This was definitely not on my plan to check out, but the universe let us here and we decided to do the .6 miles to the top where we were greeted with the most stunning and beautiful view. The rangers working at the start of the hike were extremely kind and knowledgeable. I enjoyed learning about the two hikes and what to expect from each. I am a newbie so the hike I went on was so challenging. I found myself huffing and puffing, taking several breaks and turning very red. Once I made it to the top, it was totally worth it and coming back down was so much easier than going up! I would do it again and I highly recommend you do this too! read more

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I'm sure the trails are beautiful, but the bathrooms were SO HORRENDOUS that we could not continue and we had to drive somewhere else entirely! Almost threw up when I entered the bathroom. read more

This is no longer a campground. It is a day use area. The day use area is run by California Land Management under the USFS Guidance. There is no over night camping but for those who come to into the backcountry Fees 1) $5.00 a half hour 2) $ 10.00 a day Back country hikers ( over night cars) Rules of the back country ( overnight parking) First night is $ 10.00 and all additional nights are free ---Bears are active here, make no mistake about that and what you leave in your car Day use people The falls trail is about 1 mile in and 1 mile out Bayview trail is up hill 1.5 to Granit Lake and 2 to Maggie's Peek Do bring water and real map, your phone is limited tool and you cannot triangulate with it Remember the world is in 3d and your phone is 2D this not good outcome for you if you rely on that device Reminders to the Suburbs 1) High Altitude, you drink more water 2) If does not feel hot, well it is and your cooking from the sun wear clothing 3) Never underestimate the storms here, when they come in they come fast hard and true ( be prepared with clothing) 4) Bears spend 60% of their lives in trees, look above you! 5) Keep Control of your Dogs that is to be wise of your animal 6) Feel, feel for pressure drops and feel the outward and sense the land, with your whole being not just your eyes 7) Watch People Driving in the Camp use are, Especially with Children, people are on their phones and not looking On Leaving 1) Take a breath and do not rush 2) Traffic here is intense 3) Do not allow tail gators to push you, let them make the move till you get to a place to allow the SPEED RACERS to get down the line Selfie People 10 to 50 foot fall onto grant = death Pay attention and think All in all be here now as J Muir said Hiking is military term; I do not hike a Saunter read more

Bayview Trailhead-Bayview Campground - Fires Come in and Season ends on a hot note - Hiking Near Me - Twin Bridges, California

A moderate hike with epic views: Granite Lake off the Bayview Trailhead. First and foremost, I highly recommend this hike purely based on the beautiful rewards once you get to the top. It's about 2.5 miles to the lake and 1 mile of that is pretty much straight up the mountain side, so be prepared to use those leg muscles. The vast blue waters of Emerald Bay and Lake Tahoe greet you halfway up and then the trail gets easier. It's about a 3 hour round trip. Granite Lake was a great temperature for swimming and there are plenty of rocks to jump off. Hike to the next little hilltop to the left of the lake and enjoy the sweeping views of Lake Tahoe, Cascade Lake, Fallen Leaf Lake and beyond! Breathtaking! Many people hike in and camp or continue on to Maggie's Peak. You can park at the trailhead just past the campgrounds if you have good parking Karma or you can park in the lower lot which is a quick 1/4 mile from the trailhead. The trailhead splits: left for the falls and right for Granite Lake. You'll need to fill out a simple permit to hike within a Desolation Wilderness, but it's free. If you're looking for exercise, fresh air, beautiful views and a killer swimming hole.....you'll like this hike. read more

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The Bayview trailhead is one of the many doors into the beautiful desolation wilderness. You have the option to go left to cascade lake/falls or right up to Maggie's peaks and deeper into the back country. Maggie's is a relatively easy peak to hike. It's short and not too steep. It's got views at the top that are as beautiful as the tallac hike, but not as strenuous. Back in October I did a memorial sunrise hike up Maggie's. I met a bunch of strangers at 2 am to hike in honor of a lost love one. Watching the sunrise high in the sky had to be one of the most epic experiences and I was thankful to be able to honor Sara. On the way up Maggie's there's a beautiful lake (I think it's called granite lake). There is a campground right at the trailhead but I'm apprehensive to stay there due to the amount of traffic that goes by .. when I camp, I want to be alone ! Ha! The trail gets busy , like most in Tahoe. Go early and have fun exploring. Pack it in , pack it out. read more

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Awesome hike, about a 3 mile round trip. I thought it was pretty difficult but I was carrying a 30lb baby with me. Without the baby it would probably be fairly easy. Pretty consistent incline the whole way. Incredible views! read more

Bayview Trailhead-Bayview Campground - Cascade lake - Hiking Near Me - Twin Bridges, California

