so didnt get to go all the way. Another time we plan oin doing a round trip. Someday

Great 7-mile section - easy

"This trail is listed as difficult, but the 7-mile bottom section is quite easy, and slopes gently down into Susanville. I grew up walking and biking this trail. No sweat even for smaller children on bikes, provided you stop at the great river-side beaches and play. The best part is the two (I think) rail tunnels - perfect adventure for kids. Dark and cool inside.

Ask a ranger for directions to the trailhead that is only about 7 miles out of Susanville."

Great fall adventure

"We rode this trail on a nice Sept. day. Saw 3 people & 3 deer. Started in Westwood, rode to Susanville, stayed overnight and then took local senior citizen shuttle ($3 each for person and bicycle) from BofA back to Westwood the next day. Westwood end of trail relatively flat & viewless. Gravel trail. Then great river views, trestles and tunnels. Novice rider took 8 hours, with frequent breaks and lunch."

The Local's Favorite

"The heaviest users of this trail are the locals -- primarily mountain bikers. This trail is the town's pride and joy, and every weekend the route is filled with people.

The local bus company will provide transportation for you and your bike from Susanville to Westwood so you can ride back in the downhill direction (average 3% grade).

BLM sponsors guided rides several times per year where lecture stops talk about the natural and logging history of the area. The fall color ride this year (2003) was fantastic -- the best color in years.

There is a Forest Service campground with potable water about halfway at Goumaz.

The trail is snowcovered during the winter months, but the skiing and snowshoeing is good also."

Great trail!

We rode the Bizz Johnson in mid October. The temperature was pleasant and the colors great. We rode from Susanville (uphill) to the Mason trailhead and back. Leaving the Mason trailhead we took a forest service road part of the way back till we junctioned with the trail which we rode the rest of the way. It took us a little over 7 hours at a leisurely pace.

I think this trail rates right up there with the Route of the Hiawatha.

Great Fall colors

"We biked the trail (from Mason Station Trailhead to Susanville) on October 11 and the Fall colors were wonderful. While we are glad that we did the entire trail once, the next time that we bike the trail we will start at the highest elevation point and bike down to Susanville.
"

Bizz Johnson

"I took this trail with a group of my bike riding friends last summer. We rode from Westwood to Susanville. It was WONDERFUL. Beautiful scenery, quiet, tunnels to ride through, bridges to cross. Just a super nice trail. Thanks to RTC for this one. "

Nearby Trails

Go Unlimited Today!

  • FREE Account
  • View over 40,000 miles of trail maps
  • Post your trail reviews
  • Share your trail photos
  • Save your favorite trails
  • Learn about new trails near you
  • Get a free map in the app!
Register for FREE
  •  
Purchase Unlimited

Explore by City

Explore by City

Explore by Activity

Explore by Activity

Log in to your account to:

  • View trail paths on the map
  • Save trails to your account
  • Add trails, edit descriptions
  • Share photos
  • Add reviews

Log in with Google

Log in with Apple

OR

Register for free!

Join TrailLink (a non-profit) to view more than 40,000 miles of trail maps and more!

Register with Google

Register with Apple

OR

Your account has been deleted.