Touring * Fitness * Beginner * Street * Artistic *

From Interstate 80, take the Truckee exit. Drive through downtown and turn right at the sign for State Highway 267 and Kings Beach. Approximately four miles south of town, turn left at the small sign for Martis Creek Lake Recreation Area. Proceed about half a mile to where the road curves around to the north. Just around the bend, park on the left shoulder.

From Martis Creek Lake Road, a broad panorama shows off the Northstar Ski Area to the south across the tumbleweed flats of Martis Valley. Because Martis Lake is small compared to Lake Tahoe a few miles away, it pales as a recreation destination; the benefit to skaters, however, is that car traffic on the Lake Road is usually pretty light. But there is one annoying drawback: for some reason the pavement, while smooth enough, is broken up into short sections connected by raised tar seams--causing jolt after jolt as you skate over them. Skate a few laps on the flat part of the road to get a workout or perfect your speed-skating technique. Because it's so straight, you can easily see the infrequent car approaching. When you're ready to increase your workout a notch, explore the campground just over the hill, next to the small lake formed by Martis Creek Dam. Follow the road north to climb the hill; at the top, turn right onto the consistently smooth asphalt to take a loop through the new campsites. Playful skaters should have fun using the two speed humps (a wider version of speed bumps) for attempts at flight.