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The parking for the trailhead is located at the rear of the Bayview Campground. There is limited free parking for cars and horse trailers. There's also an outhouse and trashcans at the trailhead parking lot. A hiking permit is required for Desolation Wilderness. No permit is required for the Cascade Falls Trail. Free permits are available at the trailhead. You might want to have a pen handy. We chose to hike to Cascade Falls. This was a great hike with some elevation gain. It's an out and back. We got on the trail by 9am. We only ran into other hikers on our return. There's not much shade on the trail so wear a hat or be sure to apply sunscreen.   We hiked until the falls. The trail was a bit confusing,  but fortunately there was a trail marker right before the falls. In October,  the waterfall didn't have much water flow. Fortunately,  the view of Cascade Lake with Lake Tahoe in the background was picturesque. read more

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Beautiful views accessible within minutes of the trailhead but rocky and not as easy as was advertised. Highlights: - Views: gorgeous of emerald bay. I think I kept taking the same picture over and over cause it was such a beautiful sight at each step going up the mountain. - Distance: only 1 mile each way so only about an hour tops Midlights: - Rockiness: fun because it wasn't just a flat trail and kept my kid entertained on an adventure but the older crowd had to stay back after a little bit cause it was too much. Few lists had it as the easiest hike in Tahoe and not sure if that's true--maybe all others are that much more challenging. Lowlights: - Parking: most spots reserved for campers so had to find area in Enjoyed my little bit of nature and would come back. read more

Wonderful trailhead with access to Cascade Falls trail, Maggie's Peak trail, and desolation wilderness. All hikes are good exercise and moderate to hard climbs. No easy stuff over here! Be warned though: parking is very limited for day hikers, and the area is packed in summer. So arrive early. read more

Bayview Trailhead-Bayview Campground - Hiking Near Me - Twin Bridges, California

Bay View Campground is very convenient as it's literally across the road from Emerald Bay & next to Cascade Lake. Cheapest campground around if you're on a budget. Port-a-potties are clean enough as much as I hate using them. No shower & no taps or water at this campground. Walking distance to some of the most beautiful lakes & bays I've ever seen. My favorite & best memory: We built a raft out of old logs on the beach & went over to the little island in the middle of Emerald Bay. Definitely not for the faint hearted, must love cold water & long swims haha! read more

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There was no listing for Maggie's Peak so this will have to do since this is the trailhead for the hike. It was really confusing b/c there are no signs that say this is the hike for Maggie's Peak...all it says is Desolation Wilderness. Permit required, but there's a self-serve kiosk at the trailhead - just fill out a card, tear off the bottom and drop it in the box, and attach the rest to your backpack. We started the hike up and found it to be quite steep. I'm not an experienced hiker, but I probably would've called this strenuous instead of moderate, which is the official rating. The description I read also said it was steep for the first mile, then flattens out. Nope. It was steep for the entire 1.5 miles up. The trail isn't super well-marked either (which the description was also misleading about...it said the trail was easy to navigate). There were several forks and we went off course several times and came to a dead end, having to backtrack and take the other fork to get back on track. The trail passes through some scenic locations: about 0.5 miles in, you get a nice view of Emerald Bay. About 0.75 miles in, you get really close to Granite Lake, which is beautiful. 1.4 miles in, you get a beautiful view of the valley. 1.5 miles in is Maggie's Peak South (the last 0.1 miles is very difficult - super steep and no clear trail...just keep heading straight up and you'll be fine...leave rock markers along the way so you can find the trail again when you come back down). Absolutely gorgeous, stunning, unobstructed, sweeping panoramic views of the entire South Lake Tahoe and 3 other small lakes (Granite Lake is the only one I know). It's a bit scary up there as it requires some maneuvering on top of rocks, and the fall down would be extremely steep and scary... o_O I think it took us about 1.5 hours to get to the top, maybe a little longer. It only took about 30-40 minutes to get all the way back down to the trailhead...we were practically running as the sun was starting to set. Fortunately all downhill. SUMMARY: - 3.0 mile roundtrip - steep, moderate-to-strenuous - trail often unmarked - bring lots of water - park at Inspiration Point, walk in to the campground to the trailhead definitely have someone with a smartphone and the EveryTrail app or some other hiking app to make sure you're on the right course - take the Desolation Wilderness route I wish I had read these in full detail, so I'm passing along this advice to you now! http://www.tahoeadventuresports.com/hikeindex/west/granite.htm http://www.everytrail.com/guide/maggies-peaks This site says you can also take the Eagle Falls trail back that drops you off on the road not too far from Bayview Trailhead...but takes a little longer than just backtracking. Great if you hate going back the same way you came. ;) http://www.summitpost.org/maggies-peaks/155161 read more

Awesome place to do a hike and getaway from the casinos and second hand smoke. Parking is limited at the trailhead, but there is plenty of parking along 89. Hike is fairly easy and would be good for kids or somebody not looking for a full blown overnight adventure. Mostly single track and some boulders you have to climb over, but you're rewarded with some epic views of Emerald Bay and Lake Tahoe. I'd plan for roughly 2.5 to 3 hours out and back so you can explore while at Cascade Falls and take some selfies! Also, there's plenty of port o potties near the entrance. read more

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It is a small campground close to Highway 89. There is also trailhead parking above the campground and it is small and you need to be creative sometimes. There are campground potties and some port a potties at the trailhead. It is an easy hike into the Velma Lakes regions and to DIck's Pass and Dick's Lake area! Pretty quick access to the PCT and the Tahoe Rim Trail. read more

This review is for the Cascade Falls Trail, whose trailhead is at the back of Bayview Campground. (While I didn't use the campground itself, it seemed quite unappealing...very cramped!) This trail is short and fairly easy. The only full views you are going to get of Cascade Falls are limited bends in the trail, so appreciate them where you can! The trail ends at the top of the falls, and you can easily explore around the granite to find one of many gorgeous little resting spots...this is a fantastic place for a picnic! read more

Bayview Trailhead-Bayview Campground - Taking a rest at the top of Cascade Falls. - Hiking Near Me - Twin Bridges, California

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Located across from Inspiration point, this trailhead can take you to Desolation Wilderness or the falls. Go to the left to get to the falls. The trail is fairly easy to navigate with a few portions with steep granite steps. It's about a 1 mile hike, with views of Cascade Lake and eventually white cloud falls. Parking can be hard, but there is parking on the road as well as in the lot. On Memorial Day weekend, the trail was fairly crowded. read more

Bayview Trailhead-Bayview Campground - Hiking Near Me - Twin Bridges, California

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Great hike. It was just the right length and wasn't too strenuous. The views were fabulous. I packed a lunch and ate it at the top of waterfall. Tip: get you waterfall vistas when you are farther away because you cant see the full waterfall close up. Lots of fun. Recommend this hike for all ages. read more

Bayview Trailhead-Bayview Campground - Cascade Waterfall - Hiking Near Me - Twin Bridges, California

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GORGEOUS! Look at the user pictures! This review is for the Cascade Falls Hiking Trail! Parking: plenty of parking right outside the camp ground area. if you go inside the parking area, there is parking in the back. it is self pay Starting the Trail: you have to walk through the small camping area and the trail starts behind the parking lot to the far right single line trail (you have to step aside to let ppl go past you). it's flat at first then gets rocky. tough it out, there is a GREAT flat rock area that has a BREATHTAKING view of the lake. It's also a nice spot to have lunch. You can keep going from here but to my knowledge, it's all rocky uphill. Though I'm sure the view gets better and better! If you keep going, there are waterfalls! read more

Really pretty hike up the side of Cascade Lake. Although this hike is relatively easy make sure you wear tennis shoes and bring water. We actually didn't even end up at the waterfall because the trail kind of ended or became confusing to follow but we did end up at the creek and enjoyed the company of the local chipmunks. Good work out. The hike took about 30 minutes each way with plenty of stops for photo opportunities. read more

Super nice campground but Just as an fyi, this place is no longer an overnight campground. You can have a day trip up there, but if you're staying overnight you need an overnight wilderness permit but cannot sleep outside you have to sleep in your car(s). read more

Gorgeous!!! If you're ever in South Lake Tahoe, I recommend this place to both camp at and go hiking It is a MUST!!!! Such beautiful hiking trails, great exercise! Not to close and not to far from the main turist areas but just right! I will be visiting this place when I return :) read more

Last weekend, the husband and I were off for a long weekend of backpacking in Desolation Wilderness. Wanting to be out on the trail early on Friday, we decided to drive out to the trailhead on Thursday evening and camp nearby. Lucky for us that the Bayview Campground also serves as the trailhead from which we would enter the wilderness. Talk about convenient! We arrived at the campground at around 10 p.m. on Thursday night and quickly found an open spot to pitch our tent. We slept for a few hours and were on the trail by 8 a.m. the next morning. The Bayview Campground is first-come, first-serve. On a Thursday night in July, the campground was only about half-full, despite not accepting reservations. Cost to camp, at the time we stayed there, was $17/night. There are well-maintained vault bathrooms and potable water is available until about mid-July, when the creek that feeds their watering facilities runs dry. All-in-all, the Bayview Campground serves as a great place to crash before heading out into Desolation Wilderness. read more

Camped here for several nonconsecutive weeks one summer. It's probably the cheapest place to get a primitive site with bathroom access in the area at $15/night. Only drawback is it gets busy during the day with dayhikers coming thru the campground to the trailhead. the trails are popular for a reason though, because the two main trail leading out of here take you to some pretty awesome stuff. There's a water source in the campground, but it dries up fairly quickly so be prepared with your own water. read more